Addressing the many challenges facing the world requires the active partnership of workers and executives, markets and communities, investors and regulators, and many other stakeholders. Over the long term, their shared interests in a sustainable economy far outweigh their differences. But aligning divergent short-term interests is far from simple. One of the most important tools for doing so—and one that usually enjoys broad support—is transparency.
Through its “Disclosure Effectiveness” review, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, has catalyzed an important conversation about the state of corporate disclosure. Of particular interest is the role environmental, social, and governance disclosures—on topics including climate and the environment, human rights, political spending, taxes, worker training and benefits, and more—play in meeting the needs of investors, stakeholders, and the broader public in promoting a sustainable, long-term oriented economy.
Please join the Center for American Progress Action Fund, the AFL-CIO, Americans for Financial Reform, Ceres, the Financial Accountability & Corporate Transparency Coalition, the International Corporate Accountability Roundtable, the Patriotic Millionaires, Public Citizen, and US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment for a discussion on transparency, long-termism, and the state of SEC corporate disclosures.
Keynote:
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), U.S. Senate
Panel Introduction:
Tyler Gellasch, former Senate aide and Counsel to SEC Commissioner
Panelists:
Angela Hanks, Associate Director for Workforce Development Policy, Center for American Progress Action Fund
Morris Pearl, former business executive
Cheryl Smith, Managing Partner, Trillium Asset Management
Cynthia Williams, Osler Chair in Business Law, Osgoode Hall Law School
Moderator:
Andy Green, Managing Director of Economic Policy, Center for American Progress Action Fund
Center for American Progress
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