By Caroline Löbhard, March 2, 2022
Harsh times have come over Europe. The hole world is shocked by Putin's aggression against the Ukraine.
The exclusion of fossil energy sources in our financial investments hits the nail on the head better than ever. Now, at the latest, it has become clear how dangerous dependencies in energy supply on individual players are &emdash; be they large companies or governments that spare no means to assert their interests. After all, energy is an important part of public services and the basis of practically every economic activity. With the energy transition, away from fossil fuels and toward a broad potpourri of renewable, green energies, we can not only mitigate the threat of climate change, but also free ourselves from dependence on brutal regimes with a questionable understanding of the law.
But is a financial investment that excludes investments in weapons and armaments really still sustainable after the much-cited "turn of the times"? Today, we are witnessing how a Russia armed to the teeth under the leadership of Vladimir Putin is breaking international law, trampling on achievements of the international order and the United Nations does not seem to play any role. There is an unprecedented consensus in the Bundestag on more weapons and strengthening the Bundeswehr. The right to self-defense, the duty to defend democracy and the international order &emdash; we too would probably take up arms if necessary.
A world without weapons is a utopia, just like the idea that peace is achieved through deterrence, by the way. We are convinced that armaments are not a good basis for a sustainable investment. With Goldmarie Finanzen, we and our customers will not profit from the investment offensive announced by Olaf Scholz for the German armed forces.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine shows once again that we do not live in a dreamy wonderland of perpetual peace and prosperity. Everyone is challenged to stand up for their own values and convictions. Here are a few examples:
We want to see a strengthening of the United Nations, the strengthening of institutions that can enforce international law. So it is only logical to take the international community seriously in our field of business and only offer investments that are in line with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN.
In countries like Russia, the population suffers under a repressive regime that tries to hold on to power with the help of false information and state propaganda, among other things. In our investments, we prefer companies that enable education and free information.
We only invest in companies that comply with the 10 principles of the UN Global Compact &emdash; i.e. e.g. compliance with human rights, labor rights, anti-corruption.
Democracy, fundamental rights, freedom of information and international law enable us to live a good, free and peaceful life. A financial investment is a participation in business practices and for us it is clear that the same standards must be set here as in all other areas of life.