Administration February 6, 2007

Calvert Teams with Non-Profit Groups on Sudan Divestment Campaign

February 6, 2007 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Calvert, a provider of socially responsible mutual funds, has joined a coalition with other groups to try and propel forward a campaign to promote divestment of money going into Sudan, with hopes that economic incentives might persuade officials there to stanch the violence in Darfur.

Reported by

Adrien Martin

More specifically, the Maryland-based firm will lend its analytical expertise and advocacy support to the Sudan Divestment Task Force (SDTF) and the Save Darfur Coalition (SDC), and plans to target companies operating in Sudan that prop up the government’s revenue base and capability to draw out the conflict, according to a press release .

Calvert plans to partner with SDTF to look at the activities of specific companies to help determine whether they should be targeted based on their involvement with the Sudanese government.

“Divestment helped isolate apartheid South Africa, and we believe that divestment can intensify the pressure on the government of Sudan to stop the killing in Darfur,” said Bennett Freeman, Calvert’s senior vice president of Social Research and Policy, in the press release.

Several states and pension funds have passed measures to pull their public pension investments from companies tied to the country, including Idaho’s most recent decision to consider withdrawing about $41 million in public pension funds from companies with ties to Sudan (See Idaho Lawmakers Consider Forcing Pension Funds to Dump Sudan-linked Investments ).

North Carolina said in November that it would pull $24 million in pension holdings with nine companies that support the government (See Sudanese Investments Get Boot From Tar Heel Pension Fund ), andCalifornia Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two bills in September that required the state pension funds to divest (See Schwarzenegger Signs Sudan Divestment Bills ).

For more on Calvert’s efforts in Sudan, visit www.calvert.com/sudan .