16- Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Here are the actions taken by the Université de Montréal to build peace and strong institutions.
Inclusive and Participatory Governance
Composed of about 100 community members, the University Assembly lays out the general principles that govern the Université de Montréal’s orientation and makes those recommendations to the Council. It also regulates the status of professors and monitors its application. About ten committees report to the Council. The University Assembly meets ten times each year. The meeting records are publicly available. The University’s statutes define in more detail its authority and composition, while its internal regulations define its day-to-day operations.
Total number of individuals on the University’s highest governing body : 24
Number of women serving as official members of the University’s highest governing body : 12
Percentage of official members of the highest governing body that are women : 50
For more information : https://secretariatgeneral.umontreal.ca/gouvernance/conseil-de-luniversite/
The framework of the University Assembly and Council is provided by the University’s statutes. The statutes allow for the appointment or election of various stakeholders at the University.
For more information : https://secretariatgeneral.umontreal.ca/gouvernance/survol-de-la-gouvernance/
The University’s STARS report card on inclusive and participatory governance : https://reports.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-montreal-qc/report/2022-12-23/PA/coordination-planning/PA-3/
Investment Disclosure
Percentage of the total investment pool included in the snapshot of investment holdings at each of the following levels of detail:
Percentage (0-100) | |
| Specific funds and/or companies | 78.6 |
| Investment managers and/or basic portfolio composition (i.e. asset classes), but not specific funds or companies | 21.4 |
The University of Montreal engage in proxy voting.
Website URL where the investment holdings snapshot is publicly available:
The Université de Montréal engages in proxy voting.
Sustainable Investment
These include investments in a renewable infrastructure fund, in green bonds and in sustainability bonds via a fixed income fund.
Investor engagement
The Université de Montréal’s sustainable investment policy specifies that environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues should be taken into consideration when hiring external investment managers. During the selection, the managers are evaluated based on two main criteria: are they signatories of the Principle for Responsible Investment (PRI) and do they incorporate ESG considerations into their investment process. To determine the level of ESG incorporated into the investment process, the University considers :
● the RI policy and related policies
● if not a PRI signatory, the adherence to a similar guideline
● if available, the PRI public transparency report and assessment report
● methods of incorporating ESG issues into investment choices
● proxy voting policy and disclosed proxy voting results
● internal ESG research
● ESG databases
● dedicated ESG team/personnel and their role within the investment teams
● collaborative engagements
● standard ESG reporting practices
Link to the University’s sustainable investment policy : https://storage.googleapis.com/stars-static/secure/899/8/781/7547/adm10_53-Politique_matiere_investissement_responsable_fonds_dotation.pdf
The University is committed to divest from the oil, gas and combustible fuels sector by 2025.
Percentage of the University’s endowment that its divestment effort applies to : 4.12
The University is a PRI signatory and takes part in the Quebec Network workshops. Also, the University is a signatory to the Investing to Address Climate Change, an investment charter designed for Canadian universities, and takes part in its working committee whose objective is to share and advance climate-related practices.
The University’s STARS report card on sustainable investment : https://reports.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-montreal-qc/report/2022-12-23/PA/investment-finance/PA-10/
The University’s STARS report card on investment disclosure : https://reports.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-montreal-qc/report/2022-12-23/PA/investment-finance/PA-11/
Participation in Public Policy
The Université de Montréal’s commitment in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the local level
The Université de Montréal is an active and permanent member of the Table de concertation du Mont-Royal, under the aegis of the City of Montreal. The Table brings together several stakeholders concerned with the future of Mount Royal. Within the Table, the University is a member of the planning and consultation committee. The members of the Table meet several times each year with the objective to establish a consensus on accessibility, protection and enhancement of the land, and to implement harmonious management and development of Mount Royal. In recent years, it has initiated the Mount Royal Community of Practice, in which 10 major institutions located on the mountain participate. Its mandate is to improve the management of protected areas and to integrate best practices in terms of managing biodiversity on the land.
The Mount Royal Community of Practice also proposes solutions to preserve this heritage site. Recently, it proposed to convert a portion of the former Royal Victoria Hospital parking lot to green spaces, adding to the protected natural area.
For more information: https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/montreal-to-expand-mount-royal-park-remove-some-visitor-parking
The Université de Montréal’s commitment to public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state, provincial and regional levels
The Université de Montréal was actively involved in the creation of the Stratégie nationale d’achat d’aliments québécois pour une alimentation locale dans les institutions publiques in 2021–2022.
Quebec’s Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation mandated the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec to accompany government institutions that wish to increase their share of local food purchases. This project, which will be spread out over three years, is aimed primarily at establishments in the healthcare and educational sector.
For more information : https://www.quebec.ca/gouvernement/politiques-orientations/strategie-nationale-achat-aliments-quebecois
The Université de Montréal’s commitment to public policy advocacy for sustainability at the global level
The Université de Montreal, through international collaboration and research, reviews comparative approaches and develops international best practices on tackling the SDGs. For example, the TOPICS project is a collaboration between the University’s Unité de santé internationale and France’s Institut de recherche pour le développement that involves citizens in Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burkina Faso in improving their healthcare system.
Also, the Quebec Population Health Research Network has a research group on global health headed by Prof. Lisa Merry, a professor at the University’s Faculté des sciences infirmières. The group’s research on global health is adjusted to align with the 17 SDGs and its members include researchers from around the world.
Co-organized by the University’s Unité de santé internationale, the Équipe RENARD, France’s Institut de recherche pour le développement, the Centre de recherche en reproduction humaine et en démographie, the Réseau national des ONG pour le developpement de la femme, and the Association action, gouvernance, intégration, renforcement, a deliberative workshop was held on February 16 and 17, 2021. The event brought together teams from the Technologies participation citoyenne en santé project in Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burkina Faso to share the project’s mid-term results and lessons learned. The event was attended by experts from the various organizations involved in the project, as well as representatives from health ministries in Benin, the DRC and Burkina Faso.
For more information : https://usi.umontreal.ca/nouvelles-et-infolettre/nouvelles/nouvelle/news/detail/News/technologies-democratie-et-sante-les-resultats-du-projet-topics-a-mi-parcours/
Also, the University collaborates with many NGOs. For example, in connection with SDG 3 on good health and well-being, the TOPICS project is a collaboration between the University’s Unité de santé internationale and many NGOs, such as the Centre de recherche en reproduction humaine et en démographie and the Réseau national des ONG pour le développement de la femme. The project involves citizens in Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burkina Faso in improving their healthcare system.
The University’s Unité de santé internationale is also involved with the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation in the Yellen project, a project on reproductive health in Mali.
For more information : https://www.santepop.qc.ca/en/groupings/global-health