Responsible Business Conduct for Institutional Investors: Key Considerations for Due Diligence Under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises

While the OECD Guidelines apply to all industries and sectors of the economy, they do not make direct reference to the financial sector directly. Some of the language used in the OECD Guidelines is more targeted to suppliers and buyers in supply chains (e.g. in manufactured products), rather than investors and investee companies in an investment value chain. The relationship between an investor and an investee company is qualitatively different from the relationship between purchaser and supplier companies. In the former, there are no direct operational or contractual ties between the two, but the investor can seek to influence the investee through ownership. However recommendations of the OECD Guidelines apply across all sectors, including the financial sector and commercial investment enterprises.