Ownership strategies

We use various tools to promote our interests, including dialogue with companies, investors, authorities and other standard setters in the  market. We vote at shareholder meetings, file shareholder proposals, participate in consultations on corporate governance and publish documents outlining our expectations. 

We have six strategic focus areas for our ownership activities: 

• Equal treatment of shareholders
• Shareholder influence and board accountability
• Well-functioning, legitimate and efficient markets
• Children’s rights
• Climate change risk management
• Water management

Good corporate governance paves the way for profitable business, safeguards shareholder rights and ensures an equitable distribution of profits. We also encourage companies to take responsibility for improving social and environmental practices that may negatively impact their development and, consequently, our investments. We have published guidelines for how we expect companies to manage risks connected with children’s rights, climate change and increasingly scarce water resources.

The companies we invest in are expected to follow internationally recognised corporate governance standards. NBIM is a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment. We exercise ownership rights based on the UN Global Compact and the OECD Guidelines for Corporate Governance and Multinational Enterprises.

We report on our ownership activities on a quarterly basis. We also publish annual sector compliance reports on children's rights, climate change risk management and water management.

NBIM's voting records are disclosed with the annual report.