Southwark Council is set to take action to divest its pension fund from investments linked to conflict and genocide, following a motion discussed at the Council Assembly meeting on Wednesday, 12 November 2025.

The council is responding to concerns raised by residents and international organisations regarding humanitarian crises and human rights. The motion, proposed by Councillor Margy Newens, Deputy Cabinet Member for a Cleaner Southwark, and seconded by Councillor Reginald Popoola, Deputy Cabinet Member for Landlord Services, aims to align the Southwark Pension Fund with the values of the community.

To define 'conflict and genocide' beyond the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) list regarding Palestine, the council will incorporate the United Nations Genocide Convention into its investment framework. This will enable the exclusion of investments in any state found by the International Court of Justice to be in breach of the Convention. Councillor Newens' motion specifies Southwark Council will be the first local authority to take this step.

The council has already been monitoring its exposure to companies listed by the United Nations OHCHR as being linked to the occupation of Palestine. While the Southwark Local Government Pension Scheme has no direct investments in these companies, it has £4.9m invested through managed funds.

The Council Assembly has resolved to:

  • Continue to work with fund managers to disclose and divest pension fund investments in companies listed by the United Nations OHCHR as being linked to the illegal occupation of Palestine, regularly reporting on progress made.
  • Call on the London Collective Investment Vehicle (LCIV) to develop a more robust framework that enables the exclusion of investments linked to conflict, military occupation, or genocide, including the creation of a new fund that allows greater flexibility to divest from specific asset classes within pooled funds.
  • Use the pension fund's recently adopted pass-through voting mechanism to influence decisions on investments linked to human rights concerns, conflict, or military occupation.
  • Complete the necessary steps to become the first local authority to incorporate the United Nations Genocide Convention into its investment framework.
  • Reaffirm Southwark Council's commitment to ethical investment, transparency, and the protection of human rights, ensuring that our pension fund reflects the values of our diverse and compassionate community.

The Pensions Advisory Panel will continue to work with fund managers to disclose and divest pension fund investments in companies listed by the United Nations OHCHR as being linked to the illegal occupation of Palestine, regularly reporting on progress made. The council will also use the pension fund's recently adopted pass-through voting mechanism to influence decisions on investments linked to human rights concerns, conflict, or military occupation.

Details of the motion and related discussions can be found in the Public reports pack Wednesday 12-Nov-2025 19.00 Council Assembly.