Important Notice


The information contained on this website is not intended and should not be construed as any advice, recommendation or endorsement. Reference to a specific investment does not constitute a recommendation to buy, sell or hold that investment or any other investment. This website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any security, future, option or other financial instrument and is not an offer to provide any investment advice or service to any person in any jurisdiction.

The information contained on this website (including any statement that a particular company or organization or investment is, or is not, “genocide free”) was prepared based upon information available to Investors Against Genocide at the time of its preparation from sources believed to be reliable. Its accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed. Additional or different information could cause that information and any resulting conclusions to change. Changes may occur for any number of reasons, including differences in geopolitical conditions or economic circumstances and as a result of changes or clarifications of fund policies.

We are not investment advisors and do not provide investment advice; we claim no such expertise.

Steps to take

  1. Move your money away from the problem investment companies. Only when you move your money will you be delivering a strong message that they will understand. Merely moving your money to a different fund within the problem company will give them evidence that they do not need to change their investing practices! There are many companies eager to have your investment business. Choose one that you consider socially responsible.
    • Genocide-free investing - Consider investment firms that have made a commitment to genocide-free investing, notably TIAA-CREF, or applied their human rights policy and divested, such as American Funds.
    • Socially responsible investing - Consider SRI firms that have made a commitment to NOT invest in the problem companies. Save Darfur Coalition maintains a list online here.
    • Other mutual fund companies you might consider, but which have not made any clear commitments about investing in genocide or Sudan:
      • Allianz, including Allianz, NFJ and PIMCO funds - Allianz completely divested its large holdings of PetroChina on the NYSE. Read more here.
      • Janus funds - Janus held no PetroChina, Sinopec, Petronas or ONGC when we last checked.
      • T. Rowe Price funds - As of March 31, 2008, T. Rowe Price completed its sell off of its holdings of PetroChina, Sinopec, ONGC, and Petronas. Previously, they had held a total of about $250 million of these four problem companies.
  2. Check your portfolio and ensure you are not investing in companies in Sudan's oil industry. PetroChina (China), Sinopec (China), Petronas (Malaysia), and ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Company, India) are four of the worst offending companies involved with Sudan. Click here for more details about these problem companies, or see the research from the Conflict Risk Network (previously named the Sudan Divestment Task Force).
    • Ask your investment advisor to assess your portfolio and divest from these companies and mutual funds that hold these stocks.
    • Use either of the two mutual fund screening tools, noted below, to quickly check each fund you own or are considering.
    • Note that you need to check your funds' investments periodically since a particular mutual fund may have no offending stocks for one quarterly reporting period, only to change their investments in the next quarter.
  3. Move your money in your company's 401k and pension plan. Your options may be limited by the offerings within the structure of the plan. Do what you can to avoid PetroChina, Sinopec, Petronas, and ONGC and to avoid funds from the problem investment companies. Ask the plan administrator to offer alternatives to using funds from these firms, and to register a complaint on behalf of the company and its employees. Click here for suggested 401k actions.
  4. Tell your friends what you did and why. Tell them to get more information at InvestorsAgainstGenocide.org. Use the handouts and other resources on the Campaign Materials page. If you are an organization, publicize what you did and why.
  5. Tell the company. If you leave your mutual fund or investment firm, remember to contact them to let them know why you left.

Screening tools to check for Sudan-related stocks in a mutual fund

Use a mutual fund screening tool to quickly check a fund you own or are considering:

  • Click here for the screening tool from Calvert.
  • The screening tool from Invested Interests, which had been available on the website of the Sudan Divestment Task Force, is no longer available.

Mutual fund companies


In considering a mutual fund company, talk to their representative about your concerns with PetroChina, Sinopec, Petronas and ONGC, and learn what the company policy is regarding avoiding investments in genocide and about Sudan divestment. If there is a policy, ask for a copy in writing. If you have a problem with a company and its policy, make sure you tell the company that you are dissatisfied with their policy. If you use email, please copy info@InvestorsAgainstGenoicde.org.
  • Genocide-free investing - Consider investment firms that have made a commitment to genocide-free investing, notably TIAA-CREF, or applied their human rights policy and divested, such as American Funds.
  • Since the problem investment companies have made no statement or commitment regarding avoiding investments in genocide or regarding divestment from PetroChina, Sinopec, Petronas and ONGC, investors entrusting their money to those companies' mutual funds continue to risk inadvertently investing in companies that help fund the genocide in Darfur.
  • Socially responsible investing - Some mutual fund companies see themselves as socially responsible and will make a commitment to avoid the problem companies involved in Sudan.  You may already know about some of the prominent companies in socially responsible investing (SRI), such as Calvert, Domini, Trillium, Walden Asset Management.  This part of the investment industry is growing and worth looking into.
  • Most mutual fund companies, like Fidelity, will make no statement or commitment regarding Sudan, so investors in those companies' mutual funds risks inadvertently investing in PetroChina and other companies helping to fund the genocide in Darfur.
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Consider investigating what is called Socially Responsible Investing. You can search on the web and find a great deal of information. To get started, here are a few ideas.

Brokers

  • There are discount brokerages that compete with the mutual fund companies for brokerage accounts, such as Schwab, Etrade, Firstrade Securities, and Scott Trade.
  • You may want to contact one of these or other brokers to determine their offerings and inquire about whether they are Sudan-free.
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Socially responsible 401k's

  • If you are an employer, consider moving your company's 401k plan to a vendor that understands socially responsible investing and can help you design a plan that is in line with your values.  One example is Social(k).
  • If your entire 401k plan can not be made socially responsible, ensure that the plan offers a broad range of socially responsible funds to choose from and that these alternatives are well-communicated to employees.