5.11.2006 ET

(CSRwire) London - FTSE Group (FTSE) is the first global index company to sign the UNEP FI Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). At a ceremony in Paris on 2 May, the company became an inaugural professional services signatory to the ground-breaking PRI - an initiative which was launched by United Nations Secretary- General Kofi Annan. 18 major institutional investors and 32 institutional asset owners, representing more than $4 trillion in assets have already signed-up to the Principles.

As a signatory to PRI, FTSE has committed to providing tools and services for responsible investment. FTSE provides benchmarks, tradable and customised indices for a range of institutional and retail investors. FTSE4Good is an innovative index series and engagement programme designed to provide investors with a tool to measure the performance of companies who meet international CSR standards. The principles on which the FTSE4Good indices are based are rooted in globally accepted international standards, such as the UN Global Compact and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Globally, over thirty financial institutions are licensed to use the FTSE4Good index series including the Co-operative Bank and Direct Line Unit Trust Limited.

Mark Makepeace, Chief Executive of FTSE Group said:
"FTSE Group welcomes the launch of UNEP FI Principles of Responsible Investment, an initiative that is truly a milestone in the efforts to bring CSR and SRI into the mainstream. Through our FTSE4Good index series, we've sought to raise awareness of corporate responsibility within the investment community. We've been privileged to work with UNEP FI and to participate in the development of the PRI. We are committed to contributing to the evolution and acceptance by global investors going forward."

United Nations Secretary, General Kofi Annan said:
"These Principles grew out of the understanding that while finance fuels the global economy, investment decision-making does not sufficiently reflect environmental, social and corporate governance consideration. Developed by leading institutional investors, the Principles provide a framework for achieving better long-term investment returns and more sustainable markets."

As a UN signatory, FTSE will continue to consult with the investment community to enhance and increase its product offering in this area.

For more information
FTSE Group: Sabrina Bhangoo/Jo Mayall +44 (0)20 7866 1821 media@ftse.com

UNEP FI: Gavin Power, Senior Advisor, UN Global Compact Office (New York) +1-212-963-4681 powerg@un.org

Paul Clements-Hunt, Head of Unit, UNEP Finance Initiative (Geneva) +41-79-349-54-86 pch@unep.ch

Notes to Editors

UN Global Compact:
Launched by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2000, the UN Global Compact brings business together with UN agencies, labor, civil society and governments to advance ten universal principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. Through the power of collective action, the Global Compact seeks to mainstream these ten principles in business activities around the world and to catalyze actions in support of broader UN goals. With over 2500 participating companies from more than 90 countries, it is the world's largest voluntary corporate citizenship initiative. For more information, please visit www.unglobalcompact.org.

UNEP Finance Initiative:
The United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) is a unique global partnership between UNEP and the financial services sector. UNEP FI works with 160 financial institutions - banks, insurers, asset managers, and pension funds - to develop and promote linkages between sustainability and financial performance. UNEP FI is the oldest and largest partnership between the UN and the global financial sector. UNEP FI promotes the adoption of best environmental and sustainability practice at all levels of financial institution operations. For more information on UNEP FI, see: http://www.unepfi.org or http://www.unpri.org

About FTSE Group:
FTSE Group is a world-leader in the creation and management of indexes. With offices in Beijing, London, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Madrid, Paris, New York, San Francisco, Boston, Shanghai and Tokyo, FTSE Group services clients in 77 countries worldwide. It calculates and manages the FTSE Global Equity Index Series, which includes world-recognized indexes ranging from the FTSE All-World Index, the FTSE4Good series and the FTSEurofirst Index series, as well as domestic indexes such as the prestigious FTSE 100. The company has collaborative arrangements with the Athens, AMEX, Cyprus, Euronext, Johannesburg London, Madrid, NASDAQ and Taiwan exchanges, as well as Nomura Securities, and Xinhua Finance of China. FTSE also has a collaborative agreement with Dow Jones Indexes to develop a single sector classification system for global investors.

FTSE indexes are used extensively by investors world-wide for investment analysis, performance measurement, asset allocation, portfolio hedging and for creating a wide range of index tracking funds. Independent committees of senior fund managers, derivatives experts, actuaries and other experienced practitioners review all changes to the indexes to ensure that they are made objectively and without bias. Real-time FTSE indexes are calculated on systems managed by Reuters. Prices and FX rates used are supplied by Reuters. For more information about FTSE's RI: http://www.ftse.com/Indices/FTSE4Good_Index_Series/index.jsp

For more information please contact: