A spokesperson for the University of Edinburgh was unable to clarify a timeline for finalising its updated Responsible Investment Policy (RIP) when asked by The Student.
The findings of students and staff consultation, conducted from May through August, are currently being considered and will inform the revised policy, the spokesperson said.
Initially adopted in 2016, the Responsible Investment Policy dictates areas in which the university should avoid investing in and currently centres around divestment from fossil fuels as part of the university’s efforts to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.
According to the university spokesperson, it is “widely regarded as one of the strongest in the sector”.
The current policy prohibits investment in controversial weapons, such as biological and chemical weapons, cluster weapons, nuclear weapons, and white phosphorus weapons.
A Short-Life Working Group created in response to the Old College Quad encampment recommended that the university considers expanding the policy’s definition of controversial weapons to include Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) and AI-directed Lethal Targeting of Human Subjects.
Some members advocated for divesting from all armaments but noted that such changes would require further analysis.
Following meetings on 3 and 7 October, the University Court said that these recommendations would help to inform the review.
The court also announced the creation of an advisory group to “carry out ethical review and due diligence of the University’s investments” and advise on divestment based on the findings of a second Short-Life Working Group.
Protesting the announcement by blocking entry to the university’s “administrative hub”, the Edinburgh University Justice for Palestine Society criticised the court’s “deception and delays” surrounding divestment.
[EUJPS] criticised the court’s “deception and delays” surrounding divestment
The group camped at Old College Quad for 34 days earlier this year to demand divestment from companies linked to the Israeli military.
In a statement during the encampment, Vice-Chancellor Sir Peter Mathieson said that “staff and students have made it clear” that a review of the RIP was needed.
He also announced an ongoing pause in purchasing new Amazon and Alphabet stock, following criticism of the firms’ $1.2 billion deal, codenamed “Project Nimbus”, to provide cloud services for Israel’s public and military sectors.
Military sources reportedly told the Israel-based +972 Magazine that Project Nimbus’ AI tools and information have been used to monitor the Gazan population and “on rare occasions” to confirm aerial assassination attempts in Gaza.
In its report, the Short-Life Working Group on defining armaments cautioned against the “potential unintended consequences” of employing “too wide a definition of AI-assisted targeting”.
this lack of transparency amounts to “silence”
A student at the university remarked to The Student that the university was “educating us but then taking away someone else’s right to education” by not divesting from controversial companies.
Another student criticised the lack of a clear timeline for the creation of a revised policy, stating that this lack of transparency amounted to “silence” and was “upholding the status quo”.
The University of Edinburgh Amnesty International Society (UEAIS) has joined calls for action on the University’s possible divestment, stating in an open letter that full divestment “remains unaddressed”.
The group demanded “immediate divestment” from BlackRock, Amazon, and Alphabet, and urged that a Faculty Divestment Team Representative present evidence at the University Court’s meeting on 2 December.
Endorsed by over 40 societies, the letter also encouraged students, staff, and alumni to sign.
The Edinburgh University Justice for Palestine Society (EUJPS) recently shared on social media a letter from the University stating it was ending “dialogue” with the group, citing protests and “threatening” posts.
In response, EUJPS criticised the university’s senior leadership adding that they could “divest immediately if they so wished.”
A United Nations advisory document and guidance from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), details the obligation of states and organisations’ to divest from companies linked to genocide as a precaution.
These obligations are not directly binding for universities unless enforced by UK law.
On 14 November, a UN committee concluded that Israel’s actions in Gaza were “consistent with Genocide”, a conclusion that Israel denied.
The university maintained that the decision to disengage with EUJPS would not impact its ongoing review of the RIP.
Image via Rayna Carruthers