Exclusive: Cambridge University backtracks on divesting from arms companies

The University of Cambridge has backtracked on a move towards divesting from all weapons companies, Middle East Eye can reveal.

According to documents seen by MEE, on 16 April the University Council, Cambridge's central governing body, approved the introduction of a "monitoring regime" for investments in "conventional weapons".

This monitoring regime was proposed by the Cambridge University Endowment Trustee Body (CUETB), which oversees the university's investments, and would track the endowment fund's "exposure to companies which primarily manufacture conventional weapons", according to the Council.

If the fund's exposure to weapons companies was to exceed "a certain threshold as a proportion of its assets", discussions "would then be initiated with UCIM [University of Cambridge Investment Management Limited, which runs the endowment fund] as to how to manage a reduction in exposure of the [fund] in this category in due course."

This came in response to a report by a working group on investments that the university established in 2024, due to a student encampment organised by Cambridge for Palestine. 

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