THE CLWYD Pension Fund (CPF) has voted to update its investment exclusion policy to remove investments complicit in the oppression of Palestinians. It is the first pension fund in Wales to do so.
The unanimous vote brings the pension fund into compliance with the UN OHCHR database. This covers all business enterprises involved in specified activities related to the unlawful Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is the leading United Nations entity in the field of human rights, with a unique mandate to promote and protect all human rights for all people.
The CPF committee members further decided, at their meeting on November 26 in Ty Dewi Sant, Ewloe, to engage with the Wales Pension Partnership (WPP) about implementing the fund’s Exclusions Policy. The WPP manages investments on behalf of local government pension funds in Wales.
The meeting also voted to completely divest its Tactical Asset Allocation (TAA) Fund, meaning no further divestment is required to be compliant with the decision to update the exclusion policy. The only assets listed on the UN OHCR database were all within the CPF’s TAA Fund. Companies within the fund previously included AirBnB, Bookings Holdings Inc, Expedia Group and Motorola Solutions.
Wrexham county councillor Anthony Wedlake said the CPF has now completed a process he initiated with the support of other CPF members in November 2024. This includes a survey of members that showed they did not wish to be complicit in the genocide of the Palestinian people. The survey of pension members asked if they agreed with divestment. The results, from September 2025, were an overwhelming 84.2% in favour.
Wedlake added: “the decision means the CPF will not invest in any assets on the UN OHCR database. Also, the CPF will no longer have funds in companies on the database, even those funds invested on CPF’s behalf in the WPP.”
Wedlake currently sits for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) and is Group Leader of the Progressive Independents.
He said the previous investments were “relatively small” but nonetheless are now no longer in the CPF’s portfolio.
He added: “I am committed to do all I can to stop the genocidal acts and war crimes of the Israeli State. I am grateful to my colleagues on the CPF and its members for supporting the process which led to this landmark decision.
“No longer will CPF be tacit supporters of genocide and I hope that the decision inspires those throughout the UK campaigning for disinvestment. My next steps are to continue to fight for the WPP to completely disinvest assets complicit in genocide.”
The CPF vote is the first by an actual pension fund in Wales to divest. Nine local authorities in Wales have voted to divest their funds, but are reliant on the WPP to implement the divestment decision. PSC has a timeline of divestment milestones. Bridgend was the most recent council in Wales to vote to divest (November 19).
PSC Cymru co-chair David McKnight said: “Although the OHCHR database is limited to illegal Israeli settlements, this vote is very significant as other motions passed don’t necessarily mean actual divestment. This one does.”
The vote followed a vigorous campaign of lobbying by the NE Wales PSC branch.
