NEW YORK/BOSTON, May 1 (Reuters) - A pension fund for

New York City employees urged BlackRock's ( BLK ) shareholders

to vote against the election of Saudi Aramco's chief

executive as director, citing potential conflicts of interest

around the asset manager's decarbonizing strategy as well as

human rights concerns.

The world's top asset manager BlackRock ( BLK ) named Amin Nasser,

the chief of the world's largest oil company Saudi Aramco as an

independent director last year.

On Wednesday, the Comptroller of the City of New York Brad

Lander wrote in a securities filing on behalf of the New York

City Employees' Retirement System that BlackRock's ( BLK ) shareholders

should vote against the election of Nasser at BlackRock's ( BLK ) annual

meeting on May 15.

"We believe that potential conflicts of interest compromise

Nasser's ability to provide independent oversight, both in

general, and particularly concerning BlackRock's ( BLK ) decarbonization

strategy," he wrote. BlackRock ( BLK ) manages about $19 billion on

behalf of the New York City Employees' Retirement System, which

has $43 million invested in the asset manager.

Aramco and BlackRock ( BLK ) did not immediately comment.

BlackRock ( BLK ) has a relatively large board with 16 people

currently nominated for election at its shareholder meeting set

for May 15. The company has faced questions over the size of the

board in the past but its directors easily won re-election last

year.

For this year top proxy advisors Institutional Shareholder

Services and Glass Lewis had both recommended votes "for" all of

BlackRock's ( BLK ) nominees, although they suggested investors vote

"against" the pay of CEO Larry Fink over process and performance

concerns.

BlackRock ( BLK ) has been under fire from U.S. Republican

politicians for its concerns about climate change, although it

continues to invest in fossil fuel companies. When Nasser was

first named to the company's board of directors last year it was

seen as possibly dampening the Republican criticism.

"Nasser and BlackRock ( BLK ) have broadly divergent interests with

respect to the need for decarbonization," the New York pension

fund said on Wednesday.

"Nasser has a vested interest in - and is an outspoken vocal

advocate for - the expansion of fossil fuels," which conflicts

with BlackRock's ( BLK ) commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,

it said.

In Wednesday's filing the New York City pension fund said

Nasser could not be seen as genuinely independent of BlackRock ( BLK )

given a 2022 gas pipeline deal which involved the asset manager

and the company, as well as a 2023 bond issuance linked to that

acquisition.

The filing also mentioned human rights concerns, saying oil

giant Saudi Aramco is "implicated in one of the largest alleged

climate-related breaches of international human rights," which

would pose reputation risks for BlackRock ( BLK ) and its shareholders.

It referred to a letter of concern sent by U.N. experts last

year to Aramco saying its expansion of fossil fuel production

and ongoing exploration threatened human rights.

"Considering these factors, Nasser's continued presence on

BlackRock's ( BLK ) Board poses a reputational risk to company culture,

as well as to the Board and shareholders," the filing said.