About the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is a non-government organisation that develops and disseminates globally applicable voluntary Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. Used by over 1,500 companies worldwide, it is the world’s leading framework for sustainability reporting.
The GRI guidelines today encapsulate the best available international agreement on sustainability performance indicators in the economic, social and environmental arenas.
The GRI began in 1997 as an initiative of the United Nations Environment Program and became independent in 2002. Headquartered in Amsterdam in The Netherlands, the GRI is an official collaborating centre of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and works in cooperation with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Global Compact, a set of UN-endorsed principles for business.
It develops its sustainability reporting guidelines through a multi-stakeholder process that incorporates the active participation of business, accountancy, investment, environmental, human rights, research and labour organisations from around the world.
ACCSR is an organisational stakeholder of the GRI. In 2011, we will again run GRI-certified training workshops for sustainability reporting.
About the UN Global Compact
The UN Global Compact is a strategic policy initiative to assist businesses in the development, implementation and disclosure of environmental, social and governance policies and practices. It aligns responsible business practice with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.
The Global Compact’s unique network of participants and stakeholders - bringing companies together with governments, civil society, labour and the United Nations – relies on public accountability, transparency and disclosure to supplement regulation.
It has two objectives, to:
- Mainstream its ten principles in global business activities
- Garner support for broader UN goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.
With over 7,700 participating organisations, and stakeholders from over 130 countries, the Global Compact is the world’s largest voluntary corporate citizenship and sustainability initiative.
ACCSR has been a supporter of the UN Global Compact since 2008.
About AA1000AS
The AA1000 assurance standard was developed by AccountAbility, a UK-based global, not-for-profit self-managed partnership founded in 1995.
The standard was developed to improve the accountability and overall performance of organisations by increasing quality in social and ethical accounting, auditing and reporting.
The standard has been drawn from best practice in ethical and social accounting, auditing and reporting, as identified in the practice of adopters and service providers, the analysis of academics and civil society organisations, and existing accountability standards.
AA1000 has also published a draft stakeholder engagement standard which is now being revised.
About ISO26000
The world’s leading standards body, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), is developing the ISO 26000 Guidance Document to provide voluntary guidance on social responsibility.
Experts from 91 countries have been working intensively since 2004 to reach consensus on what ‘social responsibility’ means, and what should go in the world’s first standard on the subject. Due for release in 2010, the ISO 26000 standard will assist organisations’ efforts in socially responsible business practice. It is developed for both private and public sector organisations in all sectors, across developed and developing countries.
ISO 26000 will draw guidance on best practice developed by existing public and private
sector social responsibility initiatives. It will be consistent with and complement relevant international declarations and conventions by the United Nations and its agencies.
ACCSR will host its Annual Conference in 2010 (3 MB PDF) around the theme of the new ISO 26000 standard.
About UNPRI
The Principles for Responsible Investment were launched in 2006 by a 70-person multi-stakeholder group of experts from the investment industry, intergovernmental and governmental organizations, civil society and academia. The group was convened by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
The UNPRI provides a voluntary and aspirational framework for investment professionals on environmental, social and corporate governance issues that can affect the performance of investment portfolios.
Supported by the UN Global Compact and UNEP Finance Initiative, the Principles have become the global benchmark for responsible investment.
About DJSI
The Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) were launched in 1999 as the first global indexes to track the financial performance of the world’s leading sustainable companies.
DJSI ranks companies within their industry group and selects top ranking sustainability leaders on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes.
Sustainability leaders are listed on the DJSI based on the corporate sustainability assessment of SAM research. SAM is an investment boutique focused exclusively on sustainable investment.