Source: Summary of article by Jocelyn Timperley, Business Green, May 24, 2016
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the UN Global Compact corporate sustainability initiative have renewed a collaboration to support private sector efforts to meet the UN’s high profile Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The 3-year agreement under the Memorandum of Understanding announced at the recent GRI Global Conference in Amsterdam will see an increase in efforts to push corporate contributions towards meeting the SDGs. The organizations say accountability and transparency are key for advancing responsible business practices and the initiative will push for meaningful disclosure of sustainability information to become standard practice across businesses.
Both organizations plan to provide their respective business networks with guidance, such as the SDG Compass, to help them advance, report, and communicate private sector contributions to the SDGs. Michael Meehan, chief executive of GRI, commented on the joint effort, stating, “Through our partnership with the UN Global Compact we can continue to scale up our collective efforts and have a greater impact on sustainable development issues, which include reaching and mobilizing SMEs around the world.”
The news follows the release of GRI’s new Digital Reporting Alliance, which aims to address challenges around the lack of structured data and the lack of demand for digital reporting.
The SDGs were created in September 2015 to replace the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. They include 17 new goals for 2030, including clean water and sanitation, clean energy, responsible consumption and production, biodiversity, and climate action. The UN is calling on businesses to create strategies that support achieving the goals.
Web Design & Development by Endertech