UN-ESG

Extractive Initiative Implements NGO Demands in Disclosure Policies

March 07, 2019

The nongovernmental organization Oxfam has applauded the board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, a platform for the disclosure of payments by oil, gas, and mining companies to governments, for responding to activist pressure by requiring the disclosure of extractives contracts and mandating gender-based reporting in employment figures.
Standard Setting Organizations Collaborate on SDG Reporting

March 07, 2019

A group of international corporate reporting standard setters, including the Global Reporting Initiative, has published a position paper describing how they plan to cooperate on standards pushing companies to disclose their impacts on the 169 targets included in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
NGOs Lament Lack of Action Under French “Vigilance” Law

March 07, 2019

A group of nongovernmental organizations has published a report criticizing the French government for failing to enforce meaningfully the country’s “duty of vigilance” law requiring companies to disclose plans for monitoring their supply chains to prevent human rights abuses.
NGOs Call for Broad Corporate Reporting Under EU Law

March 06, 2019

A coalition of nongovernmental organizations has produced a report calling on European companies disclosing their social and environmental impacts under the EU’s Non-financial Reporting Directive to use as a model the NGO-produced UNGP Reporting Framework and pushing the EU to sanction companies for non-compliance.
UN-Supported Initiative Seeks Strengthened Emissions Targets

March 06, 2019

The UN-supported Science Based Targets Initiative has announced updates, based on data from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to its guidance for companies on greenhouse gas reduction targets to comply with the political goal from the UN’s Paris climate deal to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
NGO Paper Seeks “Sustainability” Reporting in Banking Industry

March 06, 2019

The Centre for International Governance Innovation has published a report calling on companies in the banking industry to respond to pressure from the UN, activist groups, and global reporting organizations by disclosing how they are dealing with their “sustainability” impacts around the planet.
UN, GRI Train Companies on SDG Reporting

March 06, 2019

The UN Global Compact and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) have announced a new stage in their partnership pushing companies around the world to adopt guidance on how to report on their contributions to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
EU Institutions Advance Policy on “Low-Carbon Benchmarks”

March 05, 2019

The European Parliament and representatives of EU member states have reached a political agreement on the creation of “low-carbon benchmarks” to help identify “climate-conscious” businesses and projects for investors as part of the EU’s broad strategy to meet its pledges under the UN’s Paris climate accord.
Activists Seek Judicial Validation of Global Climate Movement

March 05, 2019

Umair Irfan of Vox has published an article surveying the global climate litigation movement, which seeks to persuade courts that fossil fuel companies must pay for the future harms caused by their alleged contributions to global warming, and whose critics argue that these lawsuits “hinge on radical, unprecedented expansions of existing laws.”
Australian Company Responds to Pressure on Coal Output

March 04, 2019

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that, in response to pressure from activist shareholders, Australia’s largest coal mining company Glencore has announced a cap in its global output of coal to help meet global pledges under the UN’s Paris climate accord.