UN-ESG

UK Backs Legislation to Publicize Tax Data

September 07, 2016

Under pressure from a global movement of organizations and activists to clamp down on corporate tax avoidance, the BBC reports that the UK Government has offered its support to legislation that would require the country's Treasury to publish more data on the payment of corporate taxes.
GRI Calls on SEC to Adopt Global Reporting Standards

September 07, 2016

In comments to the US Securities and Exchange Commission on new business and financial disclosure rules, the Global Reporting Initiative called upon the SEC to adopt its global reporting standards on "sustainability and public policy" issues for businesses required to file reports with the agency.
Australian Code Leads to Tax Reporting Pressure

August 31, 2016

Australian retail company Wesfarmers is pushing its German rival Aldi to sign up to Australia's Voluntary Tax Transparency Code, which the government introduced to "encourage" companies to publicly report their financial and tax information and counter "aggressive tax planning."
ISO Develops "Sustainable Procurement" Standard

August 30, 2016

The International Organization for Standardization is developing a new global standard that guides organizations on how to fulfill the UN's sustainable development agenda when making decisions on procuring products and services.
NGO Calls for Preemptive Corporate Tax Reporting

August 26, 2016

Michael Solomon of the nongovernmental business transparency organization Responsible 100 writes that the solution for businesses facing activist complaints regarding their tax payments is to publicly disclose how "responsible" they are on taxes and to persuade the activists that they are paying their fair share.
Development Bank Pushes Disclosure of Corporate Owners

August 17, 2016

Echoing calls from human rights activists who promote a global clampdown on corporate tax avoidance to fund their economic, social, and cultural rights agenda, the African Development Bank Group is supporting international efforts to require the disclosure of corporate ownership in order to permit tax authorities to track the flow of business revenues.
NGO Publishes Draft Energy Development Standard

August 10, 2016

The nongovernmental organization Equitable Origin is seeking public comments on a draft corporate standard for "Responsible Energy Development," which provides benchmarks for measuring and confirming corporate implementation of the global human rights and environmental agenda in the energy sector.
GRI Hosts Private Sector Forum on SDGs

August 09, 2016

The Global Reporting Initiative and the UN-supported program Business Call to Action recently hosted a "Business Day" at the UN High Level Political Forum on implementing the Sustainable Development Goals in an effort to urge companies to play a role, particularly through public reporting of social and environmental data, in fulfilling the SDGs.
Researcher Seeks Help for Poor Countries on Tax Avoidance

August 09, 2016

The nongovernmental organization Tax Justice Network has published an article from Dr. Christian von Haldenwang calling on developed countries, through such measures as making corporate financial information available internationally, to assist poorer countries in clamping down on business tax avoidance.
GRI Lauds UPS's Sustainability Reporting

August 09, 2016

As companies face increasing pressure from the UN and activist groups to publicly report on their social and environmental impacts, the Global Reporting Initiative has published an interview with staff at delivery company UPS on the business's most recent Sustainability Report, which details how it is implementing the UN's "sustainable development" agenda.