UN-ESG

Skeptics Question "Sustainable Finance" Products

May 18, 2017

Reuters reports that, while a report from an alliance of organizations advocating "sustainable investment" indicates a growing movement toward "ethical, sustainable and socially responsible" finance, skeptics of such investment products question whether they actually contribute to the global "sustainability" agenda.
Utility Company Pursues "Green Bond" Market

May 15, 2017

French utility company Engie has announced its release of a second "green bond," valued at 1.5 billion euros and aimed at investments in renewable energy projects that will help fulfill the UN's climate change and "sustainable development" agendas.
NGO Expresses "Maturity" Concerns with BHR Reporting

May 10, 2017

A study from the nongovernmental organization Shift on the "maturity" of 74 companies' reporting practices on matters related to the global business and human rights (BHR) agenda warns that many of the companies' reports lack clarity regarding relevant BHR risks and the usefulness of human rights impact assessments.
Telecoms Agree to Global Speech, Privacy Standards

May 08, 2017

The multi-stakeholder organization Global Network Initiative has announced that seven telecommunications companies have agreed to become participants in the group's efforts to promote global business standards for users' free expression and privacy rights, including by agreeing to perform "human rights impact assessments" on their operations.
Company Launches "Next-Gen" Platform to Advance SDGs

May 03, 2017

Global software company SAP has launched a Next-Gen Global Challenges platform through which it is soliciting ideas, for public release at a New York summit in October, to pressure industry leaders into fulfilling the UN's comprehensive Sustainable Development Goals.
GRI, UN Agree "Responsible Investment" Partnership

May 03, 2017

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the UN Conference on Trade and Development have agreed to a "strategic partnership" through which they will push for "responsible investment" and "green finance" in line with the UN's comprehensive Sustainable Development Goals and the Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative.
ISO Releases International Standard for Sustainable Procurement

April 26, 2017

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has released a new set of standards designed to help companies ensure that their suppliers respect international norms regarding sustainability, workers’ rights, and environmental protection.
GRI Standards Board Considers Further Use of BHR Guidelines

April 19, 2017

The Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) Global Sustainability Standards Board has released a draft project proposal that seeks input on how to further incorporate the UN’s Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (BHR) into the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards.
NGO Ranking Pushes Telecoms on Reporting Policies

April 05, 2017

The nongovernmental research initiative Ranking Digital Rights has released its 2017 Corporate Accountability Index ranking telecommunications companies on their disclosure of policies relating to users' freedom of expression and privacy.
NGO Criticizes Banks over Tax Disclosure

April 05, 2017

A report from nongovernmental organization (NGO) Oxfam demonstrates how NGOs are using and seeking to expand EU rules requiring financial companies to publicly report on their profits and tax payments in every country in which they operate to criticize companies seeking to avoid funding their "economic, social, and cultural rights" agenda through taxation.