UN-ESG

Countries Sign OECD Agreement on Corporate Financial Scrutiny

January 29, 2016

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ("OECD") has announced that 31 countries have signed its Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement providing for the automatic exchange of country-by-country financial, tax, and other information relating to multinational enterprises.
ISO Seeks Use of Standard in SDG Implementation

January 29, 2016

The International Organization for Standardization ("ISO") has published an interview with academics seeking to explain how corporations following the organization's standard on social responsibility furthers their implementation of the environmental and social framework of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals ("SDGs").
UN Report Lauds UK "Green Finance" Initiatives

January 20, 2016

A new report from the UN Environment Programme applauds UK initiatives for placing pressure on financial companies to take into account social and environmental factors in their decision-making and calls for more action from Britain to promote "green bonds" and other vehicles that support the UN's "sustainability" agenda.
Report Criticizes Business Supply-Chain Audits

January 20, 2016

A report from the University of Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute says that business-driven auditing processes that seek to evaluate supply chains for potential violations of the business and human rights agenda are tainted, with one author calling for a more interventionist government approach to holding businesses accountable for alleged abuse.
Financial Body Develops Task Force on Climate Reporting

January 13, 2016

An article from the Centre for International Governance Innovation ("CIGI") explores what a Climate Disclosure Task Force created by the Financial Stability Board, an international body that makes recommendations regarding the global financial system, should do to improve accountability of businesses for their actions on the UN sustainability agenda.
Companies Struggle to Comply with India CSR Law

January 13, 2016

Amritha Pillay writes that 32 of the 50 top-listed Indian companies failed to comply with a national law mandating a certain proportion of spending on corporate social responsibility ("CSR") initiatives, as many of these companies reported that it was difficult to find a project on which to spend the money.
UK Activists Call on Companies to Report Climate Risks

January 06, 2016

The Independent reports that, in light of the UN agreement on climate change reached in Paris in December 2015, a group of nongovernmental organizations and pension funds in the UK are calling for energy and other companies to do more to disclose to investors the potential risks to their profits and operations caused by government policies countering global warming.
UN Global Compact Pushes Reporting Measures at G20

January 04, 2016

At a recent meeting of the G20 group of countries in Istanbul, Turkey, Chairman of the UN Global Compact organization in Turkey Dr. Yilmaz Argüden called on G20 leaders to create laws and regulations requiring corporate reporting on the implementation of "principled business practices" and the furthering of the UN's sustainable development agenda.
ISO Revises Organizational Standards on Climate Change

December 30, 2015

The International Organization for Standardization ("ISO") has announced that, following the recent UN climate-change pact agreed in Paris, it will revise accordingly its standards on "measuring, reporting and verifying greenhouse gas emissions" for corporations and other organizations.
Report Pushes Standards on Forced Labor in Supply Chains

December 30, 2015

A report from nongovernmental organizations and an investment firm calls for companies to implement a number of high standards, including reporting requirements and pressure on suppliers, in order to avoid legal risks caused by forced labor and human trafficking in corporate supply chains.