UN-ESG

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.
GRI Furthers US Corporate Reporting Through Roundtables

December 29, 2015

The Global Reporting Initiative ("GRI") is pushing reporting on the implementation of the UN's "sustainability" agenda by US businesses by establishing a "GOLD Roundtables Program" comprised of meetings in Atlanta and San Francisco among business leaders who will learn GRI's reporting techniques.
UN Calls for "Mainstreaming" Climate Principles in Finance

December 28, 2015

The UN's World Bank has announced that twenty-six financial institutions from around the world have signed on to a set of principles that push the finance industry to "mainstream" climate action in their operations, including by "accounting" for the actions these institutions take to counter climate change.
GRI Head Pushes Reporting Standards in Australia

December 21, 2015

At a series of events in Australia, Chief Executive of the Global Reporting Initiative ("GRI") Michael Meehan spoke to GRI's "Organizational Stakeholders" and others about the importance of public reporting on environmental and human rights issues to the success of the UN's sustainable development agenda.
GRI Emphasizes Connection Between SDGs, Reporting

December 21, 2015

The Global Reporting Initiative ("GRI") has published an article calling on businesses to permit third parties to measure their implementation of the recently adopted UN Sustainable Development Goals ("SDGs") through GRI standards on public sustainability reporting.
ISO Pushes Standards to Combat Climate Change

December 18, 2015

In an article released during the UN climate talks in Paris, the International Organization for Standardization ("ISO") highlighted over 570 standards it has produced for businesses on the environment and called for collaboration among standard-producing organizations to close gaps in climate-change standards.
Experts Detail Reporting Obligations Under UK Slavery Act

December 18, 2015

A group of legal experts from Doughty Street International have published an article on the obligation of UK businesses to report on their efforts to rid their supply chains of forced labor under the country's new Modern Slavery Act and the possible civil and criminal sanctions against companies that fail to sufficiently comply.
GRI Seeks "Real-time" Business Transparency

December 16, 2015

The Global Reporting Initiative ("GRI") has released an article trumpeting its promotion of global standards on the environment and human rights in the context of the recent UN climate-change conference in Paris, and predicting future "real-time" public data from companies on the environmental and social impacts of their decisions.
EU Committee Pushes Tax Avoidance Legislation

December 16, 2015

The European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee has adopted a set of legislative recommendations for the European Commission to consider instituting a common EU corporate tax base, requiring businesses to report finances on a country-by-country basis, and other proposals that would restrict corporate tax avoidance in the EU.
UN Calls for Corporate Reporting on SDGs

December 16, 2015

The UN Environment Programme has published a report that argues companies are not sufficiently reporting their implementation of environmental and social provisions contained in the recently adopted UN Sustainable Development Goals ("SDGs") for 2030 and that calls on businesses to comply with international standards in their SDG reporting.