UN-ESG

NGO Pushes for Extractive Sector BHR Reforms

March 30, 2016

As the Canadian Government becomes chair of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, a set of guidelines aimed at furthering the business and human rights ("BHR") agenda in the extractive industry, the nongovernmental organization MiningWatch Canada has called on Canada to enhance reporting and grievance mechanism requirements under the Principles.
GRI Partners with Tech Consultancy on Sustainability Reporting

March 29, 2016

The Global Reporting Initiative ("GRI") has announced that it is partnering with technology consulting company Tata Consultancy Services to advance the use of "big data" in corporate reporting on environmental and social information to help advance the global agenda on sustainability.
GRI Promotes Sustainability Reporting in Asia

March 28, 2016

The Global Reporting Initiative ("GRI") is hosting a meeting in Manila to encourage political and business leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ("ASEAN") to push, through both voluntary and regulatory action, corporate reporting on the implementation of the UN's sustainable development agenda.
GSSB Announces Consultation on Sustainability Standards

March 28, 2016

The Global Sustainability Standards Board ("GSSB"), created by the Global Reporting Initiative, has announced that it will open consultation in the coming months on its development of a set of global business reporting standards updating sustainability guidelines to take into account the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris climate agreement.
France Requires Disclosure of Climate, Social Financial Risks

March 17, 2016

The Climate Law Blog at Columbia Law School reports that the French Government has issued a decree requiring institutional investors to publicize how the companies in which they invest report environmental and social information and to disclose risks caused by climate change in their investments.
World Bank, ISO Collaborate on Global Standards

March 16, 2016

The World Bank Group has announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Organization for Standardization ("ISO") to highlight the use of ISO's international standards in promoting "open, fair and transparent trade."
EU Backs Rules on Corporate Tax Reporting

March 09, 2016

Politico reports that the Council of the EU has agreed to support rules requiring corporations to report to EU member states financial information from operations in every country in which they are located, as the European Commission prepares a proposal that would also require companies to disclose this information to the public.
GRI Seeks Corporate Reporting on Gender Equality Measures

March 09, 2016

The Global Reporting Initiative ("GRI") describes the pressure it has placed on businesses around the world to report on their efforts to further gender equality, including through equal pay and leadership diversity initiatives.
ISO Publishes Revised "Environmental Management" Standard

March 03, 2016

The International Organization for Standardization ("ISO") has produced a revised standard that provides a framework for businesses and other organizations, regardless of size, to meet the "growing imperative" of establishing a "sound environmental management system," in line with the agenda of the UN and activists on "sustainability" issues.
New York Calls for SEC to Force Exxon Climate Vote

March 02, 2016

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and other shareholders in energy company Exxon Mobil have petitioned the US Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") to force Exxon to permit a vote on a resolution that would require the company to report annually on its response to business risks relating to climate change.