About GRI Global Reporting InitiativeGRI_559de862-825c-11e1-b691-59c22abff88a​The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is a non-profit organization that promotes economic, environmental and social sustainability. GRI provides all companies and organizations with a comprehensive sustainability reporting framework that is widely used around the world. A sustainable global economy where organizations manage their economic, environmental, social and governance performance and impacts responsibly and report transparently._559dea88-825c-11e1-b691-59c22abff88a​To make sustainability reporting standard practice by providing guidance and support to organizations._559deb50-825c-11e1-b691-59c22abff88aSustainabilityTransparencySustainable Development Poverty ReductionResource Conservation Biodiversity ProtectionReporting GuidelinesDevelop the fourth generation of [our] Sustainability Reporting Guidelines_559debe6-825c-11e1-b691-59c22abff88a1G4 Developments -- ​G4 is GRI’s fourth generation of Sustainability Reporting Guidelines and is now in development. G4 is part of GRI’s commitment to the continuous development of its Guidelines. Why is G4 being developed? ​The Guidelines’ development is influenced by changes in the reporting field, such as the introduction of new concepts, trends and tools, and requests by new players. By developing guidance, GRI aims to drive and direct sustainability reporting, towards a sustainable global economy. The landscape of sustainability reporting is evolving; this should influence the development of GRI’s guidance. More stakeholders than ever – including regulators, investors, rating agencies and NGOs – are asking for non-financial data. The next generation of GRI Guidelines – G4 – should address requirements for sustainability data, and enable reporters to provide relevant information to various stakeholder groups. It should also improve on content in the current Guidelines – G3 and G3.1 – with strengthened technical definitions and improved clarity, helping reporters, information users and assurance providers. _559dec90-825c-11e1-b691-59c22abff88aReport or Explain[Host a] ​convening space for everyone who wants to drive sustainability disclosure as a mainstream management and accountability tool. _559ded4e-825c-11e1-b691-59c22abff88a2Report or Explain Campaign Forum -- ​A convening space for everyone who wants to drive sustainability disclosure as a mainstream management and accountability tool. What is it? The Report or Explain Campaign Forum is open to all who believe that sustainability reporting is necessary and beneficial – that companies should reveal their performance or the reasons why they don’t. There are many ways to do this, for example through regulation. Sustainability reporting does not necessarily need to be mandatory: If regulators were to adopt a report or explain policy, companies could still be free to choose what information to disclose. Such an approach could persuade more companies to report rather than to explain why they don’t, and provide markets and society with information to judge their choices. The Report or Explain Campaign Forum tracks global initiatives to advance the goal of mainstreaming environmental, social and governance disclosure. The Forum has the latest news about how organizations are pursuing their plans towards the goal of a widespread ‘report or explain’ culture. The Forum gathers and shares vital information about: * where and how sustainability reporting is building momentum and increasing in popularity * where and how minimum environmental, social and governance disclosure regulation has been advocated or implemented * where and how regulatory measures complement voluntary and private initiatives * where and how perspectives are shifting from asking “Why do you report” to “Why don’t you report ?” The Campaign Forum is championed by a wide range of organizations. Campaign Forum participants advance the sustainability reporting agenda in a number of ways: * Organizations can join and contribute to the Campaign Forum, sharing information on developments and initiatives on the disclosure of sustainability information * Companies can show support publicly for the Report or Explain Campaign Forum * Committed individuals and civil society can call on companies and regulators for a substantial change on disclosure and transparency * Governments can initiate minimum sustainability disclosure regulation_559dee02-825c-11e1-b691-59c22abff88aIntegrated ReportingMake disclosure of sustainability impacts a mainstream business activity._559deefc-825c-11e1-b691-59c22abff88a3Integrated reporting is a high profile development, offering comparability, consistency and clarity. ​What GRI thinks about IR -- GRI believes that the successful company of tomorrow will have an integrated strategy to achieve financial results and create lasting value for itself, its stakeholders and society. A focus on a single bottom line cannot offer sufficient assurance that a company will survive, or help it to innovate for future improvements and success. To negotiate the risks of economic crises and sustainability challenges, and to take opportunities for value creation and long term growth, companies need a better understanding of their non-financial performance; better ways of disclosing it; and better ways of factoring it into their strategy and operations. Integrated reporting can show the connectivity between financial and non-financial information and reflects ‘integrated thinking’. According to the International Integrated Reporting Council, this means the application of the collective mind of those charged with governance, and the ability of management to monitor, manage and communicate the full complexity of the value creation process, and how this contributes to success over time. GRI works towards making disclosure of sustainability impacts a mainstream business activity. There are different paths to mainstreaming, and many uses for sustainability reporting: as a standalone discipline; as part of a company’s research and development; as a platform for providing data to specific stakeholder groups, like investors; and now, as an intrinsic element of integrated reporting. Integrated reporting is a form of corporate reporting that brings together material information about an organization’s strategy, governance, performance and prospects in a way that reflects the commercial, political, social and environmental context within which it operates. It provides a clear and concise representation of how an organization creates value, now and in the future. Integrated reporting already has a considerable profile, and will have a big impact. Through integrated reporting, it is expected that many more companies and their stakeholders will become aware of sustainability performance measurement and disclosure and start acting on this information. GRI supports the development of integrated reporting as it has the potential to make a large contribution to the mainstreaming disclosure of sustainability impacts. Several significant developments have already taken place with regards to integrated reporting. In 2010, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange made a listing requirement that companies must produce an integrated report or explain why not. In the same year the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) was established. In September 2011 the IIRC published its discussion paper Towards Integrated Reporting - Communicating Value in the 21st Century, which offers initial proposals for the development of an International Integrated Reporting Framework and outlines the next steps towards its creation and adoption._559df032-825c-11e1-b691-59c22abff88aSustainable DevelopmentTo contribute to poverty alleviation and sustainable economic development from an economic, social, and environmental point of view._559df122-825c-11e1-b691-59c22abff88a4Developing CountriesSustainability Reporting in developing countries can help to: * Mitigate and improve companies’ effects on society, the local economy and the environment; * Strengthen companies’ competitive position, domestically and internationally, by addressing key concerns from buyers and investors regarding the social and environmental quality of their business; * Enable individuals and communities – as employees, voters, and civil society actors – to negotiate a better future for themselves.The 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development Plan of Implementation recognizes the contribution sustainability reporting can make to sustainable development. GRI Sustainable Development Strategy -- The goal of the GRI ’s Sustainable Development Strategy: Multistakeholder Engagement and Sustainability Reporting in Developing Countries is to contribute to poverty alleviation and sustainable economic development from an economic, social, and environmental point of view... This should strengthen companies’ governance around sustainability performance and impacts in their host countries, and increase their transparency for investors and stakeholders.Knowledge, Skills and OwnershipTo enhance all stakeholders’ knowledge, skills and ownership of sustainability reporting, and its link to sustainable development, poverty reduction, resource conservation and biodiversity protection._559df21c-825c-11e1-b691-59c22abff88a4.1Sustainability PerformanceTo strengthen the sustainability performance of local business actors in order to positively impact sustainable development, and strengthen their competitiveness on the regional and global market._559df320-825c-11e1-b691-59c22abff88a4.2Local Business ActorsDialogueTo increase the capacity of stakeholders -- in particular civil society, labor unions and local authorities -- to engage in constructive dialogue with local and multi-national businesses on their environmental, social and economic performance, on the basis of sustainability reporting._559df424-825c-11e1-b691-59c22abff88a4.3Civil SocietyLabor Unions Local AuthoritiesLocal BusinessesMulti-National BusinessesCapacity-building in the field should enable the creation of multi-stakeholder approaches that are specific to developing countries. TransparencyTo increase transparency regarding the impact of foreign multi-national companies that invest and operate in developing countries. _559df546-825c-11e1-b691-59c22abff88a4.4Multi-National CompaniesDeveloping Countries2012-04-09https://www.globalreporting.org/Information/about-gri/Pages/default.aspxOwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net