A global gathering of 1500 leaders and practitioners from business, finance, civil society, government and labor will assemble in Amsterdam this May to discuss the key challenges and opportunities on the path to a more sustainable global economy.
The Global Reporting Initiative’s three-day Global Conference on Sustainability and Reporting will see the launch of the next generation of GRI’s Sustainability Reporting Guidelines – G4.
With an emphasis on the principle of Materiality, G4 is designed to drive more relevant and focused reporting that reflects organizations’ major economic, environmental and social impacts.
Another major theme of the Conference will be the role of policy in shaping the future of sustainability reporting.
Taking account of the perspectives of policy makers, governments, regulators, investors and stock exchanges, the Conference will debate the impact of reporting on poverty and competitiveness, its value to financial markets, and its role in the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals.
Following a media-led debate on short-termism and the world economy, the event will close by outlining a new mandate for GRI to address the urgent need for a ‘tipping point’ in sustainability reporting practice that will accelerate the transition to a more sustainable future.
GRI Chief Executive Ernst Ligteringen said: “Transparency and accountability are part of the bedrock of a prosperous and sustainable global economy. That means sustainability reporting is good for society, good for markets and good for business.
“GRI’s Global Conference is an opportunity for thought leaders and practitioners from more than 80 countries to come together and develop a shared vision of what the future of sustainability reporting will look like.
“Since their first iteration in 2000, the GRI Guidelines have continually evolved to meet the needs of the growing sustainability reporting community. We believe G4 will encourage the kind of focused, robust and credible reporting that can help organizations learn more about themselves, leading to better decision making in the long-term.”
Confirmed speakers for the 2013 Conference include UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner; Lilianne Ploumen, Dutch minister for Trade and Development; BSR CEO Aron Cramer; Siemens Managing Board member Barbara Kux; Jochen Zeitz, Director of PPR and former CEO of Puma; NASDAQ Vice Chairman Meyer Sandy Frucher; Carolyn Ervin, Director for Financial and Enterprise Affairs at the OECD, and many more.
The 2013 GRI Global Conference on Sustainability and Reporting will take place on 22-24 May 2013 at the RAI Exhibition and Congress Centre in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The next generation of the GRI Guidelines – G4 – will be launched at a press conference at the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, Beursplein 5, on Wednesday 22 May from 9am to 11am. GRI Chairman Herman Mulder will strike the gong to open the day’s trading. He will then be available for interview alongside GRI Chief Executive Ernst Ligteringen and GRI Deputy Chief Executive Nelmara Arbex.
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) promotes the use of sustainability reporting as a way for organizations to become more sustainable and contribute to a sustainable global economy. GRI’s mission is to make sustainability reporting standard practice. To enable all companies and organizations to report their economic, environmental, social and governance performance, GRI produces free Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. GRI is a not-for-profit, network-based organization; its activity involves thousands of professionals and organizations from many sectors, constituencies and regions. For more information visit: www.globalreporting.org