Enhancing the role of corporate reporting for the attainment of the SDGs
ISAR’s event at UNCTAD 14 took place on Thursday, 21 July 2016, at 15:00-18:00 (programme).
In the post-2015 era, resource allocation decisions will need to be made with a new mind-set that puts the SDGs at the centre. This will have implications for enterprises and their reporting requirements and practices. In producing the goods and services that the global community consumes, enterprises utilize human, natural and financial resources that need to be recognised, measured and reported on, considering the targets and challenges of the SDGs agenda. Policy makers, regulators, enterprises, financiers, and other stakeholders will need to develop and agree on ways to enhance the role of accounting and reporting in assessing the contribution of the private sector towards attaining the SDGs.
The session facilitated an exchange of views on ways and means to enhance the role of corporate reporting as a tool to assess private sector contribution to the SDGs. It also contributed to gaining insights on main trends and challenges in the area of sustainability reporting, and strengthening institutional links with key stakeholders to facilitate progress towards the harmonization of accounting and sustainability reporting requirements.
Issues addressed:
- Enhancing corporate disclosure and facilitating comparable and verifiable corporate reporting on SDG performance
- Promoting behavioural change at the enterprise level to support the attainment of the SDGs
- Supporting SDG-related investment decision making with reliable and comparable corporate disclosure
A number of speakers attended the High-Level Policy Dialogue, and UNCTAD has prepared reference materials on sustainable reporting and SDGs.
Further information on UNCTAD 14, including its full programme and negotiation text, can be found here.