The work of ISAR in the area of corporate responsibility reporting takes place within a broader international context of work by other international organizations on various aspects of this subject. Such work includes the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the ILO Tripartite Declaration, the United Nations Global Compact and the Millennium Development Goals, and the Global Reporting Initiative’s Guidelines on Sustainability Reporting, among others. The proliferation of global conventions and guidelines on CR has led to a growing general awareness of CR issues in developed and developing countries. As a result, there is increasing demand for guidance on reporting information in this area.

 

Environmental issues are recognized as an important feature of corporate responsibility. These issues are addressed both within ISAR´s work on CR reporting as well as its more specific work on environmental accounting and reporting.

 

Since the 18th session of ISAR in 2001, the Secretariat has organized several roundtables, workshops and ad hoc consultations, which featured a broad range of stakeholders and experts in the field of corporate responsibility. As a result of these deliberations, ISAR produced the publication Guidance on Corporate Responsibility Indicators in Annual Reports. (Also available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish.).

 

The work of ISAR also includes a number of studies on corporate responsibility reporting practices around the world. The most recent of these is the 2009 review of climate change disclosures among the world’s largest 100 TNCs. In 2009, UNCTAD’s work in this area also included a high-level CEO dialogue on Sustainable Stock Exchanges co-hosted with the PRI and the Global Compact.

 

Previous UNCTAD studies include the 2008 review of corporate responsibility reporting which examines the reporting practices of 100 enterprises from 10 emerging markets, and the 2008 review of the corporate responsibility performance of large emerging market enterprises, which was produced in cooperation with EIRIS.

In 2008, UNCTAD’s work in this area also included two joint events with the PRI, one in February of 2008 which highlighted the Standard and Poor’s ESG Index for India, and one in November 2008 which facilitated an investor and policy maker dialogue on responsible investment.

 

Also in November 2008, UNCTAD signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Global Reporting Initiative. This new Programme of Cooperation is aimed at promoting in developing countries and transition economies greater understanding of, and greater participation in, the processes that set internationally recognized sustainability reporting standards. The Programme of Cooperation works to foster sustainable development and facilitate investment and business linkages in developing countries and transition economies.

 

ISAR’s earlier work on this subject includes a 2006 review of corporate responsibility reporting which looked at CR reporting practices among 105 enterprises in 71 countries, and its 2003 workshop on corporate social responsibility reporting, which resulted in the publication "Disclosure of the Impact of Corporations on Society".