GRI and IOE Partner to Advance Private Sector Action on Sustainable Development

Amsterdam and Geneva, April 18, 2016 /3BL Media/ - International sustainability standard-setter GRI and the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), the world’s largest private sector network, have announced a partnership agreement outlining their intent to stimulate business action on sustainable development.

Both organizations are united in their belief that the private sector must play a pivotal role in solving the world’s most pressing challenges. In signing this agreement, the parties recognize that through partnership and collaboration, they can scale up their efforts to help create a more sustainable global economy and world.

The Memorandum of Understanding between the two organizations lays out several areas of collaboration to support large organizations as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). GRI and the IOE will begin working together this year to develop guidance for SMEs on how to build their capacity for sustainability disclosure and communication. This is particularly important given the critical mass that SMEs represent within the business community. The partnership aims to better equip them to be able to access new markets and attract different sources of capital. The IOE is represented in the ad-hoc Technical Committee currently reviewing the labour-related indicators and definitions used in GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards.

“Our collaboration with the IOE is one of the ways that GRI is working to achieve SDG 17, which calls for a renewal of the global partnership for sustainable development,” said GRI Deputy Chief Executive Teresa Fogelberg. “By working together, we will also help the private sector contribute to many of the other SDGs. These include decent work and economic growth, gender equality and climate action, all underpinned by the importance of human rights. Only through partnership and a can-do attitude will we be able to do great things.”

Both GRI and the IOE are committed to the principle that responsible business conduct should be integral to the way companies operate and that this should be at the core of all business decisions. The two organizations also respect the importance of labour and civil society organizations in helping to create a responsible business environment. “We are delighted to collaborate with GRI. Guiding business in implementing policies related to sustainable development and responsible business conduct has long been at the top of the IOE’s agenda,” said IOE Secretary-General Linda Kromjong. “On the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals by the UN General Assembly last September, the IOE expressed the firm commitment of the private sector to make a positive contribution to the achievement of the SDGs. Partnering with GRI creates a unique synergy that will allow us to work more effectively towards our shared vision in this area.”   The partnership will be formally launched at the 5th GRI Global Conference: Empowering Sustainable Decisions, 18- 20 May, in Amsterdam. IOE’s Secretary-General Linda Kromjong will speak during the plenary session on ‘Innovation for Sustainable Development: The role of private sector collaboration.’        For more information on the GRI and IOE partnership please contact GRI Media Relations Manager Davion Ford at ford@globalreporting.org and IOE Communications Manager Linda Hotham at hotham@ioe-emp.org.   About the International Organisation of Employers
The IOE is the largest network of the private sector in the world, with 155 business and employer organisation members. In social and labour policy debate taking place in the International Labour Organization, across the UN and multilateral system, and in the G20 and other emerging processes, the IOE is the recognized voice of business. The IOE seeks to influence the environment for doing business, including by advocating for regulatory frameworks at the international level that favour entrepreneurship, private sector development, and sustainable job creation.   About GRI
GRI is an international independent organization that has pioneered corporate sustainability reporting since 1997. GRI helps businesses, governments and other organizations understand and communicate the impact of business on critical sustainability issues such as climate change, human rights, corruption and many others. With thousands of reporters in over 90 countries, GRI provides the world’s most trusted and widely used standards on sustainability reporting, enabling organizations and their stakeholders to make better decisions based on information that matters. Currently, 38 countries and regions reference GRI in their policies. GRI is built upon a unique multi-stakeholder principle, which ensures the participation and expertise of diverse stakeholders in the development of its standards. GRI’s mission is to empower decision-makers everywhere, through its standards and multi-stakeholder network, to take action towards a more sustainable economy and world.