From Norway to the Gulf Region: GRI Standards Launch Events Continue Across the Globe
The Gulf region is seeing major strides in green development, with both policymakers and businesses taking action to move past their traditional reliance on the oil and natural gas sectors, and set the scene for low-carbon, energy-efficient economies built on renewable resources.
The launch of the GRI Standards in Abu Dhabi on 19 September, comes amid this growth in sustainability-led initiatives and CSR, and is expected to drive a new wave of reporting in the region. “The first sustainability report in the region to use the GRI reporting guidelines was released in 2007. Now, 10 years later, more than 100 companies have used the GRI framework to regularly report their sustainability performance. The new GRI Standards will contribute to accelerating growth in reporting over the coming years,” states Darin Rovere, CEO of Sustainability Excellence, a leading provider of sustainability strategy, implementation, and public reporting services in the region, and GRI’s event partner for this launch.
The launch event will be hosted and officially opened by renewable energy and sustainable urban development company Masdar. Highlighting Masdar’s journey with GRI reporting, CEO Mohammed Jameel Al Ramahi mentions: “We are delighted to be hosting GRI for what is a vital global milestone in the evolution of sustainability reporting. Masdar has been using the GRI framework since 2013 in order to provide a transparent, internationally recognized benchmark from which to continually measure our progress. This important event will encourage more companies across the region to do the same.”
During the launch event, organizations will receive information on how they can immediately begin using the GRI Standards to disclose critical sustainability information to their stakeholders, and on the timeline for the translation of the GRI Standards into Arabic. Attendees will also benefit from the expertise of one of GRI’s Standards Pioneers, Union National Bank, who is also the event sponsor. As explained by Union National Bank CEO Mohammad Nasr Abdeen, “Sustainability reporting using the new GRI Standards is a great way for any company to better understand and improve its combined social, environmental and economic impact. We look forward to sharing our experience of using the new standards.”
If you too would like to be part of the global best practice in reporting and benefit from the learning and networking opportunity at these launch events, visit our events center, and register for free.
