January 2002 Update from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

* First GRI Board of Directors Announced
* Measurement Working Group (MWG) Winds Down
* Revisions Working Group (RWG) Formed
* Verification Working Group (VWG) Update
* Taiwanese Companies Tackle Sustainability Reporting
* Asian Regional Conference: July 2002
* New Draft Articles of Incorporation Posted
* Remembering A True Friend of the Environment and of GRI
* REMINDER – Invitation to Register as an Individual Stakeholder
First GRI Board of Directors Announced

A major step toward the establishment of the GRI as a permanent, independent institution occurred this month with the announcement of the first Board of Directors. Fourteen Directors from a variety of stakeholder groups and broad geographies have accepted invitations from the Nominating Committee to serve on the Board.

Roger Adams (United Kingdom) — Executive Director-Technical, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
Jacqueline Aloisi de Larderel (France) — Assistant Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme, Division of Technology, Industry, and Economics
Fabio Feldmann (Brazil) — former Secretary of Environment, São Paulo
Toshihiko Goto (Japan) — Chair, Environmental Auditing Research Group
Judy Henderson (Australia) — immediate-past Chair, Australian Ethical Investment Ltd, former Commissioner, World Commission on Dams
Hanns Michael Hölz (Germany) — Global Head of Sustainable Development and Public Relations, Deutsche Bank Group
Jamshed J. Irani (India) — Director, Tata Sons Limited
Robert Kinloch Massie (United States) — Executive Director, Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies
Mark Moody-Stuart (United Kingdom) — retired Chair, Royal Dutch/Shell
Anita Normark (Sweden) — General Secretary, International Federation of Building and Wood Workers
Nyameko Barney Pityana (South Africa) — Vice-Chancellor, University of South Africa, former Chair, South African Human Rights Commission
Barbara Shailor (United States) — Director of International Affairs, American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations
Bjorn Stigson (Sweden) — President, World Business Council for Sustainable Development
Peter H.Y. Wong (China) — Senior Partner, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Hong Kong; and Board Member, International Federation of Accountants

One final position will be filled shortly, bringing the total to 15 members (view press release). The Secretariat and the Nominating Committee wish to extend gratitude to those who submitted nominations- the selections were made from a very competitive pool of more than 100 candidates.

Measurement Working Group (MWG) Winds Down

After a year of intensive work by the MWG, recommendations for revision of the June 2000 Guidelines are now complete. The recommendations, focused on performance indicators, are available here, and will be passed on to the Revisions Working Group (RWG) for use in the Guidelines revisions process. GRI extends its sincere thanks to the 130 working group members, from 40 countries and a dozen different stakeholder groups, for an extraordinary effort.

Revisions Working Group (RWG) Formed

The MWG is passing the baton to the newly formed RWG this month, signifying the start of the final stage of the June 2000 Guidelines revision process. The RWG will integrate the recommendations of the MWG– along with findings from the Structured Feedback Process (SFP summaries now available), the Verification Working Group, and other stakeholder engagement activities– and draft revisions to the 2000 Guidelines for review by the GRI Board of Directors. View the RWG members list, and the RWG Terms of Reference. Look for the fully revised 2002 GRI Sustainability Reporting Guidelines by July of this year.

Verification Working Group (VWG): Update

Full texts and summary documents of the
feedback provided to the VWG on Overarching Principles for Providing Independent Assurance on Sustainability Reports are now available. The VWG is using this feedback to shape its final recommendations on verification issues for submission to the Revisions Working Group. The VWG will be requesting public comment on the draft recommendations on verification in the next few weeks. It is also preparing a strategy paper to advise the new Board on GRI verification policy.

Taiwanese Companies Tackle Sustainability Reporting

Ten member companies of the Business Council for Sustainable Development- Taiwan (Republic of China) recently completed environmental reports based on the GRI Guidelines. The ten reports have been compiled in a single document: Sustainable Care: Roadmap to the Green Century, written in Chinese with executive briefs available in English. This is the third year that the BCSD-Taiwan has assisted their member companies sustainability reporting efforts. Contact: bcsdroc@iplus.net.tw .

Asian Regional Conference: July 2002

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia will be the location for the GRI Asian Regional Conference, 16-18 July 2002. Attendees will learn about corporate experience with the GRI Sustainability Reporting Guidelines; how investors, consumer groups, governments, and non-governmental organisations in Asia plan to use the GRI Guidelines; opportunities for involvement in the new GRI institution; corporate social responsibility measurement and disclosure issues; and reporting in the context of global supply chains. More conference information is available here or contact gilbert@globalreporting.org.

New Draft Articles of Incorporation Posted

The GRI Draft Articles of Incorporation were amended in December, and are now available on the GRI website here.

Remembering A True Friend of the Environment and of GRI

Anil Agarwal, visionary founder and leader of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in India, passed away on 2 January 2002, after a seven-year battle against cancer. The world has not only lost a rare thinker and advocate dedicated to improving the environment, but also a staunch supporter of the rights of the poor and of social justice.

Over the past four years it was our honour to work with Dr. Agarwal and CSE, in our common effort to strengthen accountability of organisations worldwide.

Dr. Agarwal’s wisdom and support made an enormous difference to the development of the GRI for which we are deeply grateful. Dr. Agarwal was a member of the GRI Steering Committee. It is our sincere hope that Dr. Agarwal’s life and achievements will long be celebrated and his work continued through those with whom he worked around the world.

Learn more about Anil Agarwal here.

REMINDER – Invitation to Register as an Individual Stakeholder

Registering as an Individual Stakeholder is a formal indication of your support for the GRI mission, and provides you with regular updates and notice of opportunities to participate in the GRI process. Registration enables GRI to better understand its stakeholder network and priorities for strengthening it.

Any person can register, whether new to the GRI process or a current participant. Please note that only individuals can register as Individual Stakeholders. Joining as an individual does not imply your organisation’s commitment or endorsement. Almost 1000 individuals from more than 60 countries already have registered. We encourage all parties to visit to find out more and register free.