Measuring and Reporting Sustainability Performance: Are Corporations and SSE Organizations Meeting the SDG Challenge?

Sustainability measurement and reporting have become more effective over recent decades, with new standard-setting initiatives and revision of existing tools and models. However, the 21st century brings with it a new set of conditions and challenges—are current measurement and reporting models adequate to address them? To lay the foundations for a new four-year project addressing this question, Sustainable Development Performance Indicators, UNRISD convened a conference at the United Nations Office at Geneva on 3-4 June 2019 with actors from the many different fields concerned.

The conference brought together for the first time experts from the diverse groups of stakeholders involved in sustainability measurement and reporting, uniting key standard-setting organizations with users of sustainability data such as UN agencies, companies, SSE organizations, NGOs and academia. It provided them with a unique opportunity to discuss the topic in an open and constructive forum designed to identify common ground and chart a way forward.

During the eight sessions of the two-day conference, over 30 experts provided their assessment of the state of play within the field of sustainability accounting, each from their own perspective, and participants learned about many of today’s most innovative approaches to measurement and reporting. The conference audience of about 100 was as varied as the presenters, stretching also to include governments as well as regional and international organizations.

The conference aimed to:

• identify key concerns within the field from different stakeholder perspectives;
• share best practices and recent innovations across stakeholder groups; and
• discuss ways to improve measurement and reporting related to the social dimensions
• of sustainable development.

UNRISD Event Briefs highlight knowledge that can improve the quality of development debates, policy and practice. They offer readers a concise overview and key highlights of the discussions at selected UNRISD project workshops, conferences and international meetings. Through these briefs, UNRISD provides information about its events and the discussions taking place, which may not otherwise be available to interested audiences.