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

Sustainability measurement and reporting has much improved in recent decades, but is it fit for purpose for 21st century challenges and for the SDGs? This international conference will provide an opportunity for key stakeholders from UN agencies, national policy making bodies and practitioners in the measurement and reporting fields to discuss best practices, key concerns, and ways forward that take better account of the social dimensions of sustainable development.

• The full programme is available here.

Day 1

09.00—Welcome and Opening Remarks
Moderator: Paul Ladd, Director, UNRISD

• James Zhan, Director, Investment and Enterprise Division, UNCTAD
• Simel Esim, Head and Senior Technical Specialist, Cooperatives Unit, ILO
• Suk Kwon Na, President, Center for Social Entrepreneurship Studies (CSES)

10.00—Keynote Address: Allen White, Vice President and Senior Fellow, Tellus Institute; Co-Founder, Global Reporting Initiative [≡ Keynote speech notes] (via videocall)

10.50—Review of Impact Indicators: Perspectives from UN Agencies
Moderator: Ilcheong Yi, Senior Research Coordinator, UNRISD

• Marcos Athias Neto, Director, Finance Sector Hub; Director, Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development A.I., UNDP [≡ Slide deck]
• Tatiana Krylova, Head, Enterprise Branch, Investment and Enterprise Division, UNCTAD [≡ Slide deck]
• Bernhard Frey, Senior Manager, SDG Impact and Reporting, UN Global Compact [≡ Slide deck]
• Shaswat Sapkota, Sustainable Development Goals Monitoring Section, Statistics Division, UN DESA [≡ Slide deck]
• Liesel van Ast, Membership and Regional Co-ordination Manager at UNEP Finance Initiative

○ Watch the Facebook video

14.00—Review of Impact Indicators: Perspectives from the Standards Setters
Moderator: Tatiana Krylova, Head, Enterprise Branch, Division on Investment and Enterprise, UNCTAD

• Peter Paul van de Wijs, Chief External Affairs Officer, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) [≡ Slide deck]
• Richard Howitt, Chief Executive Officer, International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) [≡ Slide deck]
• Kris Douma, Director of Strategic Projects, Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) [≡ Slide deck]
• Leticia Emme, Senior Manager, IRIS and Impact Measurement and Management, Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) [≡ Slide deck]

○ Watch the Facebook video Part I and Part II

16.00—Why Do We Need Better Impact Measurement, And How Can We Do It? [Panel Discussion]
Moderator: Paul Ladd, Director, UNRISD

• Hyungsik Eum, Strategy and Statistics Coordinator, International Cooperatives Alliance (ICA) [≡ Slide deck]
• Rob Michalak, Director of Social-Purpose Impact, Ben & Jerry’s [≡ Slide deck]
• Arjan De Draaijer, Managing Partner, KPMG Sustainability, Netherlands-KPMG Global [≡ Slide deck]
• Anouk Franck, Policy Advisor, Sustainable Economic Development, Oxfam Novib [≡ Slide deck]
• Joon Whan Oh, Director of Value-Lab at the Center for Social Entrepreneurship Studies (CSES) [≡ Slide deck]

○ Watch the Facebook video

Day 2

10.00—Keynote Address: Tomáš Hák, Charles University [≡ Keynote speech notes]

10.50—Review of Impact Indicators: Perspectives and Methodologies from Social and Solidarity Economy Organizations and Enterprises
Moderator: Marguerite Mendell, Professor Emerita, School of Community and Public Affairs (SCPA), Concordia University

• Lisa Hehenberger, Director, EEI-ESADE Entrepreneurship Institute
• Marie Bouchard, Coordinator, International Working Group on Methods and Indicators for Evaluating the Social Economy, International Centre of Research and Information on the Public, Social and Cooperative Economy (CIRIEC) [≡ Slide deck]
• Simel Esim, Head and Senior Technical Specialist, Cooperatives Unit, ILO
• Jonathan Normand, Director, B Lab Switzerland [≡ Slide deck]
• Sonja Novkovic, Chair, International Cooperative Alliance Research Committee (ICA CCR), Professor in Economics and Academic Director, International Centre for Cooperative Management, Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Canada [≡ Slide deck]

○ Watch the Facebook video Part I, Part II and Part III

14.00—New Approaches to Sustainability Accounting and Impact Measurement [Panel Discussion]
Moderator: Ilcheong Yi, Senior Research Coordinator, UNRISD

• Bill Baue, Senior Director, Reporting 3.0 [≡ Slide deck]
• Kevin Horgan, Impact Valuation Manager, Future Fit Foundation [≡ Slide deck]
• Zoe Le Grand, Principal Sustainability Strategist, Forum for the Future [≡ Slide deck]
• Mark McElroy, Founder and Executive Director, Center for Sustainable Organizations [≡ Slide deck]
• Marc Pfitzer, Managing Director, FSG Geneva [≡ Slide deck]
• Do-Jin Jung, Professor, Chung-Ang University, School of Business Administration [≡ Slide deck]

○ Watch the Facebook video Part I and Part II

16.00—Plenary Discussion: The Way Ahead
Moderator: Paul Ladd, Director, UNRISD

• Summary of discussions: Peter Utting, Senior Research Associate, UNRISD [≡ Slide deck]

The conference provides participants with networking opportunities across multiple stakeholder groups; a space to build and strengthen partnerships; and valuable insights into the key issues around sustainability performance measurement and reporting.

The conference is the first international gathering convened under a new UNRISD project, Sustainable Development Performance Indicators. This four-year project aims to contribute to the measurement and evaluation of the performance of a broad range of economic entities—both in the for-profit sector and in the social and solidarity economy—in relation to the vision and goals of the 2030 Agenda, by ensuring that contextual factors and social dimensions receive appropriate consideration.