CSE and GRI to host ‘Preparing a Sustainability Report Batch II’ technical series

Following the success of the first batch of technical series 2019-2020, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) in collaboration with the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) is organising the second batch of the technical series titled ‘Preparing a Sustainability Report’ on June 15, 17, 22, 2021, from 10:30 am to 12:00 noon. 

The GRI is an independent international standard-setting organisation that helps businesses and governments worldwide understand and communicate their impact on critical sustainability issues such as climate change, human rights, governance and social well-being.

The GRI pioneered sustainability reporting in the late 1990s and has since become the globally accepted standard for enabling business, governments and other organisations to understand and communicate their impacts on critical sustainability issues. 

Today the framework is being used by governments, financial regulators, capital markets, businesses in more than 100 countries around the world. The GRI has also been working very closely with the UN to move businesses to report clearly on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

While Sri Lanka does not currently have a regulation that mandates sustainability reporting, the practice is encouraged by the voluntary adoption under the Code of Best Practice on Corporate Governance issued by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CASL) together with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC). 

GRI South Asia in collaboration with the CSE actively engaged with listed companies through a series of workshops, sessions and virtual roundtables. As a result, five times rise in sustainability reporting is seen and a sixfold rise in the GRI reports among the listed companies (from 2013 to 2019).  Furthermore, it has been established that reporting on impacts using the GRI helps organisations better anticipate risk and develop strategy for long-term sustainability of the business. 

The CSE in collaboration with GRI, launched the ESG Guidance document titled ‘Communicating Sustainability: Six Recommendations for Listed Companies Version 02’. The technical series will refer to this publication and several other GRI resources and tools to support participating companies to prepare a GRI standard-based report. In addition to this, practitioners and experts from various organisations will also be invited to share their perspectives, tips, experience and expectations from reporters.

In this high value, professional workshop, it will be discovered why it makes business sense to adopt sustainable business practices, how to monitor, manage and communicate on your performance. The workshop will be facilitated by GRI South Asia.

In addition to the GRI and CSE, external experts are also invited to share their perspectives and experience from DNV, Ernst & Young, KPMG and invited speakers from listed companies in Sri Lanka. It is an ideal opportunity for listed companies to start their reporting journey. 

The technical series is exclusive for listed companies and large companies in Sri Lanka (manager and above) from diverse departments, who would contribute to preparing the sustainability report of the organisation (e.g.: CSR or sustainable development department of the company, HR, communication, finance, operation, corporate planning, risk, health and safety). 

No prior knowledge on CSR/sustainability is required for attending the series. This is a three-part workshop series.
There is no registration fee for attending the technical series i.e. all the three workshops. However, seats are limited to the first 40 companies to register. You are requested to nominate maximum up to two representatives from your organisation. The participants should commit to initiating the sustainability reporting process within their organisation and should participate proactively in all the three workshops of the series. Participants of the technical series will receive a certificate on successful completion of the technical series.

For registration details please send a mail to [email protected] on or before June 10, 2021. First-come-first-served basis is applicable.