The importance of gender equality has been acknowledged as a key social and development issue, yet to date sustainability reporting has only dealt with the issue in a limited way.
To address this GRI and IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, carried out a joint, twelve month research and consultation project to help organizations adopt best practices in reporting.
On 27 October 2009, GRI and IFC launched the resource document, Embedding Gender in Sustainability Reporting, which is a culmination of stakeholder feedback collected during a series of international consultation workshops with business, civil society, investors, and labor representatives. A diverse, high-level advisory group also was established to support the development of this publication, with the governments of Germany, Iceland, and Switzerland acting as lead sponsors.
Embedding Gender in Sustainability Reporting is a practitioner’s guide to help organizations worldwide create opportunities for women, adopt best practices in sustainability reporting, and improve companies’ bottom lines.
Content in the document also demonstrates the value of creating business opportunities for women, provides guidance on improving gender management through sustainability reporting, and helps improve the quality and scope of gender reporting.