The Association of Chartered Certified
Accountants (ACCA) has urged the G20 to make global approach to
sustainability reporting a priority at its next summit in Rio.

Ahead of a G20 United Nations (UN) conference
on sustainable development to be held in June, the ACCA has
published a paper proposing changes to the paragraph 24 of the
discussion-document Zero Draft, concerning the integration
of sustainability information into corporate reports.

ACCA said changes should: 

  • lead to a commitment by UN member states to
    develop mechanisms for sustainability reporting at a national
    level, granting flexibility in the mechanisms applied to meet the
    standards to allow for country-specific solutions; and
  • mandate companies to report on a
    ‘comply-or-explain’ basis to stimulate substantive board
    discussions on risks and opportunities arising from sustainable
    development.

ACCA head of sustainability Rachel Jackson
said there will be a “need for rigorous and credible arrangements”
whatever the policy outcome is at Rio+20.

“This is where accountants come in – the
profession provides the much needed transparency, measurement and
comparability required for common international reporting,” Jackson
said.