AccountAbility (Institute of Social and Ethical AccountAbility)
Encyclopedia
AccountAbility is an independent, global, not-for-profit organisation promoting accountability
, sustainable business
practices and corporate responsibility. It is a self-managed partnership, governed by its multi-stakeholder network.http://www.accountability21.net/governance
AccountAbility's work is closely related but not limited to the Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR) field. The organisation is often labelled as a global think-tank, and has undertaken work in the areas of Responsible Competitiveness, Partnership Effectiveness, Collaborative Governance, Stakeholder Engagement and Sustainability Assurance and Reporting.
AccountAbility is a global network of leading business, public and civil institutions "working to build and demonstrate the possibilities for tomorrow’s global markets and governance through thought leadership and advisory services". They work to:
AccountAbility’s core principles derive from the flagship AA1000 principles of inclusivity, materiality and responsiveness. Staying true to these principles, a multi-stakeholder governance structure provides guidance and advice to the Directors by way of specific governing bodies.
AccountAbility is currently in the process of comprehensively overhauling its governance and oversight structure. The new structure and process is designed to provide broader, more senior-level stakeholder representation from the public and private sectors, civil society, and the standards community.
The role of the new governance structure will be threefold:
AccountAbility has endeavoured over the past 5 years to understand how multi-sector development partnerships work, how they perform and under what conditions they are able to function as viable alternatives to existing development systems.
Guidelines, SIGMA Guidelines http://www.proveandimprove.org/new/documents/SIGMASustainabilityScorecard.pdf, SA8000
, the ISO Series and financial accounting standards.
The AA1000 Series consists of: the AA1000 AccountAbility Principles Standard (2008)(AA1000APS) , the AA1000 Assurance Standard (2008) (AA1000AS) and AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard (2005) (AA1000SES).
AA1000AS (2008) requires the assurance provider to look at underlying management approaches, systems and processes and how stakeholders have participated. This enables the assurance provider to evaluate the nature and extent to which an organisation adheres to the AccountAbility Principles. The assurance providers use the Principles as criteria when evaluating an organisation. It provides findings and conclusions on the current status of an organisation's sustainability performance and provides recommendations to encourage continuous improvement.
and accountability
. The AA1000SES can be used as a stand-alone standard or in collaboration with other standards (e.g. AA1000 Assurance Standard, Global Reporting Initiative
, ISO).
The AA1000SES was published in draft form in 2005 and a substantial revision process began in early 2009. The AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard Draft provides a basis for designing, implementing, evaluating and assuring the quality of stakeholder engagement.
The standard provides guidance for continuous improvement, recognizing different levels of practice and can be used as a stand-alone standard or as an integral element of other standards (e.g. AA1000AS, GRI, ISO). The AA1000SES is relevant to micro-level engagements and macro-level engagements on major societal concerns and applies to businesses, civil society, public bodies and multi-stakeholder networks and partnerships.
AccountAbility works with regional and national governments, and with multi-sector alliances to help reshape markets. Some of the partners of the Responsible Competitiveness work are Fundação Dom Cabral
, Rockefeller Brothers Fund
, London Development Agency
, Authentix, BT, FUNDEMAS, Yorkshire Forward
and SAGIA. The goal of this work is to build social and environmental innovation into the core of competitiveness strategies.
The Responsible Competitiveness Series of AccountAbility include the reports:
According to The Responsible Competitiveness Index, covering 108 countries accounting for 96% of global economic activity, Sweden is the world's most responsibly competitive nation, followed by Denmark, Finland, Iceland and UK. Strong performers outside the European Union include Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Japan, Estonia, Slovenia, Chile and the Republic of Korea.
The report includes a foreword from Al Gore
and a dozen essays on responsible competitiveness from experts such as Sir Nicholas Stern
(climate change), Laura Tyson (the gender gap), Jean-Philippe Courtois (ICT, social inclusion and competitiveness), Nick Butler
(energy security), Peter Eigen
(corruption) and Jonathan Lash http://www.wri.org/profile/jonathan-lash (preparing for a carbon-constrained future).
The core of the Saudi Responsible Competitiveness Index is an annual assessment of leading businesses in Saudi Arabia. Eligible businesses are large or small, public or private, Saudi or foreign, from any sector. Businesses which participate have had an in-depth discussion of their performance with analysts, based on AccountAbility's global Responsible Competitiveness Index (RCI) framework.
The Saudir Responsible Competitiveness Index Report shows how 40 Saudi businesses are contributing to responsible competitiveness in the Kingdom. The report was launched at the Middle Eastern equivalent of Davos - the Global Competitiveness Forum (GCF)http://www.gcf.org.sa/en/ in Riyadh, January 2009.
Accountability
Accountability is a concept in ethics and governance with several meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as responsibility, answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and other terms associated with the expectation of account-giving...
, sustainable business
Sustainable business
Sustainable business, or green business, is enterprise that has no negative impact on the global or local environment, community, society, or economy—a business that strives to meet the triple bottom line. Often, sustainable businesses have progressive environmental and human rights policies...
practices and corporate responsibility. It is a self-managed partnership, governed by its multi-stakeholder network.http://www.accountability21.net/governance
Organisation and Role
AccountAbility was established in London, United Kingdom in 1995 with the stated aim to “develop new tools, thinking and connections that enable individuals, institutions and alliances to respond better to global challenges” . The organization now has offices in London, New York, Washington D.C., Johannesburg, São Paulo and Beijing. http://www.accountability.org/AccountAbility's work is closely related but not limited to the Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate social responsibility
Corporate social responsibility is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model...
(CSR) field. The organisation is often labelled as a global think-tank, and has undertaken work in the areas of Responsible Competitiveness, Partnership Effectiveness, Collaborative Governance, Stakeholder Engagement and Sustainability Assurance and Reporting.
AccountAbility is a global network of leading business, public and civil institutions "working to build and demonstrate the possibilities for tomorrow’s global markets and governance through thought leadership and advisory services". They work to:
- Enable open, fair and effective approaches to stakeholder engagement
- Develop and reward strategies for responsible competitiveness in companies, sectors, regions and nations
- Create and develop effective collaborative governance strategies for partnerships and multilateral organisations that are delivering innovation and value
- Set and influencing sustainability standards
Governance
AccountAbility’s parent company is registered in the UK as a Company Limited by Guarantee. It’s three legal Directors, Sunil A. Misser, Claire Head and Steven Rochlin, hold fiduciary responsibilities and lead the organisation according to its strategy and mission.AccountAbility’s core principles derive from the flagship AA1000 principles of inclusivity, materiality and responsiveness. Staying true to these principles, a multi-stakeholder governance structure provides guidance and advice to the Directors by way of specific governing bodies.
AccountAbility is currently in the process of comprehensively overhauling its governance and oversight structure. The new structure and process is designed to provide broader, more senior-level stakeholder representation from the public and private sectors, civil society, and the standards community.
The role of the new governance structure will be threefold:
- Help AccountAbility meet its mission by advising, supporting and challenging the strategy;
- Advise AccountAbility on how to operationalise its core principles; and
- Be a catalyst for multi-stakeholder accountability innovations.
Collaborative Governance
AccountAbility works with partners ranging from government and intergovernment bodies to individual local initiatives to improve the governance and accountability of partnerships.AccountAbility has endeavoured over the past 5 years to understand how multi-sector development partnerships work, how they perform and under what conditions they are able to function as viable alternatives to existing development systems.
Strategic Collaborative Governance
AccountAbility Work:http://www.accountability21.net/default.aspx?id=2254- Researching what makes partnerships effective and publishing a series of reports on partnership best practise.
- Promoting good practise through the Partnership Governance and Accountability Framework (PGA).
- Supporting partnerships to enhance the quality of their own governance and accountability through peer-to-peer learning, testing the PGA Framework, and cross-cutting research.
- Influencing debate by demonstrating the importance of effective governance of partnerships.
- Catalysing the development of new ‘Accountability Compacts’– mutual agreements governing decision-making and performance in partnerships.
AA1000 Series of Standards
At the core of the organizations work is the AA1000 Series http://www.accountability21.net/aa1000series; recognised principle based standards for helping organisations become more accountable, responsible and sustainable. They are open source frameworks developed through a multi-stakeholder consultation and review process. The standards are designed to be compatible with other key standards in this area, including the GRIGlobal Reporting Initiative
The Global Reporting Initiative produces one of the world's most prevalent standards for sustainability reporting - also known as ecological footprint reporting, Environmental Social Governance reporting, Triple Bottom Line reporting, Corporate Social Responsibility reporting...
Guidelines, SIGMA Guidelines http://www.proveandimprove.org/new/documents/SIGMASustainabilityScorecard.pdf, SA8000
SA8000
SA8000 is a global social accountability standard for decent working conditions, developed and overseen by Social Accountability International . Detailed guidance for implementing or auditing to SA8000 are available from its . SAI offers training in SA8000 and other workplace standards to managers,...
, the ISO Series and financial accounting standards.
The AA1000 Series consists of: the AA1000 AccountAbility Principles Standard (2008)(AA1000APS) , the AA1000 Assurance Standard (2008) (AA1000AS) and AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard (2005) (AA1000SES).
AA1000 AccountAbility Principles Standard
The revised AA1000 Accountability Principles Standard (2008) draws the principles from the original 2003 edition of the AA1000AS and clarifies the roles of the assurance provider and organization. Organizations use the AccountAbility Principles to develop a strategic response to sustainability. They are also central to the other standards in the AA1000 Series; the AA1000AS and the AA1000SES. The Standard focuses on the principles of Inclusivity, Materiality and Responsiveness.AA1000 Assurance Standard
The AA1000 Assurance Standard (2008), was developed following a comprehensive multi-stakeholder revision of the 2003 standard. It provides a comprehensive method of holding an organization to account for its management performance and reporting on sustainability issues by evaluating the adherence of an organisation to the AccountAbility Principles and the reliability of associated performance information.AA1000AS (2008) requires the assurance provider to look at underlying management approaches, systems and processes and how stakeholders have participated. This enables the assurance provider to evaluate the nature and extent to which an organisation adheres to the AccountAbility Principles. The assurance providers use the Principles as criteria when evaluating an organisation. It provides findings and conclusions on the current status of an organisation's sustainability performance and provides recommendations to encourage continuous improvement.
AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard
The AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard, launched in 2005, aims to secure the quality of organizations' engagement with their stakeholders in the context of learning, governanceGovernance
Governance is the act of governing. It relates to decisions that define expectations, grant power, or verify performance. It consists of either a separate process or part of management or leadership processes...
and accountability
Accountability
Accountability is a concept in ethics and governance with several meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as responsibility, answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and other terms associated with the expectation of account-giving...
. The AA1000SES can be used as a stand-alone standard or in collaboration with other standards (e.g. AA1000 Assurance Standard, Global Reporting Initiative
Global Reporting Initiative
The Global Reporting Initiative produces one of the world's most prevalent standards for sustainability reporting - also known as ecological footprint reporting, Environmental Social Governance reporting, Triple Bottom Line reporting, Corporate Social Responsibility reporting...
, ISO).
The AA1000SES was published in draft form in 2005 and a substantial revision process began in early 2009. The AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard Draft provides a basis for designing, implementing, evaluating and assuring the quality of stakeholder engagement.
The standard provides guidance for continuous improvement, recognizing different levels of practice and can be used as a stand-alone standard or as an integral element of other standards (e.g. AA1000AS, GRI, ISO). The AA1000SES is relevant to micro-level engagements and macro-level engagements on major societal concerns and applies to businesses, civil society, public bodies and multi-stakeholder networks and partnerships.
Responsible Competitiveness
The term responsible competitiveness stands for markets that reward business practices that deliver improved social, environmental and economic outcomes. Responsible competitiveness also means economic success for nations that encourage such business practices through public policies, societal norms and citizen actions.AccountAbility works with regional and national governments, and with multi-sector alliances to help reshape markets. Some of the partners of the Responsible Competitiveness work are Fundação Dom Cabral
Fundação Dom Cabral
Fundação Dom Cabral is a Brazilian business school founded in 1976. Located in the city of Nova Lima, south from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, FDC's mission is to contribute to the society's development through the education of executives, businessmen and companies.-History:1976- Fundação Dom...
, Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
The Rockefeller Brothers Fund , , is an international philanthropic organisation created and run by members of the Rockefeller family. It was set up in New York City in 1940 as the primary philanthropic vehicle of the five famous Rockefeller brothers: John D...
, London Development Agency
London Development Agency
The London Development Agency is the Regional Development Agency for Greater London, England. It is a functional body of the Greater London Authority...
, Authentix, BT, FUNDEMAS, Yorkshire Forward
Yorkshire Forward
Yorkshire Forward is the regional development agency for the Yorkshire and the Humber region of the United Kingdom. It supports the development of business in the region by encouraging public and private investment in education, skills, environment and infrastructure...
and SAGIA. The goal of this work is to build social and environmental innovation into the core of competitiveness strategies.
The Responsible Competitiveness Series of AccountAbility include the reports:
- 'Responsible Competitiveness in Jordan: Strategies for the Banking, Insurance and Meat Processing Sectors' http://www.responsiblecompetitiveness.org/site/banking.html
- 'The Saudi Responsible Competitiveness Index Report 2009'http://www.rci.org.sa
- 'Responsible Competitiveness in China 2009: Seizing the low carbon opportunity for green development'http://www.responsiblecompetitiveness.org/site/china_carbon2009.html
- 'Responsible Competitiveness in the Arab World 2009: Making sustainable development count in regional markets'http://www.accountability21.net/publications.aspx?id=4100&terms=the+arab+report
- 'The State of Responsible Competitiveness 2007: Making Sustainability Count in Global Markets'http://www.accountability21.net/default2.aspx?id=982
- 'Trading Accountability: Business, Trade and Investment Policy and Sustainable Development'http://www.accountability21.net/publications.aspx?id=2150
- 'Responsible Competitiveness Index 2003: Aligning corporate responsibility and the competitiveness of nations'http://www.accountability21.net/publications.aspx?id=460
- 'Responsible Competitiveness: Reshaping Markets Through Responsible Business Practices'http://www.accountability21.net/publications.aspx?id=358
- 'Responsible Competitiveness in Europe: Enhancing European Competitiveness through Corporate Responsibility'http://www.accountability21.net/publications.aspx?id=554
- 'Responsible Competitiveness: Corporate Responsibility Clusters in Action'http://www.accountability21.net/publications.aspx?id=544
The State of Responsible Competitiveness 2007
The State of Responsible Competitiveness 2007: Making Sustainability Count in Global Markets is a report on countries’ efforts to become more competitive through enhancement of responsible business practices. The report suggests what each country can do to perform better in global trade and pinpoints the winners in the competition for implementing more responsible business practices.According to The Responsible Competitiveness Index, covering 108 countries accounting for 96% of global economic activity, Sweden is the world's most responsibly competitive nation, followed by Denmark, Finland, Iceland and UK. Strong performers outside the European Union include Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Japan, Estonia, Slovenia, Chile and the Republic of Korea.
The report includes a foreword from Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
and a dozen essays on responsible competitiveness from experts such as Sir Nicholas Stern
Nicholas Stern
Nicholas Herbert Stern, Baron Stern of Brentford, Kt, FBA is a British economist and academic. He is IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government, Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics , and 2010 Professor of Collège de...
(climate change), Laura Tyson (the gender gap), Jean-Philippe Courtois (ICT, social inclusion and competitiveness), Nick Butler
Nick Butler
Nick Butler is Visiting Professor and Chair of the King's Policy Institute at King's College London. He is also energy policy adviser at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, and a Senior Adviser to Coller Capital and to Linton Capital and to . From 2007 to 2009 he was Chairman of the Cambridge...
(energy security), Peter Eigen
Peter Eigen
Peter Eigen founded the Advisory Council of Transparency International , a non-governmental organization promoting transparency and accountability in international development since 1993...
(corruption) and Jonathan Lash http://www.wri.org/profile/jonathan-lash (preparing for a carbon-constrained future).
The Saudi Responsible Competitiveness Index Report 2009
The Saudi Responsible Competitiveness Index Report sets out the progress made towards Responsible Competitiveness in Saudi Arabia and suggests responsible competitiveness is the leadership, policies and practices that build sustainable development. The report introduces the Saudi Responsible Competitiveness Index.The core of the Saudi Responsible Competitiveness Index is an annual assessment of leading businesses in Saudi Arabia. Eligible businesses are large or small, public or private, Saudi or foreign, from any sector. Businesses which participate have had an in-depth discussion of their performance with analysts, based on AccountAbility's global Responsible Competitiveness Index (RCI) framework.
The Saudir Responsible Competitiveness Index Report shows how 40 Saudi businesses are contributing to responsible competitiveness in the Kingdom. The report was launched at the Middle Eastern equivalent of Davos - the Global Competitiveness Forum (GCF)http://www.gcf.org.sa/en/ in Riyadh, January 2009.
Responsible Competitiveness in the Arab World 2009: Making sustainable development count in regional markets
Responsible Competitiveness in the Arab World 2009 is the first systematic assessment of regional progress towards sustainable economies and prosperous societies. It provides regional pathways, practical case studies and policy recommendations to outline how the Arab World can convert societies’ existing and emerging challenges into profitable opportunities. The report analyses progress through three elements:- An overview of the Arab World against 100 global peers through the Responsible Competitiveness Index.
- A new Arab Responsible Competitiveness Index, customized to provide in-depth analysis of regional performance on issues such as water security, green buildings and Islamic finance.
- Essays from regional thoughtleaders on pressing challenges such as food security and human resource development.
See also
- Alex MacGillivrayAlex MacGillivrayAlex MacGillivray works with the non-profit strategy consultancy AccountAbility. He previously served as deputy director of the New Economics Foundation. MacGillivray has worked for a range of governments, companies and non-profit organizations, as well as with UN agencies. He was part of the team...
- Corporate Social ResponsibilityCorporate social responsibilityCorporate social responsibility is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model...
(CSR) - Global Reporting InitiativeGlobal Reporting InitiativeThe Global Reporting Initiative produces one of the world's most prevalent standards for sustainability reporting - also known as ecological footprint reporting, Environmental Social Governance reporting, Triple Bottom Line reporting, Corporate Social Responsibility reporting...
- Simon ZadekSimon ZadekSimon Zadek works on sustainability issues worldwide and is an independent advisor and author. He is Senior Visiting Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation and Senior Fellow at the Global Green Growth Institute. From 2006-2011 he was non-resident Senior Fellow at the Centre...
- Social accountingSocial accountingSocial accounting is the process of communicating the social and environmental effects of organizations' economic actions to particular interest groups within society and to society at...
- SustainabilitySustainabilitySustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
- Transparency InternationalTransparency InternationalTransparency International is a non-governmental organization that monitors and publicizes corporate and political corruption in international development. It publishes an annual Corruption Perceptions Index, a comparative listing of corruption worldwide...
External links
- Official Site
- AA1000AS Register See which companies are currently using the AA1000AS
- Responsible Competitiveness Website