IIRC Launches Landmark Integrated Reporting Discussion Paper

“The world has changed – reporting must too”

Summary

Business and investment leaders today call for a new approach to corporate reporting in a landmark Discussion Paper, called Towards Integrated Reporting – Communicating Value in the 21st Century, published by the International Integrated Reporting Committee (IIRC).

Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 7:01pm

NEWSROOM: United Nations Global Compact

CONTENT: Press Release

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) London, UK - September 11, 2011 - Business and investment leaders today call for a new approach to corporate reporting in a landmark Discussion Paper, called Towards Integrated Reporting – Communicating Value in the 21st Century, published by the International Integrated Reporting Committee (IIRC).

Integrated Reporting will provide more comprehensive and meaningful information about all aspects of an organization’s performance and position, presented in a much clearer, more concise and more user friendly format. In particular it will demonstrate the links between an organization’s financial performance and the social, environmental and economic context within which it operates.

The development of Integrated Reporting is designed to enhance and consolidate existing reporting practices to move towards a reporting framework that provides the information needed to develop the global economic model to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Integrated Reporting will be clear and comprehensible, providing a meaningful assessment of the long-term viability of an organization, meeting the information needs of investors and other stakeholders, and supporting the effective allocation of financial, manufactured, human, intellectual, natural and social capital.

Sir Michael Peat, Chairman of the IIRC, says:

“The range of issues – economic, environmental and social – which determine an organization’s success has never been broader or more pressing. It is for this reason that we need an approach to reporting that is fit-for-purpose in the twenty-first century. The world has changed – reporting must too.”

“All matters which are important in assessing an organization’s performance and position, past and prospective, need to be reported but not by making annual reports ever longer and more complex – they are too long already. The information needs to be provided clearly and concisely with the connections between financial, environmental and social impacts demonstrated and the clutter removed. This is what Integrated Reporting seeks to achieve.”

The discussion paper Towards Integrated Reporting – Communicating Value in the 21st Century presents the rationale for Integrated Reporting, offering initial proposals for the development of an International Integrated Reporting Framework and outlining the next steps towards its creation and adoption. Its purpose is to prompt input from all those with a stake in better reporting, including producers and users of reports.

Professor Mervyn King, Deputy Chairman of the IIRC, says:

“The IIRC’s approach is one that will present a globally co-ordinated solution to reporting, avoiding the current problems with reporting requirements in different jurisdictions developing in different directions and at different speeds. Integrated Reporting reduces the compliance burden and enables more effective decision-making for investors.”

Sir Michael concludes:

“I hope that corporate reporting stakeholders will feel able to support the development of Integrated Reporting and the work of the IIRC by contributing to this consultation process. The initiative to introduce a global Integrated Reporting framework is ambitious in vision and scope but the prize is considerable.”

The Integrated Reporting Discussion Paper and further information can be found at www.theiirc.org.

Notes to editors

The International Integrated Reporting Committee (IIRC) was established in August 2010 by The Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability Project, the Global Reporting Initiative and the International Federation of Accountants.
Sir Michael Peat is Chairman of the IIRC and Principal Private Secretary to TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.
Professor Mervyn King is Deputy Chairman of the IIRC and Chairman of the Global Reporting Initiative.
The IIRC brings together a cross section of representatives from the corporate, investor, accounting, securities, regulatory, and standard-setting communities to oversee the development of an ‘integrated reporting model’ that will reflect the interconnected nature of economic, environmental, social and governance factors in organizations’ annual reporting.

Details of current members can be found at www.theiirc.org/the-iirc.

The deadline for providing feedback on the Integrated Reporting Discussion Paper is Wednesday, 14 December 2011. The IIRC will also be commencing a pilot programme in October 2011 to road test this framework.

About the International Integrated Reporting Committee

The International Integrated Reporting Committee (IIRC) has brought together world leaders from the corporate, investment, accounting, securities, regulatory, academic, civil society and standard-setting sectors to develop a new approach to reporting. The IIRC was established in August 2010 by The Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability Project, the Global Reporting Initiative and the International Federation of Accountants. The membership of IIRC includes representatives from the main global accounting firms and bodies, the UN, the International Organization of Securities Commissions, the International Monetary Fund, the Financial Stability Board (as observers), the International Accounting Standards Board and the Financial Accounting Standards Board, as well as from a range of businesses, investors, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions. Over a quarter of the IIRC members represent investors and business. Half of the members come from international organizations. www.theiirc.org.

About the United Nations Global Compact

Launched in 2000, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies around the world to align their strategies and operations with ten universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and to take action in support of broader UN goals. Through the development, implementation, and disclosure of responsible corporate policies and practices, business can help ensure that markets advance in ways that benefit economies and societies everywhere. With more than 8,000 signatories in over 135 countries, it is the world’s largest corporate responsibility initiative. www.unglobalcompact.org

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Resources

IIRC Discussion Paper - Towards Integrated Reporting

Integrated Reporting - Questions & Answers