Clive Booth Board Member ESG Foundation - ESG Foundation https://esgfoundation.org/category/clive-booth-board-member-esg-foundation Environmental, social impact and corporate governance Thu, 13 Feb 2025 12:21:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 FRC sets out recommendations for the sustainability assurance market https://esgfoundation.org/frc-sets-out-recommendations-for-the-sustainability-assurance-market?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=frc-sets-out-recommendations-for-the-sustainability-assurance-market&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=frc-sets-out-recommendations-for-the-sustainability-assurance-market Wed, 05 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://esgfoundation.org/frc-sets-out-recommendations-for-the-sustainability-assurance-market The UK's Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has today published the final report from its market study into the assurance of sustainability reporting. The 2024 study found that while the UK’s market for the assurance of sustainability reporting is functioning well, there are concerns over quality consistency amid growing demand.

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]]> In the report, the FRC has recommended three key actions to support the market’s development:

  • Establish a clear UK policy framework for sustainability assurance that provides medium-term certainty for providers and reporters, supports investment, and aligns with international frameworks where appropriate.
  • Create a unified regulatory regime that consolidates standard setting, oversight, enforcement, and market monitoring to maximise certainty for companies, providers, and investors.
  • Improve the calibre of available information on the quality of sustainability assurance to support how the assurance market functions.

The FRC’s Executive Director of Regulatory Standards, Mark Babington, said:

“This report provides us with a clearer picture of the UK’s rapidly developing sustainability assurance market which companies, assurance providers and investors are currently navigating, as reporting expectations continue to develop in this important space.

The findings provide a baseline understanding, that we will continue to build on, so we are best placed to support our stakeholders in this market as demand continues to grow.”

The FRC will continue to provide technical expertise to the Government as it considers the UK’s policy position and any appropriate regulatory framework for sustainability assurance.

Read the full report: “Assurance of Sustainability Reporting Market Study”

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]]> How successful was COP16 in Riyadh this year? https://esgfoundation.org/how-successful-was-cop16-in-riyadh-this-year?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-successful-was-cop16-in-riyadh-this-year&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-successful-was-cop16-in-riyadh-this-year Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://esgfoundation.org/how-successful-was-cop16-in-riyadh-this-year In a statement reflecting on the outcomes of UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh, Dr. Osama Faqeeha, Deputy Minister for Environment, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, and Advisor to the UNCCD COP16 Presidency, said: “COP16 in Riyadh has been a historic turning point for land, heightening global awareness of land degradation, desertification and drought, and delivering an unprecedented array of outcomes against a complex web of socioeconomic and environmental challenges.

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]]> “After 12 days of inclusive, engaging and productive discussions, I am pleased to say the international community at UNCCD COP16 reached 39 key decisions to advance land restoration and drought resilience. COP16 led to the creation of a Caucus for Indigenous Peoples and a Caucus for Local Communities, amplifying the voice of groups acutely impacted by land degradation, and ensuring their unique knowledge is woven into the fabric of ongoing land restoration and drought resilience initiatives.
“This comes after COP16 witnessed significant levels of engagement from Indigenous Peoples and civil society organizations. Meanwhile, the adoption of an ambitious Declaration on Parties’ commitment to combat sand and dust storms, will accelerate essential global mitigation measures. COP16 in Riyadh also succeeded in launching a new policy area concerning grasslands and rangelands, further enhancing our ability to restore these critical ecosystems. And crucially, the international community also agreed to increase the UNCCD Secretariat’s budget by 8%, marking the first real growth in over a decade.
“These decisions are part of a COP that ramped up investment in land restoration, and saw major participation from the private sector and financial institutions, resulting in over $12 billion being pledged during the conference to tackle land degradation, drought and desertification. Under the Riyadh Action Agenda, initiatives such as the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnerships have been coupled with other new initiatives and driven the enhancement of existing ones.
From the United States and several partners announcing nearly $70 million to advance the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils, to Italy and Austria pledging more funds to bolster the Great Green Wall in Africa. The momentum at COP16 in Riyadh sets a new benchmark for global land restoration and drought resilience. I would like to thank all the Parties for their hard work to make this extraordinary event and its conclusions possible, and express my appreciation to the Secretariat, and every single person who participated in COP16 for their tireless efforts and look forward to enhancing and intensifying our collective work over the coming weeks, months and years.”

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