Arabia CSR Network Brings the very first GRI G4 Sustainability Reporting Training to Oman

Advancing Sustainability through disclosure

Dubai, UAE, May24th, 2015: In its quest for disseminating transparency and disclosure in the Arab region, The Arabia CSR Network has proudly conducted the very first GRI G4 Sustainability Training in Muscat, Oman. The three-day training was conducted by the Arabia CSR Network and organized by Tawasulin May 2015. Participants of the G4 training included representatives of government, private sector and civil society spanning the Oil & Gas, telecommunications, construction and NGO sectors.GRI has set December 2015 as the cut-off date of the last reporting cycle to be based on the G3 and G3.1 Guidelines which is why organisations should start making the transition immediately to adhere to this requirement.

‘’The Arabia CSR Network is a regional platform that concerts its efforts to ensure that capacity building for sustainability reporting is disseminated to all countries in the Arab world in the GCC and beyond. We are committed to proactively seeking opportunities to spread the necessary awareness on sustainability reporting as a fundamental tool for sustainable development rather than adopting a responsive approach from our stakeholders,’’stated Mrs.Habiba AlMarashi, the President and CEO of the Arabia CSR Network. ’’Sustainability is a very broad concept and, although Reporting is only one aspect of an organisation’s responsible practices, it is pivotal to structurally improve sustainable performance through monitoring and continuous improvement in line with stakeholder expectations. Transparency is becoming increasingly central to the region’s current sustainability context and in the near future, disclosure will become an imperative for addressing its associated challenges.’’

The Training is the 4th to be conducted based on the Global Reporting Initiative’s G4 Guidelines and has attracted much positive feedback from the participants in the social media. ’’The training was an excellent opportunity to fully understand the process of publishing a G4 Report,’’stated one of the participants of the Oman training. ‘’GRI sheds light on all aspects of corporate impact, moving reporting from generic CSR to detailed sustainability,’’ stated another.

The GRI Training held in Oman is one of six that have been planned for the year with subsequent courses taking place in September, November and December. 

ACSRN continues to face challenges with the lack of awareness on the importance of reporting for public and private organisations in the Arab.  Regulations and legislations on reporting are required to incentivize and secure the commitment of organisations for the advancement of sustainable practices.

To date, ACSRN has imparted 21 GRI certified trainings to 158 professionals representing 109 organizations. The organization is promoted as the premium CSR and sustainability capacity building platform in the Arab world, offering professional training specifically designed to enhance ability around corporate responsibility and sustainability. In addition to its partnership with GRI, ACSRN has teamed up with other various acclaimed institutions, such as AIM, UNGC, and SROI to train companies in the region in various aspects of CSR and sustainability.