The Amsterdam Global Conference on Sustainability and Transparency

If you are interested in helping shape the sustainable development agenda for the next  decade, or just interested in understanding what some of the leading trends are and meeting the key global players, the third biennial GRI Amsterdam Global Conference on Sustainability and Transparency is not to be missed.

Few would disagree that the last ten years have witnessed many historic and inspiring developments on the sustainable development front.
The following is now clear:
– There is a recognition that the current  economic and business model is unsustainable, unstable, and often unfair;
– We have an understanding that while no one has all the answers, everyone has some of the answers and that partnership-based approaches have proven their worth; and
– There is concern that in spite of the many  advances in providing regulatory and voluntary frameworks and developing clean technologies, more is needed to make sustainable development a normal feature of every day life.

Adopting the theme ‘Rethink. Rebuild. Report.’ the ambitious and timely objective of the Amsterdam Global Conference will be to craft a global agenda for sustainability reporting for the next decade.
Issues to be considered will include:
– What might a more just and sustainable global economy look like in the year 2020?
– How can the real economic value of sustainability information be unlocked to create a more caring, trusted and sustainable capitalism?
– What lessons can we learn from the past in constructing a new business model in which the integration of sustainable development factors becomes a normal part of doing business?
– What role will technology play?
– What are the roles of government, business and civil society in this context? What existing or new partnerships must be forged?
Come and join leading global thinkers in sharing your views on these increasingly pressing issues at the Amsterdam Global Conference. The Conference outcomes are expected to be read widely by the main intergovernmental, governmental, and business institutions active in the sustainability arena.

Over a thousand participants from more than fifty countries attended each of the first two biennial conferences in 2006 and 2008. Of the participants, over 40% came from countries outside Europe.
A breakdown of corporate participants shows that overall, 10% of participants were CEO/Board of Directors level, and over 30% were Vice Presidents, Senior Managers, or Heads of Departments of leading companies. Industries represented included automotive, IT, oil and gas, construction and real estate, media, telecommunications, and logistics.
Alongside them was representation from all other members of GRI’s stakeholder coalition: consulting firms, accounting and standard setting bodies, a range of NGOs, government, multilateral and regulatory bodies, as well as academics and students.
In 2010, we again expect some 1,000 participants from all over the world; a select global audience of expert policy and decision makers from business, accounting, government, and civil society. While we expect interest from industry, accounting and civil society to be as strong as before, we have reason to believe that interest from investors and governments will increase compared to the first two conferences.

www.amsterdamGRIconference.org