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What are the G3 Guidelines?

The G3 Guidelines are the cornerstone of the GRI Sustainability Reporting Framework. In line with the GRI vision, it is recommended they be used as the basis for all of an organization's annual reporting. 

The Guidelines outline core content for reporting and are relevant to all organizations regardless of size, sector, or location. They are the foundation upon which all other GRI reporting guidance is based. The G3 Guidelines outline a disclosure framework that organizations can voluntarily, flexibly, and incrementally adopt. The flexibility of the G3 format allows organizations to plot a path for continual improvement of their sustainability reporting practices.

So what's in the G3?

Part 1 – Reporting Principles and Guidance

• Principles to define report content: materiality, stakeholder inclusiveness, sustainability context, and completeness.
  
• Principles to define report quality: balance, comparability, accuracy, timeliness, reliability, and clarity.
  
• Guidance on how to set the report boundary.

Part 2 – Standard Disclosures

• Strategy and Profile
  
• Management Approach
  
• Performance Indicators

How are the Guidelines updated?

The Guidelines are updated incrementally. This process represents a change from the previous revision cycles, in which the entire set of Guidelines were subject to revision. Going forward, GRI will use a process involving incremental updates that will target specific revision goals - addressing only certain portions of the Guidelines.  

The process:

· On an annual basis, GRI invites stakeholders to identify their priorities in Q4 for further development of the Guidelines. (Click here for the current survey)

· The stakeholder feedback is then reviewed and used to formulate a draft plan

· The draft plan is posted on the GRI website for public comment

· The Board of Directors will approve a final set of priorities for implementation for the next fiscal year based on feedback from the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and the Stakeholder Council (SC). This plan will take into account any ongoing projects from previous years that have not yet been completed

· Based on the plan, GRI will form working groups to develop draft revisions for review by the TAC

· Following the TAC review, the draft revisions will be forwarded to the SC for their concur/non-concur and then to the Board for a final decision

· Updates to the Guidelines will be issued when the work is completed. This means that projects may be completed and released in any given year.

See below for the schedule of projects currently underway that may result in recommendations for revisions to portions of the G3 Guidelines.

G3 Updates - Information Centre

Current G3 Update activities:

GRI is involved in several projects related to updating the Guidelines.

· Community Indicators - As part of the general process of continuously improving the Sustainability Reporting Framework, GRI is working to improve the Community Indicators in the G3 Guidelines. In 2007, GRI worked with The University of Hong Kong and CSR Asia to conduct a survey with the aim of gaining a better understanding of current practices of the reporting of community performance and impacts. For more information on this project, click here. 

· Human rights indicators - GRI is commencing a process to develop
recommendations on how to improve its guidance on Human Rights reporting. For more information on this project, click here. 

· Content and Materiality  - GRI, through its multi-stakeholder consultative process,  will formulate a protocol to define how to use the four principles for defining report content (materiality / stakeholder inclusiveness / sustainability context, and completeness). This protocol will aid report makers in selecting the material issues and indicators for a report. For more information on this project, click here.