Jordan Times
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Queen launches Arab
Sustainability Leadership Group
AMMAN (JT) - Her Majesty Queen Rania on Wednesday announced the formation of the
Arab Sustainability Leadership Group (ASLG), the first of its kind from the
region to commit to sustainability and reporting.
The Queen, who made the announcement while delivering the keynote address at the
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) in Amsterdam, also appealed to the audience of
over 1,000 global business leaders to make Arab youth part of their social
equity agenda.
The ASLG will encourage businesses to balance profit with environmental
protection and equal opportunity.
The network, which currently brings together 16 business, government, NGO and
civil society leaders, “will be the region’s voice on the global stage, ensuring
the Arab world not only catches up, but keeps pace with the frontrunners in the
field [of sustainability]”, the Queen announced.
By leading the ASLG, Queen Rania pledged to “spotlight the issue of social
equity”.
“In the Arab world, we desperately need to focus our energies on creating equal
opportunity for all, particularly our young people, our potential, our future,”
she added.
Expressing support for the ASLG, GRI CEO Ernst Ligteringen said: “GRI is
inspired hearing about this new development towards greater sustainability in
the region” and would “partner with the group at every opportunity”.
Her Majesty highlighted many issues which need attention in the region as she
encouraged the attendees to “put the boys and girls and young people of my
region at the top of your boardroom agendas because a world where so many youth
are hungering for opportunity is not a sustainable world”.
“Sixty per cent of our region is under the age of 30; that’s 70 million young
people in the Arab world. They need our help, your help, in order to become all
they can be,” said the Queen.
“At the moment, six million of our children are not enrolled in schools; over
half of them are girls. At the moment, 9.2 million of our young people are
illiterate; they cannot read your advertisements or fill in your job application
forms. At the moment, almost 1 in 5 of our population lives below the national
poverty line; children are out labouring, instead of learning, just to make ends
meet,” she warned, “and we have the world’s highest rate of youth unemployment;
only one in three young people has a job”.
Encouraging companies to chart progress and outline their goals in a
sustainability report for all concerned stakeholders, Queen Rania cited the most
recent Edelman Trust Barometer survey, saying that when consumers consider a
company socially responsible they are more likely to buy their products,
recommend them and then invest in them.
The same survey, however, noted that less than half the respondents trust
companies to do “what’s right”. Sustainability reports provide companies with
the means to prove they are being responsible, accountable and transparent.
“For companies that want to remain competitive, [sustainability reports] are
crucial,” said the Queen.
Almost 2,000 GRI reports are expected to be written this year, including one for
the Jordan River Foundation (JRF), a nonprofit NGO founded and chaired by Queen
Rania. JRF will be the first NGO in the region to publish a sustainability
report.
Quoting the famous Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, Queen Rania urged the
business world to “let conscience be your compass” as they commit to
sustainability and reporting.