MEDIA ADVISORY: Global Reporting Initiative

October 3, 2006

WHAT:

Sustainability and Reporting Conference

Reporting: a Measure of Sustainability

and launch of the new G3 Reporting Guidelines

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the global voluntary framework for sustainability reporting, is holding a major conference next week, 4-6 October, in Amsterdam. More than 100 speakers from business, civil society, labor and government, from developed and developing countries, will join executives from around the world – including board members, CEOs, COOs and CFOs – who are leaders in sustainable development. See http://www.griG3.org/programme.html

GRI will launch the new G3 Guidelines on Thursday 5 Oct. The new G3 Guidelines make reporting simpler, are better harmonized with the UN Global Compact and other tools, and make GRI reports more useful for investors and analysts focused on corporate governance. See the Journalist Brief at http://www.griG3.org/press.html

Already nearly 1000 organizations report using GRI, including corporations like Microsoft, Nike, ABN Amro, Petrobras, Gap and Novartis. The G3 Guidelines represent three years of input from thousands of global stakeholders from business and civil society.

WHO:

Business and civil society speakers:

Al Gore, Chair, Generation Investment Management, former USA Vice President

Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman, Anglo American, Former Chair Shell

Margot WallstrÃ¶m, Vice President, European Commission

Sean Harrigan, former President CALPERS

Stuart Hart, Samuel Johnson Professor, Cornell University

Richard Edelman, Edelman USA

Achim Steiner, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Program

Leo van Wijk, CEO, KLM Group

Mervyn E. King, First Vice President, Institute of Directors

BjÃ¶rn Stigson, President, World Business Council for Sustainable Development

Hugh Y. Scott-Barrett, Chief Financial Officer, ABN AMRO Bank

Gerd Leipold, Executive Director, Greenpeace International

A.N.Singh, Deputy Managing Director, Tata Steel Limited

Gerard Kleisterlee, CEO Royal Philips Electronics

Jeremy Hobbs, Executive Director, Oxfam International

Ricardo Young, President of the Board of Directors, Instituto Ethos, Brazil

Dan Gagnier, Senior Vice President, Alcan, Canada

For a full list of speakers see http://www.grig3.org/speakers.html

ACCREDITATION:

Journalists are welcome to attend the conference free of charge, after first registering for accreditation. E-mail your details to [email protected] to be accredited.

MEDIA CONFERENCES:

Thursday 5 Oct, Amsterdam

1600 – 1700 local CET (1500 GMT, 1000 ET USA and Canada), Okura Hotel, Ferdinand Bolstraat 333, Amsterdam. Journalists can dial-in to the conference by telephone. Dial +31 20 531 5846, reference code 500 2066

Leading business speakers will say the time has come for ALL businesses to report their sustainability and to use the GRI Guidelines. Speakers will include:

Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman, Anglo American, former Chair Shell;

Sean Harrigan, former President CALPERS;

Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UN Environment Program

Mervyn King, Institute of Directors, King 2 corporate governance standard;

Dr. Judy Henderson, Board Chair, Global Reporting Initiative; and

Ernst Ligteringen, Chief Executive, Global Reporting Initiative.

Tuesday 3 Oct, Amsterdam

1100-1200 local CET, GRI Office, Keizersgracht 209, Amsterdam. Media Conference, GRI Office, Amsterdam, Tuesday 3 Oct , 1100 – 1200:

Panel includes:

Peter Blom, CEO Triodos, leading Netherlands sustainable development advocate

Sandrijn Weites, Senior Vice President, Sustainability Strategy & Reporting, ABN AMRO Bank

Ricardo Santos Azevedo, Executive Manager, Health, Security and the Environment, Petrobras, Brazil

Dr. Judy Henderson, Board Chair, Global Reporting Initiative; and

Ernst Ligteringen, Chief Executive, Global Reporting Initiative.

Panel will discuss the development of GRI and the future of sustainability reporting.

See http://www.grig3.org/press.htm for details. Contact [email protected]

WHERE:

Hotel Okura, Ferdinand Bolstraat 333, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

WHEN:

October 4-6, 2006

CONTACT:

Andrew Coogan

Conference Media and Communications Manager

Global Reporting Initiative

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Tel: + 31 20 531 0018

Mob: +31 625 080 698

[email protected]

See also www.grig3.org for more information on the G3 launch and conference, and www.globalreporting.org for more information on GRI