Library | ESG issues
Oversight, Assurance & Audit
Effective oversight, assurance, and audit are essential for organisations to manage risks and ensure the integrity of both financial and sustainability reporting. Boards and senior executives are responsible for overseeing risk management processes, obtaining assurance that principal risks are identified, managed, and monitored, and ensuring the effectiveness of internal controls. Audits, whether financial or sustainability-focused, involve independent evaluations of an organisation’s reports and controls to provide stakeholders with confidence in the accuracy and reliability of disclosed information.
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Climate risk self-assessment survey series
This series presents APRA’s Climate Risk Self-Assessment Surveys, which review how APRA-regulated entities approach governance, risk management, metrics, targets and disclosure of climate-related financial risks. It provides a consistent, periodic view of industry practices and alignment with prudential guidance over time.
Climate fiduciaries: part II – the duty of even-handedness
This article explores the fiduciary duty of even-handedness and its implications for climate-aware pension fund investing, focusing on emerging legal challenges in Australia and Canada. It argues that unmanaged climate risk may breach trustees’ obligations to act equitably across generations, particularly where younger members bear disproportionate long-term harm.
Directors’ duties navigator: Climate risk and sustainability disclosures series
This is a series of legal and governance primers examining directors’ duties and corporate disclosure obligations in relation to climate and sustainability risks. It provides jurisdictional analysis and practical guidance to support board oversight, risk management and reporting as regulatory and market expectations evolve.
Roadmap development tool for adopting ISSB Standards
IFRS Foundation Sustainability Disclosure Standards Roadmap Development Tool is an online resource supporting jurisdictions in planning adoption of IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards. It outlines key steps, policy choices, timelines, and implementation considerations to support consistent, decision-useful sustainability reporting aligned with financial markets.
Nature Enters the Boardroom: Why Directors Are Paying Attention
Drawing on Australia’s first national study of board-level engagement with nature, this article shows how directors are treating nature as a material governance and financial issue. It highlights how boards are extending climate governance systems to manage nature-related risks, adopt frameworks like TNFD, and build resilience and long-term value despite policy uncertainty.
Engaging the ICT sector on human rights series
This is a series of sector-wide risk assessment briefings for the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. It examines salient human rights issues linked to ICT business models and technologies, providing a consistent analytical framework to support investor assessment, engagement, and governance analysis across multiple thematic areas.
Salient Issue Briefing: Artificial intelligence based technologies
This briefing examines human rights risks from AI-based technologies in the ICT sector, outlines business, legal, and financial implications, and provides investor-oriented guidance grounded in international standards to support rights-respecting AI development, deployment, and oversight.
Nature-related risks and the duties of directors of Canadian corporations
This legal opinion examines whether nature-related risks are foreseeable and material for Canadian companies. It concludes directors must consider, manage and, where material, disclose such risks to meet fiduciary and care duties under Canadian corporate and securities law.
The use of the Lavender in Gaza and the law of targeting: AI-decision support systems and facial recognition technology
The report analyses Israel’s alleged use of the ‘Lavender’ AI decision-support system and facial recognition in Gaza, assessing compliance with international humanitarian law. It highlights risks from inaccuracy, bias, automation and opacity, concluding that commanders must retain judgement and verification to meet targeting obligations.
Guidance Handbook
ICMA’s June 2025 Guidance Handbook clarifies practical application of Green, Social, Sustainability and Sustainability-Linked Bond Principles, covering use of proceeds, governance, reporting, verification and market issues. It supports consistent labelling, transparency and market integrity across sustainable debt instruments.
First time implementation guide: The international standard on auditing of financial statement of less complex entities (ISA for LCE)
The guide explains how to implement the ISA for LCE, outlining its purpose, structure, applicability, key differences from full ISAs, and transitional considerations. It supports auditors in applying a proportionate, risk-based standard for less complex entities and provides supplementary guidance for adoption and reporting.
Guidance handbook: Sustainability-linked bonds
The ICMA Guidance Handbook (November 2024) consolidates interpretative guidance on Green, Social, Sustainability and Sustainability-Linked Bond Principles, covering use of proceeds, reporting, verification, secured bonds and market issues. It supports consistent application and market integrity across sustainable debt markets.
Corporate sustainability reporting
This conceptual paper examines corporate sustainability reporting, distinguishing investor-focused sustainability-related financial disclosure from broader impact reporting. It argues investor interests are imperfectly aligned with societal goals and concludes that complementary financial and impact reporting standards are needed to support accountability, capital allocation and sustainability transition.
AI governance behind the scenes: Emerging practices for AI impact assessments
The report outlines emerging organisational practices for AI impact assessments, highlighting common process steps, information gathering challenges, evolving risk-assessment methods, and difficulties evaluating mitigation effectiveness. It notes increasing cross-functional governance, reliance on third-party transparency, and the need for stronger metrics, education, and executive support.
Harmonised framework for impact reporting for social bonds handbook
The handbook provides a harmonised framework for issuers to report social bond impacts, outlining core reporting principles, target population disclosure, and preferred quantitative indicators. It introduces sector guidance—initially affordable housing—and offers templates to support consistent, transparent, and comparable impact reporting across social project categories.
Integrating ESG and AI: A comprehensive responsible AI assessment framework
The report introduces an ESG-AI framework enabling investors to assess AI-related environmental, social, and governance risks. Drawing on insights from 28 companies, it provides use-case materiality analysis, governance indicators, and deep-dive assessments to support transparent, responsible AI evaluation and investment decisions.
