Social Value Blog
Social Value International response to the creation of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)
During the November 2021 COP26 negotiations the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) Foundation announced the creation of a new International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB).
This is a landmark moment in SVI’s collective mission to change the way society accounts for value and in this blog you can read and download the SVI response to the IFRS announcement.
How Valuation in the Boardroom can help achieve the SDGs.
Throughout the Social Value Matters 2021, several key themes emerged including the importance of accountability, the need to include the voices of stakeholders in the decision-making process, the urgency of change, and the vital inclusion of young people in the transformation we need. These themes were particularly pronounced in the session “Valuation in the Boardroom” - a session supported by the Value Accounting Network. Find out more…
Applying social value to international development and humanitarian assistance
Last week, at Social Value Matters 2021, SVDHA launched its first case studies, and its checklist on applying social value to the international development and humanitarian assistance sectors.
The first three case studies are now live on the SVDHA website – and further case studies are in development.
An Update On The Sustainable Development Goals
It is now, more important than ever that the SDGs are embedded into our thinking, as countries, as organisations and as individuals. From the 2021 SDG progress report, we know that we are off track to reach most of the Goals that the world agreed to achieve by 2030. But we are certain that when we join the SDG and social value movements together, we will be better equipped to face the challenge at hand.
Effektfullt Leads The Work On Developing The First Swedish Standard For Impact Measurement
The Swedish Institute for Standards (SIS) is now launching a new committee that will lead the work of developing a Swedish Standard for Impact Measurement, in order to increase the quality of impact measurement in Sweden. At the committee’s first meeting the Executive Director of Effektfullt, Annica Johansson, was elected chairperson of the committee for the next three years.
World Refugee Day: How Can The Social Value Movement Help Tackle The Issues Of Forced Displacement?
World Refugee Day falls each year on 20th June and is dedicated to refugees around the globe. It is an international day designated by the UN to celebrate the strength and courage of those who have been forced to leave their homes behind, to build empathy and understanding for their plight, and to recognise their resilience in rebuilding their lives.
CEO Report – June 2021
I am delighted to confirm that after much discussion we have made the decision to introduce an eighth principle. The Principles of Social Value are the foundations of our work and so this decision was not taken lightly. I am grateful for the members who have proposed this significant development and grateful to you all for your feedback and comments on the forthcoming guidance and standard that will soon be out for consultation with our members.
World Environment Day: Recognising The Value Of Nature To Save Our Planet
“Truly sustainable economic growth and development means recognising that our long-term prosperity relies on rebalancing our demand of nature’s goods and services with its capacity to supply them. It also means accounting fully for the impact of our interactions with nature.” ….In other words, environmental impact belongs on the balance sheet.
World Bee Day: How Does It Relate To The SDGs And The Social Value Movement?
“Biodiversity is the food we eat, the water we drink, and it is also the air we breathe. More than that, biodiversity is part of us, as we humans are part of nature,” said Dr. Cristiana Paşca-Palmer, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). “The truth is that without healthy nature and biodiversity, we cannot have quality nutrition, and without quality nutrition we cannot have good health – as simple as that.”
CEO Report – May 2021
Perhaps the volume of zoom calls is making me dizzy but it feels like the world is spinning faster than ever before. I am fortunate to work as part of a thriving network, a community of incredible people passionate about changing the way the world accounts for value. The last month has been no exception and I’m delighted to share with you some exciting updates and observations.
International Day Of Living Together In Peace: Building A Sustainable World Of Peace, Solidarity And Harmony
16th May marks the UN’s International Day of Living Together in Peace – a day dedicated to the promotion of peace, tolerance, inclusion, understanding and solidarity. The Day “aims to uphold the desire to live and act together, united in differences and diversity, in order to build a sustainable world of peace, solidarity and harmony.”
But how do we realise this vision? And how can the social value movement support this utopian objective?
What A Journey: A Decade With Social Value International
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Andrea, who after 10 years of dedicated service, is stepping down from the SVI Board of Trustees
World Health Day 2021: Building A Fairer, Healthier World
April 7 of each year marks the celebration of World Health Day. From its inception at the First Health Assembly in 1948, the celebration has aimed to create awareness of a specific health theme to highlight a priority area of concern for the World Health Organization. This year, World Health Day is focussing on “Building a fairer, healthier world”.
We Can’t Achieve Social Value Without Achieving Social Justice
Social justice is central to the social value movement, and now more than ever it’s vital that we as a community stand up for social justice, equality and human rights.
To say the last few weeks have been difficult for our planet would be an understatement, to be honest, stating the last year’s been difficult would be too. Social justice has come into the spotlight, as it has many times before in human history, and we owe it to us and all future generations to not let this moment escape from us.
World Water Day 2021: Valuing Water
Water is the basis for all life, and without it, we cannot survive. It’s found everywhere on Earth, from the polar ice caps to steamy geysers. And wherever water flows on this planet, you can be sure to find life.
Yet despite the importance of water to sustain all living things, water is under extreme threat from a growing population, increasing demands of agriculture and industry, and the worsening impacts of climate change.
International Day Of Happiness: Towards A World Where Human Well-Being Takes Center Stage
When you ask people what they want most in life, a very common answer is “I just want myself and my loved ones to be happy.” Happiness is a feeling and therefore subjective but it is clear that with it, we tend to mean more than just a fleeting pleasurable emotion. Usually what we mean with it is “a deep[er] sense of flourishing” – a life of meaning, fulfilment, and stability.
Given that happiness seems to be something that most people ultimately want in life, and its benefits to society, one would expect it to be a central consideration in policy-making and increased human well-being to be a key indicator of progress. Instead, for too long, our understanding of development has been limited to the narrow concept of economic growth. Although a strictly economic tool, GDP per capita continues to be our main metric for measuring well-being.
Announcing Social Value Ireland As An Associate Network
This St Patrick’s Day, we at Social Value International are delighted to announce our newest Associate Network: Social Value Ireland. We recently caught up with the team behind this new network to understand more about Social Value Ireland, the social value landscape across Ireland and their plans for the future.
CEO Report – March 2021
The first 2 and a half months of 2021 have been a whirlwind for the global community of Social Value International. Across the world, interest in social value and meaningful social impact measurement and management continues to increase, with more and more sectors, industries and individuals seeing the need to expand our global definition of value and protect people and the planet.
In this month’s report, I dive deeper into ESG – a concept we cannot move without hearing right now – as well as highlighting to you a couple of important global developments that highlight that ever so critical principle of materiality:
Reducing Income Inequality
Valuation, especially of social and environmental outcomes is always guaranteed to elicit strong opinions from the “you can’t put a monetary value on everything” to the “you cannot make good decisions unless you know how important things are to people”. But either way, interest is growing….
World Wildlife Day: Can Putting A Value On Nature That Goes Far Beyond Money Protect People And Planet?
The natural world around us underpins our economy, our society, our very existence. It provides us with the water we drink, the food we eat, the air we breathe, and forms the basis of goods and services we depend on for our health, happiness and wellbeing.
The world’s natural assets or ‘natural capital’ are also hugely important to the economy – if you add them all up, the total economic value of these benefits is phenomenal, at least US$125 trillion every year. Yet to truly understand the value of nature we need to look beyond the economic value, and consider the intrinsic value of nature under a broader definition of social and environmental value…