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METHODOLOGICAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT REPORTING

In November 2023, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation published the document “On Approval of Methodological Recommendations for the Preparation of Sustainable Development Reporting.”[23] It refers to that very Reporting Standard that, at the moment of publishing, was still in the phase of development.

At the WeAreTogether forum during the “Russia” exhibition in December 2023, experts discussed this approach, suggesting significant refinements for the forthcoming iteration of the standard. This discussion was held within the framework of the strategic session titled “Sustainability Reporting Standard as a tool for fostering volunteerism and social engagement among residents, businesses, and territories.”[24]

Irina Filippova, the Deputy Director of the Department of Corporate Regulation at the Russian Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, stated in the discourse that the issue of standardizing the assessment of the SDG achievement was initially raised in the 2017 development concept of public non-financial reporting, with the Ministry actively working on it following government directives. This subject was revisited in April last year during the RSPP Congress, leading to a directive issued by the President of the Russian Federation. The culmination of this work was the methodological guidelines developed by the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, approved and then published on the ministry’s website.

“I want to highlight that this is a discretionary, advisory document,” said Irina Filippova. “We consider it a fundamental set of guidelines that enables companies not yet engaged in sustainability reporting processes to exhibit their work results.”

The document contains recommendations for organizing stakeholder engagement in report preparation, and for revealing historical data for at least the past three years to understand the development dynamics of the company. Additionally, to prevent dishonest practices and errors, it is advised that reports be professionally verified – through auditing firms (according to the existing draft of the Sustainable Development Reporting Standard available to the editorial board).