Vodafone, communications sponsor of the Qatar Sustainability Week, has shared its experience in sustainability reporting, making the case that transparency is the key to building trust.
Taking place until November 19, the Qatar Sustainability Week - an initiative by Qatar Green Building Council - aims to engage the community in a wide range of sustainability-oriented activities to achieve the nation’s sustainable development goals.
Dana Haidan, head of corporate responsibility at Vodafone Qatar, delivered a presentation on sustainability reporting as a tool for managing stakeholder expectations, risk management and corporate planning, which is designed to provide information on a company’s environmental, social and economic performance and impacts and the initiatives for improving performance in these areas.
“Our sustainability vision is to enable sustainable living for all through operating ethically, responsibly and contributing to community development in Qatar. Our focus areas are to use our expertise in communication technology to make a positive social impact, conduct our business responsibly and ethically and give back to the community through the Vodafone Qatar Charitable Fund,” said Haidan.
 Vodafone Qatar published its first sustainability report in 2015. Haidan gave an overview of the sustainability reporting and stakeholder engagement processes followed at Vodafone Qatar, in which the company engaged with 1,820 people in the stakeholder engagement exercise.  Some 66 business sustainability issues were identified, of which 20 were prioritised to be addressed over the next five years.
In 2015, 166 sustainability reports were published in the Middle East, increasing by the rate of 40% and highlighting the increasing importance of corporate transparency.