Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholder engagement is the process used by an organisation to engage relevant stakeholders for a clear purpose to achieve agreed outcomes. It is now also recognised as a fundamental accountability mechanism, since it obliges an organisation to involve stakeholders in identifying, understanding and responding to sustainability issues and concerns, and to report, explain and answer to stakeholders for decisions, actions and performance. Engagement is the most powerful tool in driving business value through sustainability. CENGSSUD use one of the most globally recognised and holistic standards and tools in carrying out our stakeholders engagement process, called the AA1000SES 2015. The purpose of the AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard (SES) 2015 is to establish the benchmark for good-quality engagement.

The AA1000SES (2015) was developed using a broad-based, consultative, multi-stakeholder process. The AA1000SES (2015) is a globally and generally applicable framework for the assessment, design, implementation and communication of quality stakeholder engagement. The AA1000 Principles of Inclusivity, Materiality and Responsiveness create the foundation for the AA1000SES (2015) and the Series of AA1000 Standards.

It is widely believed that engaging with the individuals, groups of individuals and/or organisations that are affected by or can affect an organisation’s activities, and responding to their concerns, improves an organisation’s overall performance. It can also increase its knowledge, build Social and Relationship Capital and contribute to its license to operate.

Through our gap analysis, we look at your current state, your desired state and work together to identify the steps needed to bridge the gap.

CENGSSUD uses the best stakeholders engagement tool which will lead to quality engagement.
Quality stakeholder engagement will:
►► lead to more equitable and sustainable social development by giving those who have a right to be heard the opportunity to be considered in decision-making processes;
►► help to determine material issues for sustainability management and reporting;
►► enable better management of risk and reputation;
►► allow for the pooling of resources (knowledge, people, money and technology) to solve problems and reach objectives that cannot be reached by single organisations;
►► enable understanding of complex operating environments, including market developments and culturaldynamics;
►► enable learning from stakeholders, resulting in product and process improvements, and innovations;
►► inform, educate and influence stakeholders in ways that can improve their decisions and actions, which will in turn have an impact on the organisation and on society; and
►► contribute to the development of trust-based and transparent stakeholder relationships.