AccountAbility is a non-profit, membership organization established in 1995 to promote accountability innovations that advance responsible business practices, and the broader accountability of civil society and public organizations. Its 350 members include businesses, NGOs and research bodies, and elect our international Council, which includes representatives from Brazil, India, North America, Russia, South Africa and Europe.

AccountAbility standards, the AA1000 Series, are principles based standards intended to provide the basis for improving the sustainability performance of organisations. They are applicable to organisations in any sector, including the public sector and civil society, of any size and in any region.

The AA1000 Series is comprised of:

• AA1000 Framework: The AA1000 Framework was developed to help organisations build their accountability and social responsibility through quality social and ethical accounting, auditing and reporting. It addresses the need for organisations to integrate their stakeholder engagement process into their daily activities. The Framework provides guidance to users on how to establish a systematic stakeholder engagement process that generates the indicators, targets, and reporting systems needed to ensure to ensure greater transparency, effective responsiveness to stakeholders and improved overall organisational performance.
• AA1000 Assurance Standard (AA1000AS): The AA1000AS is the first non-proprietary, open-source Assurance Standard that covers the full range of an organisation's disclosure and performance. In applying the AA1000 Assurance Standard (AA1000AS), the Assurance Provider evaluates the credibility of the sustainability report, and assesses the underlying systems and processes that deliver the relevant information and underpin the organisation’s performance.
• AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard (AA1000SES): The AA1000SES advances the right of stakeholders to be heard, and the organisations’ obligation to adequately respond to their concerns. It offers a robust basis for designing, implementing, evaluating and assuring the quality of stakeholder engagement.