ABERJE – Brazilian Association for Business Communication
Organizational communication ahead of its time

Organization by: Paulo Nassar, Renato Janine Ribeiro and
Rodolfo Witzig Guttilla.

Forty years ago, the paper weight was discussed in a couple of courses from ABERJE. Currently, our role in the ‘drama’ of the world is under discussion. The qualification of a good professional, who knows his methods and techniques, was a great success we achieved. Never had there been professional with so much quality or technical progress. However, this era has brought us ethical issues we cannot ignore and that summon us as human beings. In the drama of our days, what role will we, communicators, take, since we are gifted professionals at the same time we are mortal human beings, facing major social, economical and environmental challenges like impoverishment and global warming?
Now, we live under the greenhouse effect. If urgent measures are not taken, we will lose our beaches, some of our most beautiful cities, countries, the Amazon – much of life as it exists today. For the nuclear war to burst, someone needed to push the button. For global warming to generate a catastrophe, it needs the exact opposite: not doing anything. We, communicators, have broken free from the passive celebration of our natural richness and started valuing our country in new ways. There is no public security, but rather public insecurity. We are on the verge of a war between everybody and everyone. We hide in private spaces, but no civilization survives by hiding. These two challenges – the planet’s and our society’s survival, and the salvation of nature and the human world – are essential. These are the main topics to address and communicate. How will we do our job if we don’t communicate the essential, if we are silent about these threats? We need to talk about them and strengthen a new awareness, which leads to actions that change our reality.

Never had the communicators have so much responsibility ahead of them. In the past, we were questioned – were we only giving beautiful packages to poor quality products? Are we selling politicians as the nation’s saviors? This was, and is, an important ethical question. Communication, also from organizations, can never be a label for lies, manipulation and falsity, but we need to go further. It is not enough to not do wrong – we need to do what is right, even if not knowing for sure what it is. Our era knows different ethics, life options and values. We must respect this diversity. However, even in difference, we must build something in common: a fair society, a sustainable planet. These basic values can teach us now at least what is wrong, what we must not do.
Important values are part of the mission from ABERJE, of our focus as communicators for companies or institutions. The ethical concern is a highlight. Saving the world is no longer a rhetorical question, it became a pressing issue. Science has proven that the global warming is leading us to catastrophe. It demands a strong commitment with the truth. There are important topics to address, in order to generate awareness on what is urgent to do.

Innovation is a feature that made the two last centuries the most powerful in History. There was a search for the new, transformation, invention, discovery. Science made more progress than ever, and today’s medicine cannot even be compared with the one from 200 years ago. The Renaissance brought the conviction that people’s actions should benefit not a group of individuals, a social class or a nation, but the mankind. This value is expanding in our times. Mankind is different, it requires plurality. We live with differences better than any past culture, and this is a great achievement, unforeseen in the world history. We can be bitterly different in politics and values, but we don’t kill those who disagree with us. One no longer hangs the government’s opposition nor burns a liberal woman. This is our greatest success in terms of civilization, but along with it comes the predatory nature of our times.

We believe that it is possible to make a new world, a world where the feeling of historical responsibility prevails. We can join technique and ethics with aesthetics. This is the project: to build a more cultured, sympathetic and sustainable society. We believe this project is worthwhile and, therefore, invite our associates to join it.

The Vision and Mission that guide ABERJE
Vision - To be the reference center in the production and dissemination of knowledge and practices of Communication and Relationship, inspiring organization in their management strategies.

Mission - To articulate the Communication of organizations through initiatives in Education, Knowledge Management, Recognition and Relationship, producing and sharing knowledge, spreading the best practices and strengthening the strategic role of the communicator.

The Values of ABERJE
Ethics Ethics is on today’s menu. Over the past few years, the call for decency and respect has increased

Innovation Since the revolutions in the 18th century, the world lives in the tune of news. Our time accentuated this feature

Plurality People are different, and this must be respected. However, in addition to what we are, there are also the values we believe in

Humanism Mankind is or must be benefited by our actions

ABERJE and GRI

GRI in Brazil

GRI has always looked at Brazil with special interest. Many organizations in Brazil were engaged in the process of reviewing and communicating GRI guidelines. Today, there are Brazilian representatives both in GRI’s Stakeholder Council and in the Board of Directors. Natura was the first Brazilian company to apply the complete set of GRI guidelines on its 2001 sustainability report. Today, as many as 30 Brazilian companies are already applying GRI guidelines, including some that have attained the “in accordance to” level.

October 13, 2005
The first ABERJE GRI Meeting was held focusing The Challenges in Integrating Accounting Models and GRI.

To discuss the impact of GRI G3 Guidelines ABERJE has invited Ernst Ligteringen, Chief Executive of GRI, Jorge Cajazeira, President of ISO 26000 for Social Responsibility, Roberto Gonzalez APIMEC (Association of Capital Market Analysts and Professionals) consultant on social responsibility issues and Rodolfo Guttilla, Director of Corporate Affairs and Government Relations of Natura. On the occasion, there were as many as 50 representatives from companies such as Accor, CPFL, Ipiranga, Itautec, Nestlé, Multibrás e Votorantim.

December 2005
Establishment of the Brazilian Study Group on GRI G3 Guidelines for Sustainability Reports

ABERJE has joined Fundação Getúlio Vargas and Instituto Ethos to establish the Brazilian Study Group on GRI, embracing the mission of improving the understanding and the discussion of GRI guidelines for sustainability reports in Brazil, enlarging the number of companies that apply the GRI framework, thus contributing to the sustainable development of the planet.

February 22 – 23, 2006
ABERJE, FGV and Instituto Ethos foster debate on GRI G3 Guidelines

On February 22, in Rio de Janeiro, and February 23, in São Paulo, ABERJE, in partnership with FGV Centro de Estudos em Sustentabilidade and Instituto Ethos de Empresas e Responsabilidade Social – institutions that form the Brazilian Study Group on GRI G3 Guidelines –, held the Brazilian version of the 30 sneak peeks that are being held around the world. On the occasion, Ernst Ligteringen, Chief Executive of GRI, and Nelmara Arbex, then member of GRI’s Stakeholder Technical Advisory Committee , gave a presentation on GRI G3 Guidelines. The sneak peek aimed at presenting the main changes in sustainability reporting guidelines that will give birth to the third generation of GRI indicators. It also looked for opinions and suggestions on the work that has been developed.

March 2006
Based on proposals made at the sneak peek, ABERJE sends directly to Ernst Ligteringen, GRI Chief Executive, contributions to the set of Indicator Protocols of G3 Guidelines

December 7, 2006
The Third Generation of GRI Guidelines for Sustainability Reports is launched

On December 7, GRI, with the support of ABERJE, Instituto Ethos and GVces, launched the Portuguese version of the Third Generation of GRI Guidelines for Sustainability Reports, known as G3. GRI Guidelines have been developed to advance the practice of sustainability reporting to a level comparable to that of financial reporting. The G3 Guidelines was developed by a multistakeholder working group in a two year long engagement process that included discussion meetings and consultation with more than 4,000 participants drawn from all around the world.

December 2006 to March 2007
ABERJE attends to the workshops held by the Brazilian Study Group on GRI. Those were a set of five meetings that aimed at sharing experiences, ideas and practices related to GRI G3 Guidelines. Also present were companies such as: Itaú, Bunge, CPFL, Medley, Natura, Petrobras and Suzano.

July 14, 2007
The internationally accessed GRI Newsletter publishes a note in which ABERJE is acknowledged as the first institution in the world to launch a GRI certification program as stated below.

News 2007 - July 14
"New GRI-certified training programme gets go-ahead in Brazil
14 July 2007 was a day of celebration for GRI’s Learning and Services area when the first Memo of Understanding (MoU) was signed by GRI and Brazilian association Associacao Brasileira de Comunicacao Empresarial (ABERJE), signalling the start of an international program and an important local partnership. ABERJE president, Paulo Nassar, was the first one to join GRI in celebrating the start of the first training certification process…”

April 15 – 16, 2008
ABERJE holds the first training program on GRI – “GRI Sustainability Reports – Benefits and techniques to produce Sustainability Reports according the most applied model in the world”, with professor Carmen Weingrill.