Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Management, Reporting, and Assurance to Address Social and Environmental Challenges”*

Call for Papers – Special Issue: “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Management, Reporting, and Assurance to Address Social and Environmental Challenges”*

Journal: Meditari Accountancy Research
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Submission deadline: 30 April 2026

This special issue examines how organisations across sectors manage, disclose, and assure their progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With over a decade having passed since the 2015 adoption of the 17 SDGs and 169 targets, the SI focuses on accounting, governance, and accountability practices that translate high‑level sustainability ambitions into measurable management actions, credible reporting, and robust assurance.

Why this issue matters

• The SDGs form an indivisible framework for tackling intertwined social, environmental, and economic challenges; however, research on how organisations operationalise these goals through management systems, disclosure, and assurance remains limited.

• Accounting and assurance play a crucial role in moving beyond symbolic “SDG‑washing” towards substantive, evidence‑based responses, giving stakeholders confidence that organisations are genuinely contributing to the SDGs.

• The SI explicitly welcomes sector‑specific and cross‑sector studies (corporations, public sector, NGOs, B‑Corps, universities, hybrid organisations) and country‑ or region‑level analyses to map differences in SDG‑related practices.

Core themes and research questions

Submissions can be conceptual, empirical, or policy‑oriented, using qualitative, quantitative, or mixed‑methods designs. Possible topics include:

• SDG management and internal processes

  • How organisations integrate SDGs into strategy, risk management, and performance measurement; internal drivers and barriers.

• SDG reporting and disclosure

  • Motivations for SDG‑related disclosure, linkages with ESG/sustainability reports and integrated reporting, and evidence of substantive vs. symbolic legitimation.

• Assurance of SDG performance

  • Role of external and internal auditors, assurance providers, and standards in enhancing the credibility and reliability of SDG‑related information.

• Stakeholders and engagement

  • Stakeholder expectations, perceptions, and engagement mechanisms around SDG‑related management and reporting.

• Technology and innovation in SDG accountability

  • Use of blockchain, AI, big data, and social media to enhance transparency, traceability, and verification of SDG‑related outcomes.

• Crisis, regulation, and partnerships

  • Impact of Covid‑19, regulatory changes, and policy shocks on SDG‑management and reporting; cross‑organisational partnerships and collaborations.

• SDG interlinkages and trade‑offs

  • How organisations manage interdependencies, synergies, and trade‑offs between different SDGs; which goals are prioritised and at what opportunity cost.

• Rainbow‑washing and legitimacy

  • Conceptual and empirical studies on SDG‑washing, green‑/social‑washing, and strategies to enhance authentic SDG engagement.

Guest editors

• Prof Sumit Lodhia, University of Adelaide, Australia

• Dr Amanpreet Kaur, University of Adelaide, Australia

• Prof Nathalie Crutzen, HEC Liège, University of Liège, Belgium

Key dates and submission details

• Submission window: 8 September 2025 – 30 April 2026

• Submission platform: ScholarOne Manuscripts for Meditari Accountancy Research:
  https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/medar

• During submission, select the special issue title “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Management, reporting, and assurance to address social and environmental challenges” in the drop‑down menu.

• Manuscripts must be original and not under consideration elsewhere and must follow the journal’s Author Guidelines.

This SI is ideal for accounting and auditing scholars, sustainability‑accounting researchers, and policy‑oriented interdisciplinary teams who wish to deepen understanding of how management, reporting, and assurance practices can make SDG commitments credible, comparable, and impactful.

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