ISO 26000 is an international standard on social responsibility developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The standard aims to provide all types of organizations with practical guidance related to fulfilling social responsibility, identifying and engaging with stakeholders, and enhancing the credibility of reports and statements on social responsibility.
ISO 26000 is the outcome of efforts to frame new standards started at a conference in Oslo in 2001 when the ISO Council requested the ISO Committee on Consumer Policy (COPOLCO) to launch a feasibility study on standards for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). After numerous discussions and negotiations, the ISO Technical Management Board (TMB) decided at the ISO conference on social responsibility in Stockholm in June 2004 to proceed with development of an ISO guideline standard on social responsibility (SR).
The TMB also decided that third-party certification would not be required and that the TMB would establish a task force to create a working group to produce a "New Work Item Proposal" (NWIP) to be voted on for acceptance. After a long debate, the council decided that the standard should be referred to as SR instead of CSR because the standard would apply to governmental agencies and other organizations in addition to private companies. The standard is expected to be published in November 2010.