Organisation: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)
In ISO 53001 vocabulary, the organisation (French: organisme; ISO spells it organization) is the entity that sets up the SDG management system and applies for certification: company, local authority, association or public body, whatever its size. It sets its own priority SDGs, objectives and system scope.
Updated: · edition covered: ISO/UNDP 53001:2026
In an ISO/UNDP 53001 audit
The auditor starts by identifying the audited organisation precisely: legal name, sites, activities, decision-making structure. The entity described in the documented information must match the one met on site, and no subsidiary or activity may be included or left out without explanation.
The auditor also establishes who, within the organisation, takes decisions related to the SDGs. A group whose subsidiaries apply different rules, without the system reflecting this, will be questioned during interviews. These points relate to clause 4 and shape the rest of the audit against the ISO/UNDP 53001 standard.
Groups, subsidiaries and multiple sites
When the applicant belongs to a group, the auditor clarifies where decisions are made. A subsidiary that applies a policy set by its parent remains the organisation audited, and must show how it adopts and adapts that policy to its own context. Organisations with several sites are sampled under specific rules.
See also
- Context of the organization: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)The context of the organization (French: *contexte de l'organisme*) covers the internal and external issues that shape an organisation's ability to contribute to the SDGs: market, regulation, supply chain, location, internal culture.
- Scope: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)The scope (French: *domaine d'application*) sets the boundaries of the SDG management system: activities, products or services, sites and entities covered.
- Top management: definition (ISO/UNDP 53001)Top management (French: *direction*) is the person or group of people who direct and control the organisation at the highest level: chief executive, executive committee, board of an association.
- ISO/UNDP 53001 clause 4: what the auditor checksISO 53001 clause 4 covers the context of the organization.