Our Commitments

As part of Agulhas’ ambition to upholding the highest standards in our work and our organisation, and as part of our B Corp Certification, we are pleased to publish our annual Impact Report. This report details our ongoing efforts to make a positive and sustainable impact through our work, and to hold ourselves accountable to commitments made for the coming year. 

As part of our commitment to continuous improvement and organisational sustainability, Agulhas has become a Certified B Corp. The rigorous process ensures that Agulhas, as a business, is verifiably meeting high standards of performance, accountability, and transparency on sustainability factors. These range from environmental stewardship, to employee benefits and charitable giving, to supply chain practices and client social impact. 

Agulhas is proud to be a signatory of the UN Global Compact; joining and promoting the UN’s vision for businesses and firms worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies since 2019. Agulhas reports on its achievements towards goals in the areas of Human Rights, Labour, Environment and Anti-Corruption, as set out by the UNGC’s ten principles. 

Agulhas Applied Knowledge is a proud signatory of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs). These Principles offer guidance on how to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community. As an employee-owned and female-led SME committed to helping organisations solve global challenges, equity is at the heart of our business and the WEPs give us the vital framework to turn our commitments into action.

Agulhas is a proud signatory of the Youth in Evaluation Manifesto, and hosted a hybrid, global event as part of the Youth in Evaluation Week 2023. The ‘Youth in Evaluation’ initiative urges the global evaluation community to commit to concrete action towards long-term, sustainable and meaningful engagement of youth and young and emerging evaluators in evaluation. 

Agulhas supports The Equity Index, a social enterprise advocating for greater equity across the international development sector, participating in its pilot Index and providing pro bono advisory and research assistance.

Agulhas is a proud supporter of gLOCAL Evaluation Week, a unique M&E knowledge-sharing event connecting a global community of evaluators, and hosted an event with partners as part of the 2023 events. gLOCAL is convened and supported by the Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI) – a network of organizations and experts that supports countries with strengthening their monitoring and evaluation systems to help governments gather and use evidence that improves the lives of their citizens. 

IATI is a global initiative to improve the transparency of development and humanitarian resources and their results for addressing poverty and crises. As a participant of the International Aid Transparency Initiative, Agulhas follows a set of rules and guidance on how to publish useful development and humanitarian data.

Agulhas achieved a 100% score in the UK government Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) Code of Compliance. We are accredited members of the Living Wage Foundation and signatories to the Prompt Payment Code. 

By signing the Mental Health at Work Commitment, Agulhas has committed to achieving better mental health outcomes and a genuine longer-term positive impact on staff’s wellbeing. Developed with the knowledge and expertise of mental health charities, leading employers and trade organisations, the Mental Health at Work Commitment provides a simple framework for employers who recognise the importance of promoting staff wellbeing, setting out six clear standards to help organisations build an environment where employees can thrive.

Agulhas is a purpose driven and responsible business that recognises the importance of understanding and managing our contribution to the global challenges we support our clients to address. Core to our business is encouraging sustainable development and inspiring others within our sphere of influence. This includes a strong focus on environmental and social issues. We are committed not only to complying with relevant legislation and regulation, but also striving to minimise any adverse impacts of our business activities and moving towards having a net positive impact. We also recognise the positive contribution that Agulhas can make to the sustainability of the local economy through support to our local community. Central to our sustainability strategy is our B Corp certification, which verifies our commitment to responsible business. The B Corp framework gives Agulhas the mechanism to implement and monitor sustainability initiatives.