UN Global Compact
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The United Nations Global Compact was announced by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in an address to The World Economic Forum on January 31, 1999, when he challenged business leaders to join the Global Compact to bring companies together with UN agencies, labour groups and civil society to support nine principles in the areas of human rights, labour and the environment.
The Global Compact was officially launched at UN Headquarters in New York on July 26, 2000. As of 2004, it includes more than 1,800 companies from all regions of the world, as well as [a smaller number of] international labour and civil society organizations.
On June 24, 2004, during the Global Compact Leaders Summit, the Secretary-General announced the addition of a tenth principle against corruption. This step followed an extensive consultation process with all Global Compact participants.
The Global Compact Office is supported by six UN agencies: the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; the United Nations Environment Programme; the International Labour Organization; the United Nations Development Programme; the United Nations Industrial Development Organization; and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
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The Ten Principles
Human Rights
Businesses should:
- Principle 1: Support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and
- Principle 2: Make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.
Labour Standards
Businesses should uphold:
- Principle 3: the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;
- Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour;
- Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; and
- Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in employment and occupation.
Environment
Businesses should:
- Principle 7: support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;
- Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote environmental responsibility; and
- Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.
Anti-Corruption
- Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.
Facilitation
The Global Compact is not a regulatory instrument, but rather a forum for discussion and a network for communication including governments; companies and labour, whose actions it seeks to influence; and civil society organizations, representing its stakeholders.
The Compact's goals are intentionally flexible and vague, but it distinguishes the following channels through which it provides facilitation and encourages dialogue: policy dialogues, learning, local networks and projects.
The Global Compact Summit
The first Global Compact Leaders Summit, chaired by Secretary-General Annan, was held in UN Headquarters in New York on June 24, 2004. It aimed to bring "intensified international focus and increased momentum" to the Compact.
On the eve of the conference, delegates were invited to attend the first Prix Ars Electronica Digital Communities award ceremony, which was co-hosted by a representative from the UN.
External links
- Official website (http://www.unglobalcompact.org/Portal/Default.asp)
- 2004 Global Compact Leaders Summit (http://www.unglobalcompactsummit.org/) website.