UN Global Compact

The Global Compact (GC) is a framework for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with 10 universally accepted principles in the social and environmental areas. Signatory companies are often multinationals who commit to applying these principles worldwide and to influence business partners (suppliers and subcontractors mainly) to do the same.

The Global Compact is a voluntary, network-based initiative. At its core are the Global Compact Office and six UN agencies (OHCHR, ILO, UNEP, UNODC, UNDP, UNIDO). At the same time, the Global Compact involves all relevant social actors: companies, whose actions it seeks to influence; governments, labour and civil society organisations.

The Global Compact ask companies to embrace, support and enact, within their sphere of influence, a set of core values in the areas of human rights, labour standards, environment, and anti-corruption. Businesses must respect (even if it is not a regulatory instrument) the following 10 principles:

  1. Support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights
  2. Ensure that they are not accomplices in human rights abuses
  3. Protect the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
  4. Elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour
  5. Abolition of child labour
  6. Discrimination-free employment and occupation
  7. Support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges
  8. Undertake initiatives to promote environmental responsibility
  9. Encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies
  10. Fight against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.

The GC has no enforcement programme. Signing it allows to be mentioned on the official list of signatories on the website of GC. Pressure to respect this engagement comes more from society.

Information

  • Author: The General Secretary of UN, Kofi Annan (Davos 1999)
  • Application: Universal
  • Creation Date: 2000, revised in 2006
  • Availability: Free
  • Pillars: Transversal

Source

http://www.globalcompact.org

Remarks

Specificity

Since its official launch on 26 July 2000, the initiative has grown to more than 5600 participants, including over 4300 businesses in 120 countries around the world. The other participants are universities, civil society, labour organisations, and professional associations.


Nature of the instrument - code of conduct

Purpose - Declaration