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  United Nations Global Compact  

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Major US companies doubt Global Compact credentials - Lack of accountability cited as well as fear of the expectation that firms are obliged to correct rights abuses -...the legitimacy of the global compact is in question without a traditional accountability structure or monitoring system in place. ..The other major issue troubling US companies is the issue of human rights. While the companies are in broad agreement with the human rights principles of the Global Compact, there is some apprehension that joining the compact could lead to societal expectations that companies routinely have the obligation of correcting rights abuses. (Oliver Williams, Director of the University of Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Religious Values in Business and Professor in the Graduate Schools of Business at the University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University, in Business Day [South Africa], 22 Apr. 2003)

Letter to Louise Fréchette [Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations] raising concerns on UN Global Compact -...As we have stated in the past, we believe that the Global Compact must find ways to strengthen methods of accountability for the private sector in relation to the principles...(i) Clear criteria need to be adopted to deal with cases where companies are alleged to breach the Global Compact principles...(ii) The basic requirement that participating companies report annually on their compliance with the principles must be monitored...(iii) The Global Compact and participating companies must show leadership on the human rights principles... (joint letter from Amnesty International, Oxfam International, Lawyers Committee for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch, 7 Apr. 2003)

Global Compact website:

The United Nations "Global Compact" website (United Nations)

Other websites:

Citizens Compact on the United Nations and Corporations 

Corporations & the United Nations (NGO Taskforce on Business & Industry)

International Organization of Employers (IOE): IOE member federations and the Global Compact

UN and corporate social responsibility (Lawyers Committee for Human Rights)

Working with the United Nations (International Chamber of Commerce website) 

United Nations materials:

Upcoming Event: Global Compact Policy Dialogue on HIV/AIDS, 12-13 May Geneva 2003 (U.N. Global Compact)

Businesses in Panama set up Global Compact network (U.N. Development Programme, 26 Mar. 2003)

China Establishes Global Compact Learning Centre - The China Reform and Development Forum Committee, under the auspices of the Chinese Academy of Social Science (CASS), is establishing The Global Compact Learning Forum China Centre to help advance the principles of the Global Compact and the tenets of corporate citizenship in all sectors of the Chinese economy...As part of this effort, a Global Compact China Website has been launched to facilitate communication, dialogue and learning. (U.N. Global Compact, 24 Mar. 2003)

Global Compact Participants Implementing Host of Supply Chain Initiatives - Reflecting a growing trend within the Global Compact initiative, Tweezerman, a leading manufacturer of personal-care products, announced that it plans to implement a new supplier agreement that mandates adherence to the nine principles of the Global Compact...Other companies that have submitted related examples [actively incorporating the Global Compact principles into their supply chains] to the Global Compact Learning Forum are: Petro-Canada, William E. Connor & Associates, Bayer AG, Li & Fung (Trading) Ltd., Ericsson, Robert Stephen Holdings, OneNest, and Engineers India Limited (U.N. Global Compact, 13 Mar. 2003)

The Global Compact: origins, achievements, challenges - In an invitation article, Georg Kell provides an overview of the UN Global Compact’s activities to date and where it is headed in 2003 (Georg Kell, Executive Head of the Global Compact Office, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 25 Feb. 2003)

French President Meets With Businesses on Global Compact - French President Jacques Chirac met with leaders of French companies in Paris on 19 February to discuss the Global Compact. The business leaders shared with the President examples of good corporate practices and partnership projects. These examples included an initiative to fight malaria in Africa, access to water in urban areas, voluntary initiatives to advance environmental management as well as other corporate practices in support of the Global Compact. (U.N. Global Compact, 19 Feb. 2003)

An Appeal to Action on HIV/AIDS - In the context of HIV/AIDS as a major threat to global development, the Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, the Head of UNAIDS, and the Director General of the ILO sent a joint letter to the CEOs of companies participating in the Global Compact...The Global Compact, the ILO and UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) will join forces in 2003 to mobilize businesses, encourage increased action to fight HIV/AIDS in the workplace, and combat stigmatisation of people in the workforce living with the disease. ..The letter encourages businesses worldwide to adopt and fully implement the ILO Code of practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. (U.N. Global Compact, 14 Feb. 2003)

Global Compact Publishes List of Participating Companies - In an effort to increase transparency and the public accountability of companies, the Global Compact Office is now publishing the names of all companies that have submitted letters of intent to Secretary-General Kofi Annan pledging their support for the Global Compact and its nine principles. (UN Global Compact, 20 Nov. 2002)

The Secretary General [U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan] - Address at Event Marking the 50th Anniversary of the MIT Sloan School Of Management -...there is growing recognition that we must move beyond the politics of confrontation, and that solutions to poverty, environmental degradation and other challenges can only be found if the private sector is involved (U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, 11 Oct. 2002)

Leading companies in Ghana endorse UN Global Compact [Ashanti Goldfields, Barclays Bank Ghana, Domod Aluminium, Interplast, Standard Chartered Bank Ghana] (U.N. Development Programme, 19 July 2002)

Global Compact Releases First Progress Report -...Mr. Kell emphasized that while good progress has been made, much more remains to be done. (U.N. Global Compact, July 2002)

Rio+10 Series: Book Review--Building Partnerships - A new book outlines the benefits and challenges of cooperation between the private sector and the United Nations. [Building Partnerships: Cooperation between the United Nations system and the private sector, published by United Nations Department of Public Information & UN Global Compact, in conjunction with Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum] (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 28 June 2002)

Panama Launches First Global Compact Learning Forum at the Country Level (U.N. Global Compact, 21 June 2002)

Global Compact Convenes Dialogue Meeting on "Business and Sustainable Development" 17-18 June 2002 (U.N. Global Compact, 17-18 June 2002)

United Nations Reports on Growing Importance of Partnerships with Business - "Building Partnerships" Book Shows How UN System, Private Sector and Civil Society Are Working Together on Range of Critical Global Issues (U.N. Global Compact, 14 June 2002)

Human rights and accountability -...At the World Economic Forum, I was given a prominent role on various panels with business leaders who were keen to hear about human rights. At the same time, there were demonstrations outside and I'm sure there were Amnesty people in those demonstrations. We didn't see a contradiction, because we felt there was room for both ways of approaching business. We find the oil companies in Europe more open to dialogue than those in the US. Amnesty USA has been trying to have a dialogue with ExxonMobil on their human rights practices for some time and has made no headway, so they bought some shares and went into their recent AGM and tried to put pressure on that way. (comments by Irene Khan, Secretary-General of Amnesty International, in article by Alison Maitland, Financial Times, 13 June 2002)

Global Compact Business Guide for Conflict Impact Assessment and Risk Management [includes sections on impact assessments for: human rights, humanitarian law, labour, environment] (U.N. Global Compact, June 2002)

The [U.N.] Secretary-General - Message to the Global Mining Initiative Conference Toronto, 12-15 May 2002 (U.N. Global Compact, 17 May 2002)

"Beyond Good Intentions: Corporate Citizenship for a New Century" - RSA World Leaders Lecture - Mary Robinson, United Nations High Comissioner for Human Rights - London -...the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, an expert body of the inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights, is in the process of developing human rights principles for companies under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other universally accepted norms. (Mary Robinson, U.N. High Comissioner for Human Rights, 7 May 2002)

The Deputy Secretary-General [Louise Frechette, U.N. Deputy Secretary-General] Address to the 34th Congress of the International Chamber of Commerce - Denver -...Let me stress as well that the Compact is not a regulatory regime or a code of conduct. It is a voluntary initiative. (Louise Frechette, U.N. Deputy Secretary-General, 6 May 2002)

Conflict Prevention and Revenue-Sharing Regimes: Prepared for the United Nations Global Compact Policy Dialogue: Business in Zones of Conflict [refers to mining industry; oil industry; World Bank; Shell; BP; Angola; Statoil; indigenous peoples; Western Mining Co., Normandy Mining; Rio Tinto; BHP-Billiton; Social investment projects: Freeport McMoRan in Irian Jaya, Placer Dome in Papua New Guinea, Newmont & Rio Tinto in Indonesia; Natural resource funds in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Norway, Alaska/USA, Chad-Cameroon pipeline - ExxonMobil - Petronas - Chevron, Nigeria]  (Juliette Bennett, May 2002)

Joint Statement on the Global Compact by the Sectretary-General of the United Nations and the President of the International Organization of Employers (IOE) -...UN and IOE representatives further agreed that the Global Compact is not a substitute for other approaches, such as regulation, and that it is a voluntary initiative that seeks to motivate employers to act within their sphere of influence. (U.N. Secretary-General and International Organization of Employers President, 26 Apr. 2002)

Policy Dialogue Focuses on Business in Zones of Conflict - More than 60 experts from, industry, non-governmental organizations, the public policy community, and the United Nations met in New York on 17-18 April to grapple with the complex issues posed by business operations in zones of conflict. (U.N. Global Compact, 19 Apr. 2002)

Secretary-General Speaks on Global Compact in Spain: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan addressed leaders from Spain's business community and labour and civil society groups in Madrid on 9 April as part of a major national effort to introduce the Global Compact. (U.N. Global Compact, 9 Apr. 2002)

Enthusiasm and Some Concerns Voiced Over Partnership Proposals: The idea of using the World Summit on Sustainable Development as a launching pad for new partnerships between governments, the private sector, and community and citizen groups gained considerable momentum during a wide-ranging discussion of the concept at PrepCom III for the Summit [but qualifications expressed by EU, and concerns expressed by Third World Network and Women's Caucus] (United Nations website for the Johannesburg Summit 2002 - the World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2 Apr. 2002)

UN Global Compact Case Studies of Multistakeholder Partnership: Policy Dialogue on Business in Zones of Conflict (edited by Virginia Haufler, University of Maryland, Apr. 2002)

"Great tasks need grand coalitions": Klaus M. Leisinger [Director of the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development] on the pharmaceutical industry's responsibilities in development policy (epd-Entwicklungspolitik [epd Development Policy], Apr. 2002)

Compact Project Completed in Thailand: Acting under the umbrella of the UN Global Compact, the Employers Federation of Thailand (ECOT) and UNDP have completed a partnership project that marks the first collaboration in the country between the private sector and a UN agency. (U.N. Global Compact, Apr. 2002)

Nike greenwash over sweatshop labour - Following years of criticism over its poor labour and environmental standards, Nike claims to have cleaned up its act, even signing onto the Global Compact to prove it. But the truth is rather different, and the company’s recent behaviour is a textbook study in greenwash. (Sharon Beder, Ecologist, 22 Mar. 2002)

Global Compact Supports Investment Advisory Council at Monterrey Meeting: In a landmark meeting, government and business leaders propose practical steps to increase foreign direct investment in Africa. (U.N. Global Compact, 20 Mar. 2002)

Nigeria: UNDP sets up fund to fight poverty - A fund to promote poverty eradication and community development in Nigeria has been launched by the UN Development Programme...Sirka Korpela, director of the UNDP division for business partnerships, described the initiative as an offshoot of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Global Compact. (IRIN - U.N. Integrated Regional Information Network, 17 Jan. 2002)

Secretary-General [U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan] Convenes First Meeting of Global Compact Advisory Council: Senior business executives, international labour leaders and key members of civil society organizations tackle strategy and governance issues (United Nations Global Compact, 8 Jan. 2002)

Policy Note: The Future of the Global Compact Learning Forum -...According to a review conducted by an independent team of academic analysts, none of the company submissions conformed to the case study guidelines suggested by the Global Compact Office. And a significant number "did not make reference to any of the nine GC principles." (U.N. Global Compact, 4 Jan. 2002)

Global Compact Newsletter - December 2001 (United Nations Global Compact, Dec. 2001)

Global Compact and Global Reporting Initiative Announce Cooperative Framework:...In the future, company submissions made under the aegis of the GRI may also be considered as submissions fulfilling the participation requirements of the Global Compact. (U.N. Global Compact, 28 Nov. 2001)

ILO Addresses Compact [Global Compact] in Bangkok Conference (United Nations Global Compact, 27-28 Nov. 2001)

General Assembly Considers UN Partnerships With Private Sector:...In preparation for the General Assembly debate the Global Compact office prepared an extensive report exploring the range of cooperation between the UN, the international business community, and civil society. (U.N. Global Compact, 12 Nov. 2001)

Initiatives: Partnership Project Examples - Suez: The United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV) and a leading European energy company, Suez, today announced a wide-ranging cooperation agreement to promote the services of corporate volunteers in developing countries. (United Nations Global Compact, 13 Sep. 2001)

Business and Human Rights at the U.N. World Conference against Racism: Discrimination is Everybody's Business: Global Compact High-Level Dialogue - Durban, 31 Aug. 2001 [and related links] (United Nations)

Remarks by Georg Kell [focusing on UN Global Compact], United Nations - Dilemmas in Competitiveness, Community and Citizenship - Business and Human Rights Seminar - "Toward Universal Business Principles" - The London School of Economics and Political Science (Georg Kell, United Nations, 22 May 2001)

Sustaining the Single Global Economic Space (John G. Ruggie, UN Chronicle, Feb. 2001)

28 January Statement by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan [about globalisation, business and human rights, and the UN Global Compact]: Address to the World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland (United Nations, 28 Jan. 2001)

Globalization: Shared Risk, Shared Promise (John G. Ruggie, Adviser to the UN Secretary-General, and Georg Kell, Senior Officer, Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General, in sponsored section of the International Herald Tribune [sponsored by the International Chamber of Commerce], 25 Jan. 2001)

Remarks on the Global Compact (Georg Kell, United Nations, 24 Oct. 2000) 

Remarks on the Global Compact to the NGO Community (UN Assistant Secretary-General John Ruggie, 13 Oct. 2000) 

Secretary-General, International Trade Union Representatives, Discuss 'Global Compact' at Headquarters Meeting (press release, United Nations, 20 Jan. 2000) 

Help the Third World help itself (Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General, in Wall Street Journal, 29 Nov. 1999)

Global Markets and Social Legitimacy: The Case of the 'Global Compact' (Georg Kell and John Gerard Ruggie, United Nations, Nov. 1999) 

Business leaders advocate a stronger United Nations and take up challenge of Secretary-General's Global Compact (United Nations, 5 July 1999)

Address by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General, 8 June 1999)

A Compact for the New Century: [United Nations] Secretary-General proposes Global Compact on human rights, labour, environment, in address to World Economic Forum in Davos (United Nations, 31 Jan. 1999) 

Other materials:

2003:

Upcoming Event: Global Compact Policy Dialogue on HIV/AIDS, 12-13 May Geneva 2003 (U.N. Global Compact)

Major US companies doubt Global Compact credentials - Lack of accountability cited as well as fear of the expectation that firms are obliged to correct rights abuses -...the legitimacy of the global compact is in question without a traditional accountability structure or monitoring system in place. ..The other major issue troubling US companies is the issue of human rights. While the companies are in broad agreement with the human rights principles of the Global Compact, there is some apprehension that joining the compact could lead to societal expectations that companies routinely have the obligation of correcting rights abuses. (Oliver Williams, Director of the University of Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Religious Values in Business and Professor in the Graduate Schools of Business at the University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University, in Business Day [South Africa], 22 Apr. 2003)

Letter to Louise Fréchette [Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations] raising concerns on UN Global Compact -...As we have stated in the past, we believe that the Global Compact must find ways to strengthen methods of accountability for the private sector in relation to the principles...(i) Clear criteria need to be adopted to deal with cases where companies are alleged to breach the Global Compact principles...(ii) The basic requirement that participating companies report annually on their compliance with the principles must be monitored...(iii) The Global Compact and participating companies must show leadership on the human rights principles... (joint letter from Amnesty International, Oxfam International, Lawyers Committee for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch, 7 Apr. 2003)

Businesses in Panama set up Global Compact network (U.N. Development Programme, 26 Mar. 2003)

China Establishes Global Compact Learning Centre - The China Reform and Development Forum Committee, under the auspices of the Chinese Academy of Social Science (CASS), is establishing The Global Compact Learning Forum China Centre to help advance the principles of the Global Compact and the tenets of corporate citizenship in all sectors of the Chinese economy...As part of this effort, a Global Compact China Website has been launched to facilitate communication, dialogue and learning. (U.N. Global Compact, 24 Mar. 2003)

UN Global Compact and Global Reporting Initiative Strengthen Cooperation -...The goal of collaboration is to embed the Compact’s principles into day-to-day business operations while measuring and reporting performance with the GRI framework. (Global Reporting Initiative, 19 Mar. 2003)

Global Compact Participants Implementing Host of Supply Chain Initiatives - Reflecting a growing trend within the Global Compact initiative, Tweezerman, a leading manufacturer of personal-care products, announced that it plans to implement a new supplier agreement that mandates adherence to the nine principles of the Global Compact...Other companies that have submitted related examples [actively incorporating the Global Compact principles into their supply chains] to the Global Compact Learning Forum are: Petro-Canada, William E. Connor & Associates, Bayer AG, Li & Fung (Trading) Ltd., Ericsson, Robert Stephen Holdings, OneNest, and Engineers India Limited (U.N. Global Compact, 13 Mar. 2003)

The Global Compact: origins, achievements, challenges - In an invitation article, Georg Kell provides an overview of the UN Global Compact’s activities to date and where it is headed in 2003 (Georg Kell, Executive Head of the Global Compact Office, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 25 Feb. 2003)

French President Meets With Businesses on Global Compact - French President Jacques Chirac met with leaders of French companies in Paris on 19 February to discuss the Global Compact. The business leaders shared with the President examples of good corporate practices and partnership projects. These examples included an initiative to fight malaria in Africa, access to water in urban areas, voluntary initiatives to advance environmental management as well as other corporate practices in support of the Global Compact. (U.N. Global Compact, 19 Feb. 2003)

An Appeal to Action on HIV/AIDS - In the context of HIV/AIDS as a major threat to global development, the Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, the Head of UNAIDS, and the Director General of the ILO sent a joint letter to the CEOs of companies participating in the Global Compact...The Global Compact, the ILO and UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) will join forces in 2003 to mobilize businesses, encourage increased action to fight HIV/AIDS in the workplace, and combat stigmatisation of people in the workforce living with the disease. ..The letter encourages businesses worldwide to adopt and fully implement the ILO Code of practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. (U.N. Global Compact, 14 Feb. 2003)

Bulgaria's President joins businesses to introduce Global Compact - More than 250 CEOs, managers and representatives of the business community participated in a forum to introduce the UN's Global Compact in Bulgaria's capital of Sofia last week. (U.N. Development Programme, 6 Feb. 2003)

International standards for corporate responsibility [refers to UN Global Compact, ILO conventions, OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, ISO 14000 Series, AccountAbility 1000, Global Reporting Initiative, Global Sullivan Principles, Social Accountability 8000] (Malcolm McIntosh, Ruth Thomas, Deborah Leipziger, and Gill Coleman, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 30 Jan. 2003)

US companies hold back from Global Compact - Global union federation UNI today (January 24) warned that the failure of US companies to join the United Nations’ Global Compact will undermine efforts by the World Economic Forum to rebuild trust in big business. So far 700 companies worldwide have signed up to the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s initiative to encourage more responsible corporate behaviour.  But only 25 of these companies are from the United States - and only seven are major US ‘blue chip’ companies. (Global Unions, 24 Jan. 2003)

The UN Global Compact and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development will cooperate more closely for a coherent approach to corporate social responsibility (World Business Council for Sustainable Development, 16 Jan. 2003)

2002:

UN Global Compact: Jessica Mathews replies to NGO inquiry - On October 19, 2002, an informal coalition of various NGOs expressed their concerns about the Global Compact in a letter to Jessica Mathews, President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a member of the Global Compact Advisory Council. (Jessica Mathews, 3 Dec. 2002)

Sustainable Development: R.I.P.: The Earth Summit's Deathblow to Sustainable Development -...With the world's most powerful governments fully behind the corporate globalization agenda, it was agreed even before the Summit that there would no new mandatory agreements. Rather the focus was to be on implementation of old agreements, mainly through partnerships with the private sector. In other words, those aspects of sustainability that are convenient for private sector would be implemented...At issue is the fact that the UN is unabashedly -- anxiously -- partnering with corporations that define sustainability to suit themselves...the phrase "corporate accountability," is included elsewhere in the Action Plan, though it's located in an ambiguous paragraph that will require several more years of campaigning by Friends of the Earth and allies to see any legal instrument on corporate accountability born at the UN. [refers to Shell's conduct in Nigeria; refers to Shell, Caltex and BP's conduct in South Africa] (Kenny Bruno, CorpWatch, 4 Sep. 2002)

Business Embraces Call for Sustainable Development -...Businesses, or at least some business leaders, have decided to embrace the call for sustainable development...The criticism, however, has continued, and some groups believe the United Nations has become too cozy with big business. "What we're worried about is that many businesses are draping themselves in the blue of the United Nations in order to get themselves some brownie points to look good to governments, to look like they're doing the right thing around the world, when in fact their actual practices on the ground may be very different to those they profess on paper," said Matt Phillips of Friends of the Earth in an interview with the BBC. (Jim Cason, allAfrica.com, 29 Aug. 2002)

Latvian companies endorse Global Compact and air social concerns  (U.N. Development Programme, 15 Aug. 2002)

IBLF [Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum] Statement of support for UN Draft Human Rights Principles and Responsibilities for Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises [submitted to the United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights’ Working Group on the Working Methods and Activities of Transnational Corporations] - We wholeheartedly welcome the Draft Human Rights Principles and Responsibilities for Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises...The Draft Principles are the most authoritative and comprehensive set of guidelines to date which make the UDHR [Universal Declaration of Human Rights] applicable to companies...The Draft Principles are complementary to the UN Global Compact and could very usefully build upon the human rights components of that initiative. (Frances House, Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum, 24 July 2002)

Bayer and the UN Global Compact - How and Why a Major Pharmaceutical and Chemical Company "Bluewashes" its Image -...Bayer's use of the Global Compact is a classic case of "bluewash" -- using the good reputation of the United Nations to present a corporate humanitarian image without a commitment to changing real-world behavior [includes reference to conduct during World Wars I and II, pesticide & environmental issues] (Philipp Mimkes, Coalition Against Bayer Dangers, Corpwatch website, 19 July 2002)

Capital in Crisis - ACTU [Australian Council of Trade Unions] president Sharan Burrow outlines the global union response to the corporate carnage gripping an increasingly shaky system -..."There is ongoing work from global unions in regard to how you manage social responsibility within the business community, capitalism and multinational corporations more broadly." [includes reference to U.N. Global Compact, Global Reporting Initiative, socially responsible investment] (Workers Online, Labor Council of New South Wales, 12 July 2002)

UN volunteers programme teams up with BASF to help developing countries - The United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV) today announced the launch of a cooperation agreement with BASF, one of the world's leading chemical companies, to promote the services of corporate volunteers in developing countries...Under provisions of the UNV-BASF agreement, the company pays the salary of its employees during the volunteer mission (United Nations, 19 June 2002)

United Nations Reports on Growing Importance of Partnerships with Business - "Building Partnerships" Book Shows How UN System, Private Sector and Civil Society Are Working Together on Range of Critical Global Issues (U.N. Global Compact, 14 June 2002)

Taking Embedded Liberalism Global: The Corporate Connection [Miliband Public Lecture on Global Economic Governance - The London School of Economics and Political Science] -...First, I briefly describe the main drivers of the anti-globalization backlash...Second, I summarize the key features of Kofi Annan’s Global Compact...Third, I locate that initiative within the broader universe of innovations in global governance, and I argue, with due appreciation for the irony, that the corporate sector, which has done more than any other to create the growing gap between global economy and national communities, has a critical role to play in bridging it. (John Gerard Ruggie, Kirkpatrick Professor of International Affairs - Kennedy School of Government - Harvard University, former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, 6 June 2002)

Amnesty International Launches Initiative on Small Arms (U.N. Global Compact, June 2002)

Creating the Tipping Point towards Corporate Responsibility: Reflections on Meeting Expectations in the Global Economy [examines U.N. Global Compact] (Sandra Waddock, Boston College Carroll School of Management, University of Notre Dame, 21-23 Apr. 2002)

GLOBAL COMPACT: Special Adviser To Annan Reportedly Quitting - The United Nations will allow the contract of former Asea Brown and Boveri head Goran Lindahl, a special adviser to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan on the Global Compact, to expire today without seeking to renew it, the Financial Times reports. Lindahl has been the object of controversy over a pension payment he received from his former employer. (UN Wire, 28 Feb. 2002)

UN Addresses Misunderstandings Surrounding Global Compact: The United Nations has published a letter attempting to clarify misunderstandings about the objectives and operations of the Global Compact (U.N. Global Compact, 12 Feb. 2002)

UN's Annan Warns Not to Punish Poor for Being Poor: Declaring globalization could backfire on the world economy, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned business leaders on Monday they ignored the billions of poor in the world at their peril. (Evelyn Leopold, Financial Times, 5 Feb. 2002)

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Annan Asks Participants To Join With Business - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on participants at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil, to make "common cause" with businesses, governments and the United Nations. He is scheduled to make a similar plea for cooperation later today to business and civic leaders meeting at the World Economic Forum in New York. (Jim Wurst, UN Wire, 4 Feb. 2002)

GLOBAL COMPACT: NGOs, Business Differ Over Initiative's Future - As global business and political players gather today in New York for the opening of the World Economic Forum, differences are beginning to emerge among nongovernmental organizations, multinational corporations and the United Nations over the future shape of the U.N. Global Compact and its role in regulating corporate behavior worldwide. (Joe Fiorill, UN Wire, 31 Jan. 2002)

Greenwash + 10: The UN's Global Compact, Corporate Accountability and the Johannesburg Earth Summit [includes references to Aventis, DaimlerChrysler, Nike, Rio Tinto, Norsk Hydro, Royal Dutch/Shell, Unilever] (Kenny Bruno, CorpWatch, 24 Jan. 2002)

Big business shows social conscience [regarding first meeting of United Nations Global Compact's Advisory Council] (Gayatri Iyer, Earth Times News Service, 8 Jan. 2002)

Secretary-General [U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan] Convenes First Meeting of Global Compact Advisory Council: Senior business executives, international labour leaders and key members of civil society organizations tackle strategy and governance issues (United Nations Global Compact, 8 Jan. 2002)

2001:

A Trade Union Guide to Globalisation:...released...on March 26, 2002, focuses on the impact of globalisation on workers, and trade union responses...The Guide to Globalisation gives a tour of the wide array of new approaches in the field of corporate social responsibility, from the UN's Global Compact, to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises to unilateral codes of conduct....Central to the guide is the ever-increasing role of multinational enterprises...The guide points to "new management methods, sometimes ‘best practice,’ but too often ‘worst practice’, and the threat to relocate to countries with lower social or environmental standards and no independent trade unions." [other topics include export processing zones; exploitation & abuse of women workers] (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, Dec. 2001)

LCHR [Lawyers Committee for Human Rights] letter to the Global Compact - November, 2001 [raising concerns on the following issues relating to the United Nations Global Compact: Engagement of local stakeholders; Enforcement of the guidelines for the submissions; Risk of selectivity] (Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, 30 Nov. 2001)

GLOBAL COMPACT: Frechette Addresses Russian Businesses U.N. Deputy Secretary General Louise Frechette yesterday invited Russian businesses to join the Global Compact. (UN Wire, 20 Nov. 2001)

Norsk Hydro: Global Compact Violator: In the sixth article in our series on Global Compact companies, Indian journalist Nityanand Jayaraman looks at the Oslo-based corporation Norsk Hydro, a partner in the Utkal bauxite mine and alumina smelter in Orissa State. He provides evidence that the corporation has violated human rights Principles 1 and 2 of the UN Compact. Nor has the company withdrawn plans for a project that would violate Principle 9 which promotes eco-friendly practices. While the company has put the project on hold for the moment, officials indicate that violations of these principles could resume at any time. (Nityanand Jayaraman, special to CorpWatch, 18 Oct. 2001) 

RUSSIA: Major Oil Company Joins Global Compact - At a ceremony Friday at the U.N. Office for Project Services' headquarters in New York, UNOPS [United Nations Office for Project Services] Executive Director Reinhart Helmke and Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the chairman and CEO of Russia's second-largest oil company, YUKOS, signed a partnership framework agreement. YUKOS officially joined U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's Global Compact initiative. Under the agreement, the two partners will undertake and design projects in Russia and surrounding countries, targeting areas such as social investment in post-conflict societies, environmental cleanup and management, educational and cultural exchanges in support of peace or stabilization processes, the digital divide, health care and the development of small- and medium-size enterprises..Khodorkovsky also met separately with Annan to sign numerous agreements on environmental protection and human rights, according to the RosBusiness Consulting Agency. (UN Wire, 15 Oct. 2001)

Chile first in Latin America to launch Global Compact: More than 350 participants from government, civil society and the private sector joined in a seminar on corporate social responsibility last week in Santiago to start implementing the Global Compact, making Chile the first Latin American country to do so. (U.N. Development Programme, 10 Oct. 2001)

Unilever's Mercury Fever [India]: The fifth in our series of articles on Global Compact companies examines Unilever's response when caught dumping toxic mercury waste from a thermometer factory in Southern India earlier this year. The Anglo-Dutch company recently closed the factory. Community members, however, allege that the multinational has downplayed the dangers of mercury and misled the public in an attempt to cover up the truth. Indian journalist Nityanand Jayaraman reports for CorpWatch. (Nityanand Jayaraman, special to CorpWatch, 4 Oct. 2001)

The High Commissioner [U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights] Opening Remarks: Global Compact Dialogue on the Role of the Private Sector in Zones of Conflict (U.N. Global Compact, 27 Sep. 2001)

Address by Klaus Töpfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to the Regional Ministerial Meeting for the World Summit on Sustainable Development Geneva, 24-25 September 2001:...Through the Global Compact we should work to ensure that the private sector becomes a full partner in the efforts to secure lifestyles and development patterns which are environmentally sound and sustainable in the long run. Jointly we should develop a new culture of environmental accountability; one of a full acceptance and rigorous application of the polluter pays principle and the precautionary approach in investment and technology decisions, while promoting cleaner and more resource efficient technologies. (Klaus Töpfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, 24 Sep. 2001)

Message from the [U.N.] Secretary-General to the General Assembly of Danish Industry (U.N. Global Compact, 20 Sep. 2001)

Companies Tell of Successful Transformation: Speakers from Sanlam and Eskom report progress towards promoting diversity and combating discrimination [panel discussion - U.N. World Conference Against Racism]: The speakers were handpicked to describe how their companies and organisations have succeeded in the struggle for gender and race equality in the workplace. Their performances were polished if lengthy case studies of how businesses can change to reflect the demographics in SA [South Africa] and Sweden, as well as nondiscrimination amid British trade unions...Despite these good intentions, Friday's presentations were met with waves of disbelief from the floor. (Business Day [Johannesburg], 5 Sep. 2001)

Workplace one of frontlines in fight against discrimination, Secretary-General tells Global Compact event - Following is the text of remarks made today by Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the Global Compact Event held in conjunction with the World Conference against Racism in Durban, South Africa (United Nations, 1 Sep. 2001)

Panel Discussion in Durban about Discrimination is Everybody's business - Discrimination is Everybody's Business: From Discrimination to Diversity - A Corporate Led Initiative in the Framework of the UN Global Compact - The World Conference Against Racism...is the launching ground for this initiative...The six companies behind this initiative are the South African Financial Services Group Sanlam, the Swedish Car Manufacturer Volvo Car Corporation, the Brazilian Media Corporation Organizações Globo, the Indian IT Company Satyam, the South African Energy Utility Eskom, and the American Car Manufacturer Ford Motor Company. (United Nations, prepared in advance of the World Conference Against Racism, 31 Aug. - 7 Sep. 2001)

Business and Human Rights at the U.N. World Conference against Racism: Discrimination is Everybody's Business: Global Compact High-Level Dialogue - Durban, 31 Aug. 2001 [and related links] (United Nations)

UN Secretary-General and High Commissioner for Human Rights to host Global Compact dialogue: Theme is 'Discrimination is Everybody's Business' - Business and trade union leaders will meet in Durban on 31 August to discuss the impact of racism and discrimination in the workplace and wider community. The dialogue will highlight private-sector initiatives to promote equality and inclusion in and out of the workplace, and look at obstacles faced in fighting discrimination. Participants will also explore opportunities for new cross-sectoral partnerships post-Durban as part of their commitment to the Secretary-General's Global Compact. (United Nations Information Service, 29 Aug. 2001)

Global Compact Turns One: U.N.'s ambitious business initiative makes progress but still has difficulty silencing critics. (Mark Thomsen, SocialFunds.com, 14 Aug. 2001)

Categories of Corporate Complicity in Human Rights Abuses - Based on a background paper for the Global Compact dialogue on "The role of the private sector in zones of conflict", New York, 21-22 March 2001 (Andrew Clapham and Scott Jerbi, Aug. 2001)

More than 300 firms sign up for UN Global Compact: Though it so far has little to show for its efforts, participating firms are to post their techniques for dealing with the many labor, human rights and environmental challenges spawned by globalization on the program's Web site in October.  Doyle [U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Michael Doyle] acknowledged the program's form was in part dictated by a recognition that the corporate world was unwilling to accept binding global standards on corporate governance.  But environmental and human rights groups that have been participating in the program from the start said they were nonetheless underwhelmed by the Global Compact's achievements to date.  "Viewing the program solely as a learning experience represents a wasted opportunity in assuring corporate responsibility," said Arvind Ganesan, the Washington-based director of business and human rights programs for Human Rights Watch. "The progress we expected on moving beyond just a learning forum hasn't occurred yet."  Ganesan of Human Rights Watch said that since the program had issued guidelines on how businesses should behave, it should at least try to assure the guidelines were being applied, for example by procuring goods only from responsible companies.  (Irwin Arieff, Reuters, 27 July 2001)

High Time for UN to Break 'Partnership' with the ICC [International Chamber of Commerce]: The ICC has a long history of vigorously lobbying to weaken international environmental treaties and these efforts have continued even after the group has pledged support for the Global Compact principles. For instance, rather than "supporting a precautionary approach to environmental challenges," Principle 7, and rather than undertaking "initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility," Principle 8, the ICC promotes a narrow corporate agenda, dominated by the commercial interests of some of the world's most environmentally irresponsible corporations - an agenda that often effectively undermines a precautionary approach and basic environmental responsibility. (Corporate Europe Observatory, 25 July 2001)

Rio Tinto: Global Compact Violator - PT Kelian: A Case Study of Global Operations - In the third article in our series on Global Compact corporations, Danny Kennedy of Project Underground takes a look at Rio Tinto, the world's largest mining company. Just by looking at the company's practices at one mine in Indonesia over the last year, he finds evidence of brutal human rights and environmental violations. (Danny Kennedy, Project Underground, CorpWatch website, 13 July 2001)

The NGO-Industrial Complex: A new global activism is shaming the world's top companies into enacting codes of conduct and opening their Third World factories for inspection. But before you run a victory lap in your new sweatshop-free sneakers, ask yourself: Do these voluntary arrangements truly help workers and the environment, or do they merely weaken local governments while adding more green to the corporate bottom line? (Gary Gereffi [Professor of sociology and Director of the Markets and Management Studies Program at Duke University], Ronie Garcia-Johnson [Assistant Professor of environmental policy at Duke University], Erika Sasser [Visiting Assistant Professor at the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University], in Foreign Policy, July-Aug. 2001)

Still Waiting For Nike To Respect the Right to Organize (Tim Connor, Global Exchange, on Corpwatch website, 28 June 2001)

Maker of suspect corn seed accused of breaking UN pact - Consumer and agricultural watchdog groups yesterday accused a multinational corporation that produces genetically modified foods of failing to uphold a UN code of business conduct to which it had agreed.  The advocates called on the United Nations to consider ejecting the company, Strasbourg-based Aventis S.A., from its Global Compact - a group of corporations that pledged to abide by human rights and environmental norms less than a year ago. (Elizabeth Neuffer, Boston Globe, 15 June 2001)

Aventis: Global Compact Violator - Since Aventis signed on to the Global Compact in July 2000, their genetically engineered StarLinkTM corn has illegally contaminated the food supply and seed stock. A look at the company's behavior regarding StarLink shows that before, during and after signing the Compact, Aventis violated Global Compact's Principle 7, which is drawn from the Rio Declaration and supports "a precautionary approach to environmental challenges."  (Gabriela Flora, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, on CorpWatch website, 14 June 2001)

Corporate Codes of Conduct Deemed Insufficient: Companies worldwide have signed on to voluntary codes of conduct in a bid to mitigate globalisation's harmful aspects. Activists and executives agree the firms are falling short but disagree on the reasons and remedies. (Danielle Knight, Inter Press Service, 13 June 2001) 

Business and Global Corporate Citizenship: Best Practice for the Future - "Business and Human Rights: The Way Forward": Statement by Dr. B.G. Ramcharan, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights (delivered to Wilton Park Conference, Montreux, Switzerland, 2 May 2001)

Global Compact has potential problems, not win-win [comments by Peter Utting, Project Leader at UN Research Institute for Social Development] (Chakravarthi Raghavan, South-North Development Monitor, 3 Apr. 2001)

Annan Urges Businesses To Do More in Health Sector (UN Wire, 29 Mar. 2001)

GLOBAL COMPACT: Initiative Gaining Support, UN Official Says (UN Wire, 28 Mar. 2001)

UN [United Nations] guidelines for companies: David Weissbrodt (assisted by Christopher Avery and Muria Kruger) explains the rationale - In August 1999 the UN Working Group on the Methods and Activities of Transnational Corporations asked Professor David Weissbrodt to prepare a set of human rights guidelines for companies. (David Weissbrodt [member of the UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights], Christopher Avery and Muria Kruger, in Human Rights & Business Matters, newsletter of Amnesty International UK Business Group, spring/summer 2001) [For links to the latest draft of the guidelines, see the section of this website entitled "UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights"]

Role of UN Global Compact: In the last edition of ‘Human Rights and Business Matters’, we published a letter from Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, welcoming the Global Compact but pointing to the need for effective enforcement mechanisms. Roth argued that ‘To guard against the Compact becoming a forum for hypocrisy, the UN should also develop a mechanism for monitoring and evaluating corporate compliance. In the absence of such a mechanism, there is a troubling possibility that the guidelines could be misinterpreted, misapplied, or ignored. That would result in corporations being given what they might claim is a “UN Seal of Approval” without having taken meaningful steps to implement the Compact’s standards’. Roth also encouraged the UN to apply the Compact’s guidelines to its own procurement and contracting activities. Below is the UN’s response to these concerns. (letter from John G. Ruggie, Assistant Secretary General, United Nations, to Kenneth Roth, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch, in Human Rights & Business Matters, newsletter of Amnesty International UK Business Group, spring/summer 2001) [Note: To access this article, scroll down from the above-mentioned "UN guidelines for companies" article...it is underneath]

"Globalization": the UN's "Safe Haven" for the World's Marginalized -- the Global Compact with Multinational Corporations as the UN's "Final Solution" (Anthony Judge, Union of International Associations, 6 Mar. 2001)

Global Compact with Corporations: "Civil Society" Responds (Felicity Hill, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, 15 Feb. 2001)

Swiss Industrialist to Lead 'Global Compact' (EuropaWorld, 2 Feb. 2001)

Groups in Porto Alegre Want Global Compact Put on Ice (CorpWatch, 28 Jan. 2001)

UN chief warns business (Orla Ryan, BBC News, 28 Jan. 2001)

Kofi Annan Says People Do Not Wish to Reverse Globalization but They Aspire to a Different and Better Kind Than We Have Today (Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, 28 Jan. 2001)

Debating globalisation (Richard McCormick, President of International Chamber of Commerce; Barry Coates, Director, World Development Movement, BBC News, 26 Jan. 2001)

The Business of Building a Better World (sponsored section of the International Herald Tribune [sponsored by the International Chamber of Commerce], 25 Jan. 2001)

Rallying Firms For UN Goals: The Advocate / Kofi Annan (sponsored section of the International Herald Tribune [sponsored by the International Chamber of Commerce], 25 Jan. 2001)

Building Blocks Of the Global Compact (sponsored section of the International Herald Tribune [sponsored by the International Chamber of Commerce], 25 Jan. 2001)

Good Business Practices Make Sound Commercial Sense (Richard D. McCormick, President, International Chamber of Commerce, in sponsored section of the International Herald Tribune [sponsored by the International Chamber of Commerce], 25 Jan. 2001)

U.S. Businesses Back Annan's Concept But Want More Clarity (sponsored section of the International Herald Tribune [sponsored by the International Chamber of Commerce], 25 Jan. 2001)

Q & A: Compact Must Avoid 'Command and Control': Interview / Maria Livanos Cattaui, Secretary-General, International Chamber of Commerce (in sponsored section of the International Herald Tribune [sponsored by the International Chamber of Commerce], 25 Jan. 2001)

Q&A: Part of a Tapestry of Actions: Interview / Jagdish Bhagwati, Columbia University (in sponsored section of the International Herald Tribune [sponsored by the International Chamber of Commerce], 25 Jan. 2001)

Protecting Basic Rights in the Workplace (sponsored section of the International Herald Tribune [sponsored by the International Chamber of Commerce], 25 Jan. 2001)

Navigational Aid in a High-Stakes Journey (Peter Goldmark, Chairman & CEO, International Herald Tribune, in sponsored section of International Herald Tribune [sponsored by International Chamber of Commerce], 25 Jan. 2001)

The Global Compact two years on - a business assessment (International Chamber of Commerce, 25 Jan. 2001)

2000:

Global Firms' Investment in Human Rights is Nothing to Crow Over (Marwaan Macan-Markar, Inter Press Service, 29 Dec. 2000)

UN-Business Partnerships: Whose Agenda Counts? (Peter Utting, Research Coordinator - Business Responsibility for Sustainable Development, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, 8 Dec. 2000)

{···français} Un pacte global [Global Compact (Pacte global) de l'ONU] (Roland-Pierre Paringaux, Le Monde Diplomatique, décembre 2000)

Globalization and the Role of the United Nations (Victoria Clarke, World Federalist Movement News, winter 2000)

Honest Business [regarding UN Global Compact] (Richard Roth, CNN, 27 Oct. 2000)

The Road to the Global Compact: Corporate Power And The Battle Over Global Public Policy at The United Nations (Ellen Paine, Oct. 2000)

Asia Pacific Employers Conference Endorses the Global Compact (Asia-Pacific High-Level Employers Conference, Singapore, Oct. 2000) 

UN: Let's Talk Business (Progressive Response, 24 Oct. 2000)

Tangled Up In Blue: Corporate Partnerships at the United Nations (Transnational Resource & Action Center, Sep. 2000) 

Getting into Bed with Big Business (George Monbiot, Guardian, 31 Aug. 2000)

The United Nations and Business: A Partnership Recovered (Sandrine Tesner, St. Martin's Press, Aug. 2000)  summary 

How Corporations Absolve Their Sins (Kelly Currah, Guardian, 28 Aug. 2000)

Global Compact an opportunity for global dialogue (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 31 July 2000) 

Letter regarding UN Global Compact from Kenneth Roth (Executive Director, Human Rights Watch) to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan (Human Rights Watch, 28 July 2000) 

Major global corporations pledge to be more socially responsible (Sacha Shivdasani, Earth Times News Service, 27 July 2000)

Address by Juan Somavia to the Global Compact High-Level Meeting (Juan Somavia, Director-General of the ILO, 26 Jul. 2000) 

Opening comments before the Global Compact by Nike Chairman & CEO Philip H. Knight (Nike, 26 July 2000)

Activists End Flawed UN-Corporate Partnership (Common Dreams Newswire, 14 June 2000) 

Special Report: NGOs Wary Of UN Corporate Links (William New, UN Wire, 26 May 2000)  

Business supports Kofi Annan's Global Compact but rejects "prescriptive rules" (World Congress of the International Chamber of Commerce, 4 May 2000)

Citizens Compact on the United Nations and Corporations (endorsed by representatives of various human rights, labour, development and environmental organisations, Jan. 2000)  

1999:

Business Responsibility for Sustainable Development: An increasing number of large firms claim that they are adopting policies and practices conducive to sustainable development. This paper asks whether these assertions are valid. It assesses the current range of their efforts, and finds that change is taking place in a piecemeal fashion. The paper then considers whether there are forces that might permit a scaling-up of initiatives associated with corporate responsibility, thus enabling business to make a more meaningful contribution to sustainable development. (Peter Utting, UNRISD News [U.N. Research Institute for Social Development Bulletin], no. 21, autumn/winter 1999)

The UN goes corporate (Faiza Rady, Al-Ahram Weekly On-line [Cairo], 10-16 June 1999)

Public, private and civil society (speech by Carol Bellamy, Executive Director, UNICEF, 16 Apr. 1999)