United Nations Global Compact

The UN Global Compact (UNGC) is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Many businesses recognise the need to collaborate with international actors in the current global context where social, political and economic challenges (and opportunities) – whether occurring at home or in other regions – affect companies as never before.

Since its inception in 2001, the UN Global Compact has experienced an astonishing evolution. This is reflected in the growth of the Global Compact, which today stands as the largest corporate citizenship and sustainability initiative in the world, with over 7,700 corporate participants and stakeholders from over 135 countries.

The Global Compact is a leadership platform, endorsed by Chief Executive Officers, which offers a unique strategic platform for participants to advance their commitments to sustainability and corporate citizenship. Structured as a public-private initiative, the Global Compact is a policy framework for the development, implementation, and disclosure of sustainability principles and practices and offers participants a wide spectrum of specialised work streams, management tools and resources, and topical programmes and projects, all designed to help advance sustainable business models and markets in order to contribute to the initiative’s overarching mission of helping to build a more sustainable and inclusive global economy.

The UN Global Compact has two main objectives:
1. Mainstream the ten principles in business activities around the world
2. Catalyse actions in support of broader UN goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
With these twin and complementary objectives in mind, the Global Compact has shaped an initiative that provides collaborative solutions to the most fundamental challenges facing both business and society.

Leveraging strengths of business and the authority of the UN, The Global Compact seeks to combine the UN’s best properties, such as moral authority and convening power, with the private sector’s solution-finding strengths, and the expertise and capacities of a range of key stakeholders. The initiative is global and local, private and public, voluntary yet accountable. The Global Compact has a unique constellation of participants and stakeholders, bringing companies together with governments, civil society, labour, the United Nations, and other key interests.

Since December 2009, Close the Gap has also been recognised as a UN Global Compact signatory. Close the Gap sees the United Nation’s Global Compact as a network that allows partners can share experiences, discuss methods of promoting sustainable development and learn from each other.
The spirit of the Global Compact is already embedded in Close the Gap’s vision and values. For Close the Gap, participation in the Global Compact was another step in the process of emphasizing the importance of high standards in its worldwide activities. In this partnership, Close the Gap has committed to support the following ten principles of the Global Compact in its corporate policies:

Human Rights
• Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights within their sphere of influence;
• As well as make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses

Labour Standards
• Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
• The elimination of all forced and compulsory labour
• The effective abolition of child labour
• Eliminate discrimination in respect of employment and occupation

Environment
• Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges
• Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility
• Encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally-friendly technologies

Anti-Corruption
• Businesses should work against all forms of corruption, including extortion and bribery

More information : www.unglobalcompact.org

This UN international initiative also has its branches at local levels : www.globalcompact.be

On November 2010, Close the Gap participated in the UN Global Compact event in Belgium: “European trends in CSR development: Enhancing cross-border dynamics within the UN Global Compact Local Networks”.