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The UN Global Compact Board

The UN Global Compact Board, appointed and chaired by the United Nations Secretary-General, is designed as a multi-stakeholder body, providing ongoing strategic and policy advice for the initiative as a whole and making recommendations to the Global Compact Office, participants and other stakeholders. It comprises four constituency groups - business, civil society, labour and the United Nations. 

Board members are champions willing and able to advance the Global Compact’s mission, acting in a personal, honorary and unpaid capacity. Drawing in particular on the expertise and recommendations of its business members, the Board is also expected to play a role in the implementation of the Global Compact’s integrity measures.  In addition to their overall Board responsibilities, the civil society and labour constituency groups are expected to provide close liaison to their communities and share insights into the most recent trends and best practices of corporate citizenship in their respective domains. 

The Board is one element of the broader  Global Compact Governance Framework, which divides governance functions between six entities, each with differentiated tasks: the Global Compact Leaders Summit, Local Networks, the Annual Local Networks Forum, the Global Compact Board, the Global Compact Office, and the United Nations Inter-Agency Team.

Global Compact Board Members

Business

 

Mr. Toshio Arima

Director and Executive Advisor to the Board, Fuji Xerox, Japan

Mr. José Sergio Gabrielli de Azevedo President and CEO, Petrobras, Brazil
Mr. Guillermo Carey Senior Partner, Carey & Allende Abogados, Chile

Mr. Charles O. Holliday

Chairman of the Board, DuPont, US

Ms. Cecilie Ibru

CEO & Managing Director, Oceanic Bank International, Nigeria

Mr. Jamshed Irani

Director of the Board, Tata Steel, India

Ms. Anne Lauvergon

Chair of the Executive Board, Areva, France

Mr. Juan De La Mota President, Global Compact Spanish Network

Ms. Ntombifuthi Mtoba

Chair of the Board, Deloitte, South Africa

Mr. Mads Oevlisen Chair, Lego, Denmark
Mr. Fernando Chico Pardo Founder and President of Promecap S.C., Mexico

Mr. Chey Tae-won

President & Chairman, SK Group, Republic of Korea

Mrs. Chen Ying

Deputy Director General, China Enterprise Confederation, China



International Labour and Business Organizations

Mr. Antonio Peñalosa

Secretary-General, International Organization of Employers

Mr. Guy Ryder

General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation

Mr. Guy Sebban

Secretary-General, International Chamber of Commerce

Mr. Manfred Warda General Secretary, International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions
   

Civil Society

Mrs. Habiba Al Marashi

Chair, Emirates Environmental Group

Mr. Oded Grajew

Chair of the Board, Instituto Ethos de Empresas e Responsabilidade Social

Dr. Huguette Labelle

Chair, Transparency International

Mrs. Mary Robinson             

Chair, Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative

   

Ex-Officio

Mr. Georg Kell  

Executive Director, UN Global Compact Office

Sir Mark Moody-Stuart Chairman, Foundation for the Global Compact

 



Global Compact Board Meetings


The next meeting will take place in the second quarter of 2009.

 

December 2008 Meeting (New York)

On 15 December, the Board met at UN Headquarters in New York. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Chairman of the Board, received updates and guidance from the Board and discussed the increased relevance of the Global Compact’s work within the United Nations in light of the financial crisis. Discussion focused on proposed updates and refinements to the Global Compact’s Communication on Progress (COP) policy. Following the meeting, Board members joined Government representatives for a discussion on the impact of the financial crisis on corporate responsibility. It was agreed that there is an important role for voluntary corporate responsibility initiatives such as the UN Global Compact in rebuilding trust and confidence in markets and companies, while working in tandem with effective regulation. >> Meeting Report (pdf)

 

May 2008 Meeting (New York)

On 1 May, the Board met at UN Headquarters in New York. The d iscussion largely centered on a draft paper on the strategic direction for the Global Compact, as well as the initiative’s Integrity Measures. Board members also received an update on the status of the Global Compact, including recent fund-raising efforts by the Foundation for the Global Compact.  >> Meeting Report (pdf)


November 2007 Meeting (New York)

The Board met at UN Headquarters in New York on 1 November 2007 to receive an update on the status of the initiative following the Leaders Summit and to discuss a number of priority issues, such as funding, integrity measures, and the strategic direction of the initiative as it moves into its next phase of growth and engagement. >> Meeting Report (pdf)

 

July 2007 Meeting (Global Compact Leaders Summit, Geneva)

In a brief meeting directly following the 2007 Global Compact Leaders Summit in Geneva, the Board met to review the outcome of the Summit and to discuss key topics, including the Integrity Measures and future working arrangements with the Global Compact Office. >> Meeting Report (pdf)

 

April 2007 Meeting (New York)

The second meeting of the Global Compact Board was held on 4 April 2007 at UN Headquarters in New York. The meeting focused on the following areas: the Triennial Leaders Summit; Integrity Measures; Principles for Responsible Investment and Responsible Education; and Global Compact Working Groups, particularly on climate change and human rights. The Secretary-General appointed Sir Mark Moody-Stuart and Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh as co-vice-chairs of the Global Compact Board, to conduct the Board’s business and chair the meeting in his absence. >> Board briefing note (pdf) | Meeting Report (pdf)

 

June 2006 Inaugural Board Meeting (New York)

The inaugural meeting of the Global Compact Board was held on 28 June 2006 at UN Headquarters in New York. >> Background Note (pdf) | Agenda (pdf) | Meeting Report (pdf)

 

Board: Founding and Appointments

The Global Compact Board was first appointed by the UN Secretary-General on 20 April 2006, following an extensive review of the Global Compact's governance framework. The establishment of the Board was aimed at enhancing the synergies between the global and local levels of Global Compact activities, providing greater attention to integrity management and quality assurance, as well as promoting broader ownership of the initiative by all of its participants and other stakeholders.

The appointments of the inaugural Board members followed a comprehensive consultation process involving all Global Compact stakeholders, including the Local Networks. Each of the appointees has demonstrated a long record of commitment to the Global Compact’s mission and principles and enjoys the support of a regional or constituency group. New Terms of Reference for the Board were approved in February 2009 by the Secretary-General. The new terms clarify the Board nomination and selection process (by a Nomination Committee), as well as operational and procedural matters.  

Global Compact Board Terms of Reference (pdf)

Contact

Ursula Wynhoven
Board Coordinator
UN Global Compact
wynhoven@un.org
+1-212-963-5705

(Last updated 11 March 2009)