Frequently Asked Questions: Civil Society and the UN Global Compact
1. How are civil society organizations defined for the purposes of the UN Global
Compact?
Civil society organizations (CSOs) are non-governmental and non-profit entities that
seek to bring about positive social and environmental change. These include advocacy groups as well
as organizations operating at the field level. Civil society organizations can be “multi-national”
and international in nature, or small grass-roots groups. The definition of civil society
organizations used by the Global Compact does not include the private sector, academia, labour, or
municipalities. The engagement platforms for these other actors in the Global Compact can be found
under the relevant sections of this website.
2. Can a civil society organization seek funding from Global Compact participants – for
example, from business or the United Nations?
The UN Global Compact is not a funding platform or mechanism. It does not ask business
participants or other stakeholders to fund another organization. Rather, the focus is on the
implementation of the ten principles through engagement and collective action. CSOs are, however,
encouraged to pursue partnership projects with participating companies and stakeholders.
3. How can organizations convey comments/complaints/recommendations to the Global
Compact?
The
Integrity Measures
provide guidance in this area. Participants can also send comments and recommendations to the
Senior Civil Society Coordinator, Ms. Olajobi Makinwa, (
makinwa@un.org
).
4. Are Global Compact participants accused of “violations” of any of the ten principles
expelled from the initiative?
Excluding a participant from the initiative is a last resort
option. The focus of the Global Compact and its Integrity Measures are to promote continuous
improvement. If a company repeatedly fails to communicate on progress, misuses the name or logo of
the Global Compact, or refuses to engage in dialogue under the Integrity Measures, it can be listed
as non-communicating and removed from the Global Compact website. In serious cases, a company can
be de-listed. For more information, see the Integrity Measures and
Communication
on Progress
.
(Last Update 7 November 2008)