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)