The Global Compact in Poland
Country: Poland
Local Organizations: UNDP
www.globalcompact.org.pl
Background
The Global Compact in Poland was launched in 2001 with the participation of about 60 business
executives of major multinational and domestic companies as well as heads of major employers’
organizations and the Minister of Labor. At a meeting held in the Ministry of Social Affairs a
Steering Committee was established. The Steering Committee is an informal group of representatives
of the Polish business, currently consisting of 15 companies. The main objectives of the Steering
Committee are to promote Global Compact and corporate social responsibility as well as to encourage
companies to accept and put into practice the principles of Global Compact. The Steering Committee
also implements joint projects to solve specific problems in various social areas.
The Global Compact is a coalition of socially responsible companies, forming at the same time
a platform of cooperation between business and the United Nations. The work of Global Compact is
coordinated by UNDP which supports preparation and implementation of new CSR projects, facilitates
the process of building private-public partnership and assists companies in integrating GC
principles into its operations.
The launch of Global Compact met the need for UN assistance to companies' social projects,
and for a forum to share and promote best practices. Currently, another priority of Global Compact
is to promote its principles among small and medium-size businesses in Poland.
Activities
Projects of GC Steering Committee – projects that bring together the expertise and resources of member-companies under the banner of the Steering Committee
- Support to the project “The School for Young Leaders of Civil Society”
- “The Tourism Development Strategy for Kamienna Gora District”
Projects of GC members and UNDP:
- “Grant fund for Plock City” – in cooperation with Levi Strauss, PKN Orlen, Plock City – development of the city and improvement of life quality of the inhabitants,
- “The League of Cities” – in cooperation with PKN Orlen and local authorities,
- “The Management in Socially Responsible Company” – in cooperation with ATW company
- Millennium Development Goals Media Campaign: “Time to help others!” – social campaign of UNDP and the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- “Elaboration of the Concept of Management of the Premises of the Historical Glass-works in Pieńsk for Tourist Purposes” – LUCYNA Glass-works,
- “Internet Republic” – creating an information society through encouraging the use of computers
and Interned in education as well as supporting development in rural areas.
TP Group Foundation .
EQUAL projects – since UNDP is a development agency with strong expertise in labour market
issues, it is currently implementing a set of projects in the framework of the European Initiative
EQUAL. The main objective of EI EQUAL is to promote a more inclusive work life through fighting
discrimination and exclusion based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability,
age etc.
UNDP invites companies to cooperate in the following projects:
- Gender Index – promoting the advantages of creating equal opportunities for men and women in the workplace,
- Parent - Employee – promoting different ways of professional development of young parents
- Elastan – promoting flexible work practices and their advantages for the companies,
- Misarn – creating a complex, inter-sectoral system preventing discrimination of young, disabled people to give them a chance of an equal start into adulthood
- Rainman – improving the situation of people with autism, creating a model company employing autistic workers.
- Social Economy – introducing the concept of social entrepreneurship in Poland
- Black Sheep – allowing prisoners to gain qualifications and professional experience, promoting resocialization through work
- Alliance for Work – helping people aged +45 who risk being eliminated from the labour market because of low qualifications and low adaptability to technological changes (training, psychological support)
- We Can Do More – creating a model company employing people leaving reformatories
Through these projects UNDP promotes diversity management – management that takes into account the fact that positive recognition of differences can support the learning potential and the creativity of companies. This can mean access to new clients, new product development and better employee satisfaction.
Events
"Corporate Social Responsibility. Yes, but how?"
A conference organized by UNDP in cooperation with the French Chamber of Commerce. The
conference held on 14 May 2006 at the Ministry of Social affairs gathered over a hundred directors
from the French, American, Scandinavian and Swiss Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Poland. The
participants had a chance to hear about Global Compact, its activities and current projects.
Daniela Zampini from the International Labour Office in Geneva delivered a presentation on the
support of the International Labour Organization to the projects of Global Compact in fighting
discrimination in the workplace. Maciej Bukowski, a UNDP expert, presented the benefits which
companies can have from introducing of elastic forms of employment. The presentations were followed
by a discussion on social activities of business.
“Talks about Good Business” in Plock
The twelfth meeting of the series of “Talks about Good Business” was held on 8 February 2006
in Plock. The initiative of the meetings came from Polish Telecommunication as part of the Academy
of Entrepreneurship and the Forum of Corporate Responsibility. Since January 2006 the meetings are
held under the patronage of Global Compact. Participants of the talks – major Polish companies that
managed to succeed on the market – can share their experiences and ideas concerning CSR in Poland.
The Academy of Entrepreneurship plans to prepare a book presenting portraits of successful Polish
companies which managed to develop, gain clients and create positive brand images implementing at
the same time the principles of social responsibility.
Contact
Kamil Wyszkowski
Nessa Whelan
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(Last Update 15 August 2006)
