UN GLOBAL COMPACT BULLETIN

APRIL 2009

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NEWS & UPDATES

1. Global Compact Annual Review 2008 Released
2. Updates to Communication on Progress (COP) Policy Announced
3. New Global Compact Board Members Appointed by UN Secretary-General
4. Nigeria Events Focus on Combating Corruption in Africa
5. CEO Water Mandate Convenes Third Conference
6. Business Summit Crucial to a Successful New Climate Treaty, Says UN Secretary-General
7. Meeting Explores Role of Business in the Empowerment of Women
8. Second Regional Meeting for Local Network Focal Points in Africa
9. Participant Status: New Signatories, COPs and Delistings

ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

1. Online Discussion: Why Should Companies Undertake a Human Rights Impact Assessment?
2. GCLead: Webinars and Retreat for Companies with Notable COPs
3. Consultative Process on Business Empowerment and Advancement of Women
4. More Opportunities: Caring for Climate, Vote Human Rights, and more

FEATURED RESOURCES

1. RESIST – Resisting Extortions and Solicitations in International Transactions
2. Water Disclosure 2.0
3. CEO Water Mandate – Independent Review of 2008 Programme of Activities
4. Human Trafficking – Everybody’s Business
5. Meeting Reports: 4th Anti-Corruption Working Group Meeting, Advancing Women in the Global Marketplace  

EVENTS

1. Invitation: 5th Communication on Progress Workshop for Practitioners (10 June, Istanbul)
2. Last Call for Registration: B4E Business for Environment Global Summit 2009 (22 - 23 April, Paris)
3. Registration Reminder: World Business Summit on Climate Change (24 - 26 May, Copenhagen)

April
2nd Alliance of Civilizations Forum (6 – 7 April, Istanbul)
International Cooperation Forum on Resource and Environment (17 – 18 April, Changsa, China)
B4E – The Climate Imperative: Leadership, Innovation and Technology (22 – 23 April, Paris)

May
Meeting of Global Compact Donor Governments (20 May, Copenhagen)
World Business Summit on Climate Change (24 – 26 May, Copenhagen)

June
VII Annual Local Networks Forum (9 – 10 June, Istanbul)
Meetings of issue specific working groups (climate, human rights, labour, anti-corruption) will be held in conjunction with the Annual Local Networks Forum.

July
PRI in Person Annual Event (16 – 17 July, Sydney)
Meeting of Global Compact Board (24 July, New York)

September
2nd UN Private Sector Forum: Climate Change (22 September, New York)

November
3rd Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (9 – 13 November, Doha)

June 2010
2010 Global Compact Leaders Summit: 10th Anniversary of the UN Global Compact (24 – 25 June 2010, UN Headquarters New York)

Please visit the Event Calendar on our website to learn more about the listed events, including intended audience and availability.

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NEWS & UPDATES

1. Global Compact Annual Review 2008 Released
The Global Compact Annual Review 2008 takes stock of the broad array of efforts undertaken by business participants and other key stakeholders to advance the principles of the Global Compact. Featuring the results of our annual survey of business participants, information is provided on key actions and depth of engagement in each issue area. With over 700 survey responses from 90 countries, we believe it is one of the largest global surveys on corporate responsibility to date. During April, the 2008 Annual Review will be distributed via mail to the chief executives of all business and non-business participants. More. Download.

2. Updates to Communication on Progress (COP) Policy Announced
Following extensive deliberations with business and Local Networks, the Global Compact Board, at its December 2008 meeting, agreed to simplify the COP process, clarify minimum requirements and improve searchability of the COP database. Updates include:

• New business participants will be given one year from the date of joining to prepare and submit their first COP.
• During the first five years of participation, a COP must address at least two of the Global Compact’s four principle issue areas, while all must be addressed after five years.
• The COP submission form on the Global Compact website will require additional information to improve searchability.
• The “inactive” participant status currently in use will be eliminated. Business participants that have been “non-communicating” for one year or more will be delisted and removed from the Global Compact website.

The COP policy provides further details and clarification. The updated policy will become effective on 1 July 2009 for new business participants joining on or after this date. It will be applicable to all business participants as of 1 July 2011.

3. New Global Compact Board Members Appointed by UN Secretary-General
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed six new members to the UN Global Compact Board based on recommendations by a nomination committee:

• Juan De La Mota, President, Global Compact Network Spain
• Charles O. Holliday, Chairman of the Board, DuPont (US)
• Cecilia Ibru, CEO and Managing Director, Oceanic Bank International (Nigeria)
• Jamshed Irani, Director of the Board, Tata Sons Ltd. (India)
• Chey Tae-won, President and Chairman, SK Group (South Korea)

The Secretary-General lauded the contributions of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Anthony Ling, and B. Muthuraman who completed their terms of appointment to the Board. More.

4. Nigeria Events Focus on Combating Corruption in Africa
The UN Global Compact co-hosted two events in Nigeria focused on anti-corruption. On 16 – 17 March, a workshop was organized with the World Bank Institute and UNODC for business and Global Compact Local Network focal points to discuss collective action tools and strategies to counter corruption in business operations. On 18 March, a conference was co-organized with the Global Compact Local Network Nigeria (Nigeria Economic Summit Group, Africa Leadership Forum and Nigeria Institute of International Affairs) for approximately 200 attendees from 19 African nations to debate strategies that assist companies in the fight against corruption. More.

5. CEO Water Mandate Convenes Third Conference
During the Fifth World Water Forum in Istanbul, the CEO Water Mandate initiative – in partnership with the Pacific Institute and WWF – convened its third working conference (16 – 18 March). The event brought together companies, civil society organizations, UN agencies, public authorities, specialized water groups and others to explore ways that business can engage responsibly and with accountability in activities related to water governance. The conference also focused on stakeholder expectations and a human rights-based approach to water stewardship. Two reports were released – one taking stock of activities under the mandate and another analysing water reporting practices. More.

6. Business Summit Crucial to a Successful New Climate Treaty, Says UN Secretary-General
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon emphasized the importance of the World Business Summit on Climate Change (24 – 26 May, Copenhagen, co-hosted by the UN Global Compact). “The world relies on global business leaders to deliver technology, innovation and investment. Governments and the United Nations must work with and understand what businesses need in order to boost sustainable investments, low-carbon products and clean energy,” said the Secretary-General. The Summit will bring together chief executives with government leaders, eminent scientists and climate experts. Business leaders are expected to deliver a shared vision and a set of recommendations. More.

7. Meeting Explores Role of Business in the Empowerment of Women
The UN Global Compact and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) convened Advancing Women in the Global Marketplace (5 March), which served to launch a four-month consultation on how business can help improve the status of women around the world. The global application of the Women’s Principles and how they might be further enhanced was discussed. More. See related engagement opportunity below.

8.  Second Regional Meeting for Local Network Focal Points in Africa
Participants from 12 Global Compact Local Networks in Africa convened on 19 March to discuss key issues and challenges in creating sustainable networks within the region. The meeting featured successful engagement examples from Ghana, Kenya, Malawi and Zambia. Despite the economic downturn, a clear commitment to expanding and strengthening networks was conveyed. More.

9. Participant Status: New Signatories, COPs and Delistings
In March, 105 companies and 34 non-business stakeholders joined the UN Global Compact. 139 Communications on Progress (COPs) were received, and 18 companies were delisted for failing to communicate on progress.

A.P. Moller – Maersk (Denmark), Sumitomo Corporation (Japan), AMEC plc. (United Kingdom), Wolters Kluwer (Netherlands), Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Japan), and HuNan LaoBaiXing Pharmaceutical Chain Company Limited (China) were among the largest companies to join during the month.

Total figures as of 31 March:

• Business participants: 5,057
• Non-business participants: 1,682
• COPs received: 5,337
• Delisted business participants: 861

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ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Opportunities are intended for Global Compact stakeholders unless otherwise indicated.

1. Online Discussion: Why should companies undertake a human rights impact assessment?
IBLF, IFC and the UN Global Compact will host the first quarterly online discussion on human rights impact assessments, as part of the road-testing process for the “Guide to Human Rights Impact Assessment and Management”. Open to any company, this discussion will address: Why should companies undertake a specific human rights impact assessment? The lead discussant will be Christine Bader, Advisor to the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Business and Human Rights, formerly of BP plc. The discussion will be open from Monday, 27 April 2009 (10:00 EST) to Friday, 1 May 2009 (17:00 EST).

Please contact Désirée Abrahams at desiree.abrahams@iblf.org or +44 (0)20 7467 3608 for details or to participate.

2. GCLead: Webinars and Retreat for Companies with Notable COPs
The Research Centre for the Global Compact, in partnership with AccountAbility and the Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College, present GCLead, a leadership and peer-to-peer learning platform for Global Compact signatories. GCLead invites Global Compact companies that have been recognized for posting a Notable COP (since 2007) to participate in events including:

• Responsible Practices in the Downturn: 12 May 2009, 08:00-10:00 EST (webinar)
• Responsible Restructuring and Preparing for Future Recovery: 16 June 2009, 08:00-10:00 EST (webinar)
• Crisis and New Scenarios for Global Compact Implementation: 22 – 23 October 2009. This first retreat will be devoted to a thorough review of the landscape for responsible corporations today.

Download GCLead flyer. For more information, please contact Manuel Escudero (escuderom@un.org).

3. Consultative Process on Businesses Empowerment and Advancement of Women
The UN Global Compact and UNIFEM have launched a four-month process designed to bring attention to how business can, in practical and concrete terms, empower and advance women worldwide. In addition to global and local consultations on the application of the Women’s Principles, the process will also seek to build on a compendium of good practice examples that have been collected thus far. Responses are due to Laraine Mills (laraine.mills@unifem.org) by 15 June 2009. More on the consultative process. Questions for reflection. Examples.

For more information or to express interest, please contact Ursula Wynhoven (wynhoven@un.org).

4. More Opportunities: Caring for Climate, Vote Human Rights and more
Many of the engagement opportunities announced in past issues of the Bulletin are still open for interested parties. View the full list of Engagement Opportunities .

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FEATURED RESOURCES

1. RESIST (Resisting Extortion and Solicitation in International Transactions): Using seven scenarios linked to the procurement process, the tool provides practical guidance for practitioners on responding to inappropriate demands in the most efficient and ethical way. Download.

2. Water Disclosure 2.0: Provides an analysis of current and emerging water reporting practices and offers guidance to companies on potential water disclosure practices. The report, undertaken with the Pacific Institute, examines corporate reporting on water sustainability for 110 companies across 11 water-intensive sectors and concludes that more expansive disclosure is critical for understanding the true risks and impacts associated with companies' water needs. Download.

3. CEO Water Mandate – Independent Review of 2008 Programme of Activities: Assesses the Global Compact’s water initiative with respect to a number of areas including governance, working conferences, stakeholder participation and transparency. Commissioned by the CEO Water Mandate and undertaken by Arthur D. Little, the global consultancy. Download.

4. Human Trafficking – Everybody’s Business: Presents findings from the Private Sector Survey on Human Trafficking, conducted jointly by the UN Global Compact, UN.GIFT and the ILO. Includes background information on human trafficking and the impact of business activity, as well as a summary of the survey results. Download.

5. Meeting Reports: 

• 4th Anti-Corruption Working Group Meeting (26 – 27 February): Download.
• Advancing Women in the Global Marketplace (5 March): Download.

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EVENTS

1. Invitation: 5th Communication on Progress Workshop for Practitioners (10 June, Istanbul) T he next COP workshop for practitioners will be held during the Annual Local Networks Forum in Istanbul on 10 June. The workshop will focus on recent COP guidance material developed by the Global Compact Office and partner organizations. Participants will have the opportunity to get issue-specific guidance – on human rights and anti-corruption, among other issues – and learn from peers on their reporting experiences.

For more information or to register, please contact Oliver Johner (johner@un.org).  

2. Last Call for Registration: B4E Business for Environment Global Summit 2009 (22–23 April, Paris): The UN Global Compact and UNEP invite participants to attend B4E Business for the Environment Global Summit (B4E09). Entitled “The Green Imperative: Leadership, Innovation and Technology”, the Summit will address the most urgent environmental challenges and potential solutions, including resource efficiency, renewable energies, new business models, and climate policies and strategies. The event will bring together over 700 leaders from business, civil society, international organizations and government. Draft agenda.

Register at www.b4esummit.com/registration.html by 20 April 2009. All UN Global Compact participants indicating "Global Compact Member" in the registration code field will be entitled to a 20% discount.

3. Registration Reminder: World Business Summit on Climate Change (24 – 26 May, Copenhagen): The chief executives of all Caring for Climate companies have been invited to attend the World Business Summit on Climate Change, taking place on 24-26 May 2009 in Copenhagen. Held six months prior to the UN climate conference (COP 15), this summit will bring business together with the world's top scientists, economists, civil society representatives, media leaders and government officials to put forward recommendations for the next international framework on climate change.

Caring for Climate participants are asked to register at the event website: http://www.copenhagenclimatecouncil.com/world-business-summit.html

For a complete list of 2009 events, please visit the Event Calendar on our website

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Published 14 April 2009