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UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder met
with senior government officials and executives of German Global Compact
participants on 11 December, at a dinner hosted by the Chancellor in
Berlin.
In his dinner speech, Chancellor Schröder emphasized the
need for a “strong, worldwide civil society” and “a private sector that accepts
its responsibility for the development of humanity."
“The roles and
responsibilities of states and government on the one hand, and of business and
civil society on the other must be complementary,” the Chancellor said,
stressing that the Global Compact is not “a charity of rich countries and
powerful corporations” He added: „The Global Compact is a challenge. It thrives
on the commitment and the ideas of its participants.“
Chancellor
Schröder went on to thank the German Global Compact participants for their
support of the initiative: „You have become role models for others and pioneers
of economic and social development.“
In his remarks, UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan expressed his gratitude to the German government
and the business community for their support of the Global Compact. Addressing
the German Global Compact participants, he praised the “courage to step forward
and declare that human rights, environmental protection, and decent workplace
standards are not just matters for Governments to handle.”
He
added: “It is time for global business, global civil society, global trade
unions and Governments to act as true global citizens. Together, we can
build an open economy in the world, and open societies at home – societies that
are outward-looking and ready to work with others on a collective response to
the many threats and challenges that we all face.”
The
Secretary-General encouraged all participants “to spread the good habits of
corporate citizenship” and expressed his hope for their participation in the
Global Compact Leaders Summit, to be held at UN Headquarters in New York on 24
June 2004.
