Various stakeholder groups are mounting calls for Boards of Directors to take sustainability into account while adhering to their legal duties to shareholders. This puts questions about fiduciary duty front and center. Careful legal analyses of such questions have been prepared over the past year by law firms all over the world. The collection of memoranda below will inform and enrich discussion among Board directors, and the lawyers who counsel them, about how changing circumstances near and far are affecting their ability to meet fiduciary duty requirements. 

 Prof. Robert G. Eccles and Tim Youmans of Harvard Business School have led this collaboration which included the UN Global Compact, the American Bar Association’s Task Force on Sustainable Development and PRI, Their aim was to gather legal perspectives from law firms in a wide range of countries. Each participating law firm used a standard research template developed by Linklaters in the UK to structure their respective legal memo. The legal memos are posted below with the permission of the participating firms. To further grow the research, enquiries from law firms in countries that do not already have a legal memo are welcome. If you do not see your country listed and want to know if one is being prepared, please contact Ingvild Soerensen (soerensen@unglobalcompact.org).

Assist managers in fighting corruption and increasing transparency through presenting a collection of case studies from Africa.

A collection of interviews with 30 leaders reflecting on sustainable business. The book presents a number of stories about the importance of corporate sustainability and what is next for businesses that seek to be active, engaged and responsible. The interviews offer key takeaways in relation to leadership, governance, transparency, metrics, sharing and inspiration.

Outlines common supply chain corruption scenarios and provides a framework and set of tools for addressing them. This resource was updated in 2016.

A guide for employers in adopting positive strategies for managing disability-related issues in the workplace. It also addresses the essential role played by governments as well as the importance of initiatives taken by persons with disabilities.

This guide aims to help companies set effective site water targets that are informed by catchment context, which can create value and lessen risks for the company and support collective action. This guide is intended for site staff or technical water specialists responsible for water management, and relevant corporate staff. This guide lays out three key elements for setting effective site water targets: Water targets should respond to priority water challenges within the catchment; The ambition of water targets should be informed by the site’s contribution to water challenges and desired conditions; and Water targets should reduce water risk, capitalize on opportunities, and contribute to public sector priorities. This case of the Santa Ana RIver Watershed illustrates how the guidance was applied by a group of companies in that watershed.

This brochure gives a brief introduction to the UN Global Compact, outlining the main objectives of the initiative, the business case for participation as well as some of the ways in which companies can engage.

Learn about how companies in the Global Compact LEAD are taking action to advance corporate sustainability around the world.

The publication is based on the accumulated experience of the ten companies in the BLIHR on implementing human rights. This experience is supplemented with practical examples of human rights implementation.

The second edition of this Guide offers practical guidance to companies wanting to take a proactive approach to human rights within their business operations The second edition of this Guide offers practical guidance to companies wanting to take a proactive approach to human rights within their business operations.

This guidance material provides recommendations for companies engaged in private sector projects. It is directed toward project staff conducting due diligence, supervision, or monitoring of labour aspects at the operational level.

The ILO Sustainable Enterprise Programme helps to create more and better jobs through enterprise development.