What is the UN Global Compact?
The Global Compact was first announced by the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in an address to The World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland in January 1999 and was officially launched at the UN Headquarters in New York in July, 2000. The GC asks companies all around the world to embrace, support and enact the ten principals universally established in regard to human rights, labor standards, the environment and anti-corruption fields.
The Ten Principles
The Global Compact’s ten principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption enjoy universal consensus and are derived from:
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- The International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
- The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
- The United Nations Convention Against Corruption
The Ten Principles
- Human Rights
Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; andPrinciple 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses. - Labour
Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour;Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; andPrinciple 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. - Environment
Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; andPrinciple 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies. - Anti-Corruption
Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.
