The UN Global Compact is a leadership platform, endorsed by business leaders and their CEO's, offering a unique strategic platform for participants to advance their commitments to sustainability and corporate citizenship

The former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, launched the Global Compact in 2000 to harness the power of collective action in the promotion of responsible corporate citizenship. The Global Compact provides a framework of ten principles in four different categories – human rights, labour standards, the environment & anti-corruption – within which companies are invited to manage their operations.

Objectives

The UN Global Compact has two objectives:

1. Mainstream the Ten Principles that cover human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption in business activities around the world.
2. Catalyze actions in support of broader UN goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.

Engaging to the UN Global Compact

The Global Compact seeks to combine the best properties of the UN, such as moral authority and convening power, with the private sector’s solution-finding strengths, and the expertise and capacities of a range of key stakeholders. The initiative is global and local; private and public; voluntary yet accountable.

The Global Compact’s has a unique constellation of participants and stakeholders – bringing companies together with governments, civil society, labour, the United Nations, and other key interests.

The benefits of engagement include the following:

• Adopting an established and globally recognized policy framework for the development, implementation, and disclosure of environmental, social, and governance policies and practices.
• Sharing best and emerging practices to advance practical solutions and strategies to common challenges.
• Advancing sustainability solutions in partnership with a range of stakeholders, including UN agencies, governments, civil society, labour, and other non-business interests.
• Linking business units and subsidiaries across the value chain with the Global Compact's Local Networks around the world – many of these in developing and emerging markets.
• Accessing the United Nations' extensive knowledge of and experience with sustainability and development issues.
• Utilizing UN Global Compact management tools and resources, and the opportunity to engage in specialized workstreams in the environmental, social and governance realms.

To join the Global Compact, a company:

1. Prepares a Letter of Commitment from the Chief Executive Officer (and endorsed by the board) to the Secretary-General of the United Nations expressing support for the Global Compact and its principles;
2. Completes the online Organization Registration Form and submits the Letter of Commitment to the Secretary-General.

There are no financial consequences, however the participating companies are asked, upon endorsement, to make a voluntary regular annual financial contribution to help support the work of the Global Compact.

Worldwide and Belgian network

The impact of the Global Compact is reflected in the growth of its network, which today stands as the largest corporate citizenship and sustainability initiative in the world – with over 5000 corporate participants and stakeholders from over 130 countries.

The Belgian Network of the Global Compact was launched on 15 october 2009 and serves point of co-ordination and communication for its members and its key objectives are:

• to provide Belgian signatories with a facility to consider and advance issues of mutual interest and concern;
• to provide a mutual support mechanism through which performance and reporting on UN Global Compact principles can be improved;
• to enable participants to share and exchange practice and experience;
• to provide input to the Global Compact on its future development and activity;
• to promote the Global Compact principles throughout the Belgian business community;
• to help promote and support the Global Compact worldwide.

Furthermore, the Belgian Network links the Belgian participants to the Global Compact networks globally.

The Belgian Network is currently being supported by key participants, local partners of the UN Global Compact and the Belgian government.