The UN move rapidly forward with CSR global refinement

About 4 weeks ago I wrote about how pleased I was to see that the United Nations were adding CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) to their global human rights platform. Just a short time later it’s equally encouraging to report that the momentum looks like it will be maintained with the establishment of a brand new United Nations global panel of corporate representation that may share better ideas in terms of CSR but also raise the challenge and sense of engagement that all large companies should be embracing. The principles behind the plan go so some way to building important cornerstones of global best practices that can change the way business is done throughout the planet.

Ban Ki-Moon the UN Secretary General has formally shared the announcement that the United Nations have crated the ‘Global Compact LEAD’. The encouraging news broke on Friday January 28, 2011 during the the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. More than fifty corporate giants such Intel, Nestle, Royal Dutch Shell, Unilever and The Coca Cola company will make help to form the initial team. The full list of 54 companies are based in over 20 different nations around the world which give encouraging signs that the team will truly develop global standards. You can review the entire list via this PDF from the United Nations.

The UN Global Compact requires that each enrolled member to commit that their company will align their existing operations and strategies to be in alignment with what the UN have staked as ten principles that are:  “universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption”. The initial two year pilot program will commence later this year.

The foundation of the team’s approach is that members will share their knowledge via diverse local networks covering almost 100 different nations with the member companies working in tandem with UN agencies. The Global Compact was unveiled last June which resulted in the ‘Blueprint for Corporate Sustainability Leadership’ which created a defined approach to corporate sustainability.

The UN Secretary General seemed to share that this was the beginning of a large and important journey for those companies selected:

“Participation in Global Compact LEAD does not represent a ’seal of approval’ or endorsement by the United Nations. Rather, the platform is designed to challenge highly engaged companies in the UN Global Compact to reach further, to experiment, to innovate, and to share learnings – both successes and failures. From the beginning, the Global Compact has been driven by business leaders willing to move beyond the status quo. Through Global Compact LEAD, you can help guide the way to the level of sustainability performance our world requires from business today. You are part of something big, an exclusive group of companies at the leading edge.…when companies like yours drive sustainability issues deeper into your operations and strategy, year after year, you send a powerful signal. Indeed, you change the world”

In order to become members of Global Compact LEAD, companies must have signed the UN Global Compact, pay an annual membership fees based on sales/revenue in addition to  meeting two of three criteria:

• Demonstrate leadership by either actively participating in at least one issue working group or in a collective action initiative or working group launched by Global Compact LEAD
• Demonstrate leadership locally by participating actively in a Local Network
• Submit a Communication on Progress (COP) that covers the company’s efforts in implementing the Blueprint for Corporate Sustainability Leadership

As the Secretary General stated, this indeed can (and should) be the beginning of something incredibly vital in global CSR terms, I hope a decade from now it is seen as the charter that signified the moment when a global vision became a reality in practical terms. You can learn much more about the UN Global Compact Lead via this website which includes various resources and press releases.

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