Global Compact Launches Guidelines for Higher Education Institutions’ Campus Operations

(Rio de Janeiro, 16 June 2012) - A new Global Compact resource for Higher Education Insitutions, the Practical Guide to the United Nations Global Compact for Higher Education Institutions, was launched today at the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum. The Guide highlights how academic institutions can adopt the principles of the UN Global Compact across all aspects of university operations.

Eight universities from seven countries are piloting the use of the Guide and the recommended reporting process: SUNY Geneseo (USA), Bentley University (USA), Educatis University (Switzerland), Euromed Management (France), Istanbul Bilgi University (Turkey), La Trobe University (Australia), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain), and Université Laval (Canada).

The guidelines are a result of a two-year effort by a working group led by MitchLeventhal, Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs of the State University of New York (SUNY) in his role as senior advisor on academic affairs to the UN Global Compact Office.“It is our hope that many university campuses worldwide will look closely at the UN Global Compact as a framework that can substantially enhance their global operations while serving as a mechanism for engaging the entire administration in adopting principles of corporate social responsibility and sustainability across all operations, both domestic and international,” said Dr. Leventhal.

Media Contact

Matthias Stausberg
Head of Public Affairs, UN Global Compact
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