Global Compact Releases 2013 Activity Report

(New York, 6 June 2014) – The UN Global Compact today released its Activity Report 2013, providing a snapshot of the initiative’s accomplishments over the past year and highlighting major activities, partners, governance and accountability measures.   A product of the UN Global Compact Office and the Foundation for the Global Compact, the report is also intended to increase transparency and accountability around Global Compact activities, in line with the organization's expectation that participants publicly report on their own corporate sustainability progress.

Over the course of 2013, the Global Compact continued to grow, both in numbers and in quality of participant engagement. The Global Compact organized and co-organized 45 events throughout the year – including its triennial Global Compact Leaders Summit and the first annual Caring for Climate Business Forum at COP19 – produced 25 publications, and launched the UN Global Compact Business Partnership Hub to facilitate partnerships and collective action on issues related to anti-corruption, climate and energy, social enterprise, water and UN-business collaboration.

In addition, the Global Compact has implemented measures to better support companies in meeting their commitment to the ten principles – such as regionally-focused outreach, trainings and additional staffing support – in order to attract new participants and improve retention.

The Global Compact maintained its close collaboration and engagement with the UN system, while UN Member States confirmed their confidence in the Global Compact by renewing and strengthening its UN mandate – “to advance United Nations values and responsible business practices within the UN system and among the global business community” – through a General Assembly resolution. For the first time since the initiative’s launch in 2000, the resolution recognized the important role of Local Networks in diffusing UN values and principles and facilitating partnerships with business.

Recognizing the critical role of Local Networks in advancing responsible business and corporate sustainability on the ground, the Global Compact has continued its work to strengthen local engagement and contextualize solutions at the local level.  In order to increase collaboration and accountability between the Global Compact and the 101 Local Networks currently in operation, a Local Network Advisory Group (LNAG) was established to advise the Global Compact on matters related to the initiative’s engagement with networks and whose elected Chair is an ex-officio Global Compact Board member. In addition, the Global Compact was launched and introduced in a number of countries including Canada, Guatemala and Kazakhstan, and a number of trainings and events were organized to build existing network capacity to facilitate partnerships and support participants on issues such as implementation and reporting.

The Global Compact brand and visibility also grew stronger in 2013. The initiative attracted over 80,000 new visitors to its website, and increased mentions on social networks and mainstream media, receiving attention from outlets such as Bloomberg, CNBC, The Guardian and Reuters. In addition, the report provides full disclosure of Global Compact funding sources and financial information.           

• Download the UN Global Compact Activity Report 2013

Contact

Da Woon Chung
UN Global Compact
chungd@un.org