Local Networks in the Americas Hold Regional Meeting

(Lima, 8 November 2012) – Global Compact Local Networks in the Americas convened on 7-8 November for the VII Regional Meeting in Lima, following the II Latin America and Caribbean Global Compact Business Forum on 6 November.

The Regional Meeting was attended by more than 20 representatives from the Regional Center for the Support of the Global Compact in Latin America and Caribbean and participants from 12 Local Networks: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and the United States.

The Regional Meeting commenced with two training sessions in which Local Networks learned about engagement opportunities provided by the Global Compact to signatories. Local Networks discussed how they can better engage participants in partnerships that contribute to UN goals, with an emphasis on UN-business partnerships. A training session on the Global Compact Management Model, with a special focus on environment, was also held for 50 business participants.

Global Compact LEAD, a platform for advanced corporate sustainability practices, organized a joint session for business participants and networks to share perspectives on how active engagement in Global Compact Local Networks in Latin America offers mutual benefits.

More than 80 business participants and Local Network representatives also attended three thematic sessions:

• The first session, organized by the ILO Regional Office for Latin America and Caribbean, presented the current regional socioeconomic situation with respect to labour topics, including long-term trends in the urban labour market; informal employment; rural poverty; and good practices on establishing a minimum wage.
• Organized by the Global Compact Office, the second session introduced the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which were endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council in June 2011, and focused on the corporate responsibility to respect human rights and what is required in practical terms from all businesses to meet this responsibility.
• During the final session, the Global Compact Office launched a consultation process to engage Local Networks from Americas in contributing to the post-2015 development framework, a process Governments have prioritized as most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) targets set to expire in 2015. The private sector has been identified as a key stakeholder in this process.

During the meeting Local Networks showcased their primary achievements during 2012, which range from holding training sessions for companies on the Global Compact’s ten principles to facilitating collective action.

• Local Networks Regional Meeting Americas Agendas: Global Compact Participants and Focal Points.
• Read about the II Latin America and Caribbean Global Compact Business Forum.
• Learn more about Global Compact Local Networks.

Contact

Walid Nagi
Acting Head, Local Networks
UN Global Compact
nagi@un.org