Climate & Environment
UN Global Compact (UNGC)
Definition
The UN Global Compact is a voluntary initiative launched in 2000 under Secretary-General Kofi Annan, calling on companies to align strategies and operations with ten principles derived from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ILO fundamental conventions, the Rio Declaration and the UN Convention against Corruption — covering human rights, labour standards, environment and anti-corruption. With over 20,000 participating companies in more than 160 countries, it is the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative; participants must report annually on progress.
References
This reference provides supporting context for how “UN Global Compact (UNGC)” is defined and used.
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Overview
How it is used
The initiative structures corporate sustainability commitments, the Communication on Progress reporting, business SDG engagement and UN-business partnership architecture.
Why it matters
The Global Compact is the front door through which most of the world's large companies first walked into sustainability.