Strong rule of law is essential as a foundation for economic and social development. The Framework seeks to advance the rule of law by engaging responsible business to support the building and strengthening of legal frameworks and accountable institutions – serving as a complement to, not substitute for, government action.

​As part of ​developing the B​usiness for the Rule of Law Framework, the UN Global Compact ​undertook a global consultation process. With the support of various partners, the UN Global Compact held 19 consultation workshops, engaging ​around ​400 senior representatives​ ​from business, civil society, government and the United​ ​Nations. The following is a compilation of the reports from these workshops.

Learn about how companies in the UN Global Compact are taking action to advance corporate sustainability around the world.

The Anti-Corruption Call to Action is an appeal from business and investors to governments to implement policies and practices for good governance and anti-corruption. This webinar provides an overview of the Call to Action, a discussion of anti-corruption in the Post-2015 Development Agenda, anti-corruption incentive mechanisms, and ways to engage in the Call to Action.

Calls upon Governments to bring down legal barriers restricting economic opportunities for women, and by doing so, help create an enabling environment for inclusive economic growth. Open for membership-based organizations to add their logo in support.

Various stakeholder groups are mounting calls for Boards of Directors to take sustainability into account while adhering to their legal duties to shareholders. This puts questions about fiduciary duty front and center. Careful legal analyses of such questions have been prepared over the past year by law firms all over the world. The collection of memoranda below will inform and enrich discussion among Board directors, and the lawyers who counsel them, about how changing circumstances near and far are affecting their ability to meet fiduciary duty requirements. 

 Prof. Robert G. Eccles and Tim Youmans of Harvard Business School have led this collaboration which included the UN Global Compact, the American Bar Association’s Task Force on Sustainable Development and PRI, Their aim was to gather legal perspectives from law firms in a wide range of countries. Each participating law firm used a standard research template developed by Linklaters in the UK to structure their respective legal memo. The legal memos are posted below with the permission of the participating firms. To further grow the research, enquiries from law firms in countries that do not already have a legal memo are welcome. If you do not see your country listed and want to know if one is being prepared, please contact Ingvild Soerensen (soerensen@unglobalcompact.org).

Jointly hosted by the UN Global Compact and the Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice, this webinar will examined the human dimensions of climate change. The webinar explored how climate change undermines human rights, including the right to adequate food, water and health, as well as the disproportionate impact climate change has on vulnerable groups such as women and children. This webinar provides an opportunity to discuss climate change through a human rights lens and will review various ways that business can respect human rights when taking action on climate change. (2015)

Learn how companies in the UN Global Compact are taking action to advance corporate sustainability around the world.

Provides an overview of the current and potential role of institutional investors, companies, banks and foundations in the design and implementation of a financing strategy for global sustainability.

Sporting events have become popular platforms for companies to enhance their visibility and connect with fans, and sport sponsorship can help companies enter new markets, shape branding and corporate image, and establish emotional connections to their products and services. The Global Compact Anti-Corruption Working Group released a guide on “Fighting Corruption in Sport Sponsorship and Hospitality” in December 2013 to provide guidance on how to enhance transparency in sport sponsorship and hospitality. This webinar discusses some of the main challenges, risks and opportunities in this area as well as provides an introduction to the guide.

Helps investors to understand why and how to engage companies on their tax practices, thus promoting corporate tax responsibility: a more responsible corporate approach to tax practices, including better disclosure and transparency, good governance and appropriate management of tax-related risks.

Demonstrates how companies can help to advance the SDGs by operating responsibly in alignment with universal principles and finding opportunities to innovate to address societal challenges. Through a commitment to the UN Global Compact, companies are taking the first step to contribute to achieving the SDGs and have access to a range of tools to scale up their efforts.