The latest information from the UN Global Compact

( New York, 16 September 2009) – In a move to facilitate consideration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues in investor decision-making, the content of annual progress reports issued by United Nations Global Compact business participants, known as Communications on Progress (COPs), is now available on the BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL® service, the most widely used platform for financial professionals worldwide. COP information is accessible to Bloomberg users via the function UNGC . The COPs are searchable on the BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL service, whose integrated data, news and

(New York, 16 September 2009) – Georg Kell, Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact, addressed the Dow Jones Private Equity Analyst Conference in New York today. Download Speech

( Vienna, 2 September 2009) – The Intergovernmental Working Group on the review mechanism for the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption today completed its latest meeting. At this point, an increasing number of companies have signed on to the CEO statement to the Conference of the State Parties (COSP), calling for an effective and efficient review mechanism of the Convention. This reflects a strong demonstration of the willingness of CEOs to support the COSP in the fight against corruption. In a letter sent to the COSP through UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in

( Stockholm, 19 August 2009) – The UN Global Compact's CEO Water Mandate, in partnership with the Pacific Institute, convened its fourth working conference in Stockholm on 16 - 18 August – an event that drew approximately 100 water experts and practitioners from business, civil society, the public sector and other interests. The conference – which took place amid World Water Week in Stockholm – included a series of sessions including a general public-information briefing on the CEO Water Mandate, followed by two multi-stakeholder working sessions focusing on three themes: responsible corporate

Comment Period Now Open Through September 4 ( New York, 7 August 2009) – At the request of the initiative’s stakeholders, the public comment period for the draft annotated outline of The CEO Water Mandate’s best practice guide on corporate engagement in water-related public policy has been extended through September 4th. The guide ultimately aims to provide principles, concepts, practical steps, and case examples that can facilitate companies' responsible engagement with water policy in a manner that reduces business risks while advancing policy goals and positively impacting nearby

( San Francisco, 30 July 2009) – The City of San Francisco today unveiled a proposal to create a UN Global Compact Center devoted to research and development related to climate change and sustainable and clean technologies. At a special press conference announcing the plans, Mayor Gavin Newsom said: "Locating a UN Global Compact Center in San Francisco will reinforce our city's commitment to global justice and sustainability". Mayor Newsom added that the Center is envisioned as an international destination for researchers, corporations, foundations, civil society organizations and others

( Geneva, 28 July 2009) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on young entrepreneurs from around the world to help ensure that an "ambitious, binding and effective" global climate agreement is reached when policy makers and government negotiators convene in Copenhagen in December for the UN Climate Change Conference, also known as COP 15. In a message to the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Leadership Summit in Geneva, delivered by Global Compact Executive Director Georg Kell, the Secretary-General encouraged young entrepreneurs and leaders to "help policy makers understand that the

( New York, 24 July 2009) – The Global Compact Board, the United Nations’ highest-level advisory body involving business and civil society, met at UN Headquarters in New York today for its first meeting of the year. Due to his travel schedule, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is also the Board’s chair, was unable to attend the meeting. Deputy Chef de Cabinet Kim Won-soo opened the Board meeting on the Secretary-General’s behalf. In a message read by Mr. Kim, the Secretary-General welcomed new Board members Juan De La Mota (Spain), Charles Holliday (US), Cecilia Ibru (Nigeria), Chey Tae

( Sydney, 17 July 2009) – The Principles for Responsible Investment, the world’s largest responsible investment initiative, convened its annual conference in Sydney, Australia, on 16-17 July – an event that brought together more than 275 investors from nearly all regions of the world. The conference – undertaken with the support of the Government of Australia and in partnership with the UN Global Compact and UNEP Finance Initiative – featured the release of the PRI’s Report on Progress – 2009, a comprehensive review of signatories’ progress on implementation. Among the key findings: Ninety

( New York, 17 July 2009) - To clarify misconceptions resulting from the Global Compact's request to remove a reference to the initiative from the annex to the draft ISO 26000 corporate responsibility standard, the Global Compact Office has released an exchange of letters between the Global Compact's Executive Director Georg Kell and Rob Steele, Secretary-General of the International Organization for Standardization. In his letter dated 16 July, Georg Kell explained that " our request for removal of the Global Compact reference from this annex has repeatedly been misconstrued as a general

( L'Aquila, 10 July 2009) - The Leaders of the Group of 8, at their 2009 Summit in L'Aquila, Italy, have welcomed and encouraged the Global Compact's work in advancing corporate responsibility in business practice and providing practical guidance for companies. The G8 Leaders Declaration, titled Responsible Leadership for a Sustainable Future , includes two specific references to the work of the initiative: "53. Conscious of the complementary role played by governments and the private sector in reaching a sustainable growth, we call for enhanced efforts to avoid wider consequences of the

( New York, 07 July 2009 ) – The UN Global Compact Office today announced an invitation for public comment in connection with the development of guidance for corporate engagement in water-related public policy. Background In 2007, the UN Secretary-General, in partnership with international business leaders and under the auspices of the UN Global Compact, launched the CEO Water Mandate – an initiative established to better understand and advance water stewardship in the private sector. Since its inception, the Mandate has held semi-annual multi-stakeholder workshops, focusing to date primarily