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Enron Mail |
Forwarded by Joe Hillings for your information:
---------------------- Forwarded by Lora Sullivan/Corp/Enron on 04/25/2000 04:58 PM --------------------------- mmorrison@uscib.org on 04/25/2000 10:33:39 AM Please respond to mmorrison@uscib.org To: "USCIB Environment Committee, list suppressed" <agreene@uscib.org<, nkennedy@uscib.org cc: Subject: UN Global Compact with Business Status of the UN Global Compact with Business: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan launched a "Global Compact" with business at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 31, 1999. The Compact consists of nine principles that cover human rights, labor, and the environment. For details on the principles see http://www.unglobalcompact.org/ In the past 12 months, the UN Secretary-General has held discussions with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and other business groups (WBCSD, PWBLF) to define business' role in the Global Compact. A clearer understanding of what the compact is and is not has been reached with Kofi Annan's office (detailed below). However, some disagreement is still evident among the three UN agencies involved: UN Environment Program, UN High Commission on Human Rights, and the International Labor Organization. Please find below communications between the ICC and the UN that explain, in the clearest terms yet available, what would be expected of companies under the Global Compact. Further discussions are planned with the UN in May and June, followed by a CEO-level meeting on July 26 in Geneva to launch business participation in the Global Compact. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments. Best regards, Adam B. Greene Director of Environmental Affairs US Council for International Business agreene@uscib.org Tel: 212-703-5056 ------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: CATTAUI LIVANOS Maria ICC Secretary General To: ICC National Committees Subject: UN Global Compact Date sent: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 11:37:13 +0200 The UN Secretary General's call for a "Global Compact" with business has met with a great deal of support among our members. However, recently there have been some indications that certain external constituencies, and even some parts of the UN, want to set up verification, reporting, or monitoring mechanisms, along with "guidelines" for ethical corporate behaviour. I asked the Secretary General's office in New York when I visited last week to clarify this, and below is the message received from his office. We all feel it is important to keep the Global Compact initiative on the right track. MLC ---------- From: Georg Kell[SMTP:kell@un.org] Sent: 21 April 2000 00:22 To: Sg@iccwbo.org Subject: Global Compact Dear Maria, I am pleased to inform you that we have now a clear understanding what we expect from companies [under the Global Compact]. It has never been intended as code and we do not ask companies to sign on to anything. Monitoring and verification do not fall within the mandate and the institutional capacity of the UN within the context of the Compact. What we do expect from companies is a commitment to action: 1. Advocating the Compact and its principles. 2. Sharing on our website "www.unglobalcompact.org" at least once a year an example of progress made or lessons learned in implementing the principles. 3. Engage in partnership with UN organisations by undertaking activities that further the implementation of the principles, or by entering partnership projects in support of broad UN goals such as investment promotion (poverty), health and education. The recent Ericsson and WebMD initiatives or the UNCTAD/ICC project on investment guidelines in African LDCs are perfect example for the latter category of successful partnership projects. The Global Compact is not an intergovernmental initiative but the personal initiative of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. We believe that demonstrating progress ahead of the forthcoming Millennium Assembly in early September is crucial for the viability of the concept of the Compact. To that end, we are aiming at a meeting prior to the opening of the Assembly where committed business leaders can demonstrate their engagement. We are very pleased that the President of the ICC has already accepted to actively participate. Best regards, Georg Kell Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General ------- End of forwarded message -------
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