What is UN Global Compact?
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Ten Principles
Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally
proclaimed human rights
Principle 2: Make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.
Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective
recognition of the right to collective bargaining;
Principle 4: The elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour;
Principle 5: The effective abolition of child labour; and
Principle 6: The elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;
Principle 8: Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and
Principle 9: Encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.
Principle 10: Businesses should work against all forms of corruption, including extortion and
bribery.
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A truly global initiative
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The value of participation
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UN GUIDING PRINCIPLES
UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights were adopted unanimously
by the UN Human Rights Council in June 2011. Although not creating legal obligations
for businesses, they spell out the responsibility for companies to respect human rights
in the course of their business operations.
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Based on three pillars “Protect, Respect, Remedy”:
- The state duty to protect against human rights abuses,
- The corporate responsibility to respect human rights and act with due diligence, and
- The need for greater access to effective remedy by victims.
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Expect all companies to take into account all human rights identified in:
- The International Bill of Rights
- The 8 Core ILO Conventions
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The first authoritative human rights guidance of its kind, the Guiding Principles have
already been referenced in:
- The revised OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises,
- ISO 26000: 2010 Guidance on Social Responsibility,
- The EC Communication A renewed EU strategy 2011-2014 for CSR.
APNU-UNRIC “UNGC” – November 15th, 2012
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KEY POLICY EXPECTATION
European Commission
European Commission on Business and Human Rights
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New EU definition of CSR (An EU Strategy on CSR 2011- 2014):
CSR = a process for companies to integrate social, environmental, ethical and human rights
concerns into their operations and core strategy, in close collaboration with their
stakeholders
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EC focus on identifying, preventing and mitigating adverse impacts; promoting due diligence
on CSR throughout the supply chains
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EC expects enterprises to meet the corporate responsibility to respect human rights as
defined in the UN Guiding Principles
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EC invites EU Member States to develop national plans for the implementation of the UN
Guiding Principles
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EC developing human rights sector specific guidance for (1) Oil & Gas, (2) ICT and (3)
Recruitment and employment agencies
APNU-UNRIC “UNGC” – November 15th, 2012
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KEY POLICY EXPECTATION
EC Project on Human Rights Guidance
European Commission Project on Human Rights Guidance
2 Projects
1. Develop human rights sector guidance for
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Employment and recruitment agencies
Information and communication technology (ICT)
Oil and gas
Develop human rights guidance for SMEs
Governance
Expert Advisory Committee
For each sector guidance – a Sector Advisory Group
Scope
Will take account of the experiences of EU business
Aims to be as globally relevant as possible
Output
Non-binding guidance that is intended to be practical and relevant to companies
Developed through research on key issues and input from a wide range of stakeholders
Business, civil society, trade unions, governments, affected communities, academics, experts
APNU-UNRIC “UNGC” – November 15th, 2012
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UNGC → A COMMITMENT
CONCLUSIONS
Benefits & Challenges
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To think outside of the boundaries
Worldwide tool
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Center of a “spider’s web”
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The link with other stakeholders
A yearly communication
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Continuous improvement approach
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Eternal renewal
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Credible influence
APNU-UNRIC “UNGC” – November 15th, 2012
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