The UN Global Compact:
An overview
Compiled & Presented by
Anthony Rutabanzibwa
ILO Dar es salaam
Outline
Background
What is the UN Global Compact
UN-GC principles & how to
apply/ adhere to them
State of applying the UN-GC
Conclusions
Background1:
• UN operates to achieve goals of peace, equality,
susutainable development & respect for human
rights
• Procurement function provides UN with means to
carry out its activities & signals what’s important to
the organization and concretely support sustainable
development
• Values enshrined in UN Charter serve as overarching
goals that UN suppliers are obliged to achieve
Background2:
Business plan of 20
UN agencies, funds
and programmes in
Tanzania for the
period July 2011 to
June 2015.
Gender equality,
environmental
sustainability, capacity
development, resultsbased management,
and a Human Rightsbased approach.
Delivery incumbent
upon procuring
goods & services:
best value for
money
UN Global Compact
• Strategic policy initiaive
for businesses
committed to aligning
their operations &
strategies with 10
universally accepted
principles related to
human rights, labour,
environment & anticorruption
• Hinged on
 UDHR
HUMAN RIGHTS
 FP&RAW
LABOUR
 Rio Declaration
 UN Convention
against corruption
ENVIRONMENT
ETHICS
UN Global Compact:
Labour/ Human Rights principles
Understanding and applying the labour
principles
• Uphold freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right
to collective bargaining (UN Global Compact Principle 3)
Understanding and applying the labour
principles
• Uphold freedom of association and the effective recognition
of the right to collective bargaining (UN Global Compact
Principle 3)
Understanding and applying the labour
principles
• Essence of FOA & CB in Business
FOA: Protects both economic
interests & civil liberties; integral
part of democracy
CB: forum for addressing working
conditions and terms of
employment; relations
How can companies uphold freedom of association and the effective
recognition of the right to collective bargaining?
• Respect the right of all
workers to form and
join a trade union of
their choice
• Put in place nondiscriminatory policies
and procedures
• Provide worker
representatives with
appropriate facilities
• Recognize representative
organizations
• Provide trade union
representatives with access
to real decision makers for
collective bargaining
• Provide information
• Address any problemsolving or other needs of
interest to workers and
management
Understanding and applying the labour
principles
• Uphold the elimination of all forms of forced and
compulsory labour (UN Global Compact Principle 4)
Understanding and applying the labour
principles
• How can companies contribute to the elimination of
forced labour ?
 Adhere to provisions of national laws and regulations
 ensure that employment contracts are provided to all
employees
 Institute policies and procedures
 Exercise due diligence in dealings with other
businesses
Understanding and applying the labour
principles
• Uphold the effective abolition of child labour (UN Global
ompact Principle 5)
Understanding and applying the labour
principles
• Uphold the effective abolition of child labour (UN Global
compact Principle 5)
What can companies do to uphold the effective
abolition of child labour
(UN Global compact Principle 5)
• Adhere to minimum age
provisions of national
labour laws and
regulations
• Use adequate and
verifiable mechanisms for
age verification
• take measures to remove
them from work
• help the child
removed from the
workplace
• Exercise influence on
subcontractors,
suppliers and other
business affiliates to
combat child labour.
Understanding and applying the labour
principles
• Uphold the elimination of discrimination in respect of
employment and occupation (UN Global Compact
Principle 6)
Elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and
occupation (UN Global Compact Principle 6)
• allows companies to consider additional grounds
where discrimination in employment and occupation
may arise.
• Discrimination can arise in a variety of work-related
activities
Access to employment
Training and vocational guidance and social security
With respect to the terms and conditions of employment
Modus Operandi
• Raising awareness of
selected UN service
providers on UN
principles on labour
and human rights
• Solicit commitment
from service providers
40+ service providers
Managers, contract focal points, HR managers
UN-SP join TZA chapter of UN-GC
Regulator/duty bearer
aka “AUDITOR”
Sectors:
Security
Manufacturing
Media/ printing
State of compliability with UN-GC
Freedom
of
Association
Freedom
from
Discrimination
Freedom
from forced
labour
Most commonly violated HR
Loopholes in the regulatory framework
Circumstances in which individuals are
forced to work
Conclusions
• Linking HR and
• Exploitation of
procurement is
comparative
nothing new
advantages of
participating
• Agencies already
agencies
seeking to forge
some form of linkage • Revise LTAs already
(UNDP, UNICEF, WB,
signed off
ILO etc)
• Monitoring/
• We took step in right
inspections: engage
direction
government
authorities
Conclusions
Organizations of the United Nations system give
no preferential treatment to Global Compact
signatories, but strongly encourage them to
subscribe to the Global Compact and support
its underpinning principles.
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