Business and the UN - antagonists become partners
Paris, 23 January 2001 - As world leaders gather in Davos this week for the World Economic Forum, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) publishes a timely report on the state of relations between world business and the UN.
Responding to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's call for greater co-operation between the private and public sectors, ICC will publish on Thursday 25 January a four page report on the Global Compact - a business/U.N. initiative aimed at upholding shared values in the areas of human rights, labour and the environment.
To be published in the International Herald Tribune, the report assesses the relationship between the United Nations and the private sector and examines ways in which companies are working on the ground to raise living standards in the communities where they operate by stimulating economic growth, spreading technology, and by being good corporate citizens.
It will also reflect differing viewpoints on the nature of the Global Compact (www.unglobalcompact.org), will examine the reluctance of US companies to get involved and look at the role of non-governmental organizations - including labour unions, environmental and human rights groups.
There are reports on how Shell and other oil companies operating in conflict zones protect their workers and respect human rights; how Nike is working to make sure labour standards are upheld in its subcontracting factories; and how countless corporate environmental initiatives are helping to protect the environment.
Amid popular fears about the implications of globalization and mounting anti-business sentiment, the supplement will be a timely reminder that business is a positive force in the world - and a powerful instrument for human progress.
The entire supplement will be available on the International Herald Tribune and ICC websites (www.iht.com and www.iccwbo.org
).
For further information, or an interview with ICC President, Richard McCormick, contact Bryce Corbett (+33 6 20 47 32 52) in Davos or Lionel Walsh (+33 1 49 53 28 23) in Paris.
The Global Compact
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