The report, produced in 2008/09, is a deeply flawed and inaccurate document which misrepresents both the UN Global Compact’s overall work and its long track record of positive impact. The report also threatens to undermine system-wide UN efforts to engage the private sector to address global challenges.
“We are greatly disappointed with this report,” said Georg Kell, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact. “Despite our repeated efforts to set the record straight, the JIU has released a document that not only contains egregious errors, but fails utterly to comprehend the critical role that the private sector must play in helping the UN work toward common causes. We urge the JIU to correct this report, and our doors remain open as they have from the beginning of this process.”
Specifically, the report ignores the Global Compact’s comprehensive implementation surveys of thousands of businesses which document in great detail how the Global Compact’s principles have been translated into good practices around the world.
The report’s conclusions, especially those concerning the Global Compact’s mandate, fail to take into account that the UN General Assembly and the African Union, among others, have repeatedly recognized and welcomed the Global Compact’s important role as an innovative public-private partnership, and an important driver of UN reform.
The initiative has mobilized thousands of businesses in over 130 countries to take action in support of UN goals – building goodwill, driving advocacy and helping the UN to be more effective in the pursuit of its mission.
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