SG/A/996
ECO/105
21 April 2006
Secretary-General Appoints Board of Global Compact; World's Largest Voluntary Corporate Citizenship Initiative
Non-Profit Foundation also Established to Help Raise Private Sector Funds to Support Implementation of Compact's Principles
NEW YORK, 20 April (UN Headquarters) -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed a group of 20 business, labour and civil society leaders from around the world to serve on the Board of the United Nations Global Compact, the world's largest voluntary corporate citizenship initiative.
The Secretary-General's appointments follow a comprehensive consultation process, involving all Global Compact stakeholders, including its local networks. Each of the appointees has demonstrated a long record of commitment to the Global Compact's mission and principles, and enjoys the support of a regional or constituency group. The 20-member body is comprised of 10 business representatives, 4 representatives of business associations and labour groups, and 4 representatives of civil society organizations. Ex-officio members are the Executive Head of the Global Compact Office and the Chair of the Foundation for the Global Compact.
The members of the Global Compact Board are:
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Talal Abu Ghazaleh |
Chairman and CEO, Talal Ghazaleh Organization, Egypt |
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José Sergio Gabrielli De Azevedo |
President and CEO, Petrobras, Brazil |
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Guillermo Carey |
Senior Partner, Carey & Allende Abogados, Chile |
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Chen Ying |
Deputy Director General, China Enterprise Confederation, China |
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Suzanne Nora Johnson |
Vice Chairman, Goldman Sachs Group, United States |
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Anne Lauvergeon |
Chair of the Executive Board, Areva, France |
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Ntombifuthi Mtoba |
Chair of the Board, Deloitte, South Africa |
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B. Muthuraman |
Managing Director, Tata Steel, India |
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Mads Oevlisen |
Adjunct Professor and Chair, Lego, Denmark |
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Hiroyuki Uemura |
President and CEO, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co., Japan |
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Fred Higgs |
General Secretary, International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions |
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Antonio Penalosa |
Secretary-General, International Organization of Employers |
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Guy Ryder |
General Secretary, International Confederation of Free Trade Union |
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Guy Sebban |
Secretary-General, International Chamber of Commerce |
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Habiba Al Marashi |
Chair, Emirates Environmental Group, United Arab Emirates |
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Oded Grajew |
President, Instituto Ethos de Empresas e Responsabilidade Social, Brazil |
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Huguette Labelle |
Chair, Advisory Council, Transparency International, Canada |
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Mary Robinson |
Chair, Realizing Rights - The Ethical Globalization Initiative, Ireland |
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Mark Moody-Stuart |
Chairman, Foundation for the Global Compact |
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Georg Kell |
Executive Head, United Nations Global Compact Office |
The Global Compact Board is a key component of the initiative's governance framework, which was introduced following a comprehensive review of the initiative conducted in 2004-2005. (Other components include the triennial Leaders Summit -- next to be held in June 2007 -- local networks, the annual Networks Forum, the Foundation for the Global Compact and the Inter-Agency Team.)
Operating under the auspices of the Secretary-General, the Board will help ensure the Global Compact's continuity and facilitate its further growth. It will provide strategic advice for the initiative as a whole and make related recommendations to the United Nations Global Compact Office, participants and other stakeholders. The Board will also play a role with regard to the implementation of the Compact's integrity measures. Board members will act as champions of the initiative.
The Global Compact Board will meet once a year, with the inaugural meeting planned for summer 2006 at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Also today, the creation of the Foundation for the Global Compact was noted and welcomed. The Foundation is a non-profit entity established to help raise funds from the private sector to support the Global Compact.
The Foundation is steered by a three-member Board of Directors, headed by Mark Moody-Stuart. Other directors are James V. Kearney, Senior Partner of Latham & Watkins LLP; and Professor Oliver F. Williams, Director of the Business Ethics Centre at Mendoza College, University of Notre Dame.
Contributions, which are entirely voluntary, will help to raise awareness of the initiative and support implementation of the Compact's principles in business practice.
Launched in 2000, the United Nations Global Compact brings business together with United Nations agencies, labour, civil society and Governments to advance universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour standards, the environment and anti-corruption. With more than 2,500 participating companies in over 90 countries, it is the largest voluntary corporate citizenship initiative in the world. More than 50 local networks advance the Global Compact's principles at the national and regional level. For more information, please visit www.unglobalcompact.org .
Media Contact: Matthias Stausberg, Global Compact Office, +1-917-367-3423, stausberg@un.org .
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