The Global Compact. Corporate Leadership in the World Economy

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan first proposed the Global Compact in an address to The World Economic Forum on the 31st January 1999. The Global Compact’s operational phase was launched at UN Headquarters in New York on the 26th July 2000. The Secretary-General challenged business leaders to join an international initiative – the Global Compact – that would bring companies together with UN agencies, labour and civil society to support nine principles in the areas of human rights, labour and the environment. The Global Compact is a voluntary corporate citizenship initiative. The Global Compact is a network. The Global Compact involves all the relevant social actors: governments, companies, civil society organizations, and The United Nations.