GOOD PRAC TICES

U N D P, B R A T I S L A V A , 2 0 1 0

Fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships to achieve MDGs in the Western CIS and Caucasus in the Framework of United Nations Global Compact

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of UNDP.

Author: Teodorina Lessidrenska Peer Review Group: Pascale Bonzom, Elena Panova, Yuliya Shcherbinina Editor: Barbara Hall

ISBN : 978-92-95092-06-8 Copyright 2010 By the UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States

Fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships to achieve MDGs in the Western CIS and Caucasus in the Framework of United Nations Global Compact

GOOD PRACTICES

This note was developed within the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) regional project Fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships to achieve Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) in the Western CIS and Caucasus in the framework of United Nations Global Compact managed by the UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre and funded by the Government of Belgium.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

BACKGROUND

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4 8 9

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 THE PROJECTS GOOD PRACTICES OUTREACH

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Country good practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Ukraine Regional GC launches to engage local companies to promote corporate social responsibility (CSR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 LEARNING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Cross-country good practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Standardized training on Communication on Progress (COP) and non-financial reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Country good practices:
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Moldova the CSR Training Course as a platform for collaboration among GC stakeholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Georgia Building local capacity for consulting services in non-financial reporting to local companies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Ukraine Business talking to business learning events POLICY DIALOGUE
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15 17

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Country good practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Armenia Facilitating identification of priority issues among the government (Ministry of Trade and Economic Development) and the business community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Georgia Linking policy research and multi-stakeholder dialogue for influencing supportive policies for economic development Ukraine Towards a National CSR Agenda
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18 20 20

Ukraine Mainstreaming CSR into National Business Management Education

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AWARENESS RAISING AND ADVOCACY Cross country good practice: CSR National Conferences Country good practice:

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22 22 23 24 24 25 25 25

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Engagement with the media on corporate social responsibility (CSR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

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Moldova Fostering CSR awareness within small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) NETWORKING AND INFORMATION EXCHANGE Cross-country good practice: Country good practice:

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Global Compact Annual Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

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Ukraine Sharing Experiences to Foster GC Good Practice and Develop the GCLN . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 COLLECTIVE ACTION AND COLLABORATION WITH OTHER ACTORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Cross-country good practice: Country good practices:
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27 28

Building a Coalition for CSR promotion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

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Belarus: The Socially Responsible Business for the Sustainable Development of Small Towns campaign: Promoting innovation, collaboration and partnerships for practical solutions
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Ukraine: The Go Green campaign: Establishing innovative, interrelated initiatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

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BACKGROUND

nterprises international and local,

The challenges in implementing national MDG agendas in many countries in the Western Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Russian Federation)8 and the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia) region have proved difficult in the light of the developmental trends since 1990. Sharp economic contractions took place in the 1990s as part of a transition from planned to market economies, which were compounded by political instability and conflicts in the region. Despite economic growth experienced by almost all the countries in the region as a result of reforms undertaken and increased integration into the world economy at the beginning of the millennium, a number of socio-economic issues still remain unaddressed, which are obstacles to achieving the MDGs by 2015. These issues from poor governance and corruption, poverty, exclusion and unemployment to serious environmental problems have continued to worsen in the last few years due to the global economic crisis and changing political environment. Although the primary responsibility for achieving the MDGs lies with governments, in the current situation

large and small are becoming increasingly involved in initiatives that aim to reduce poverty in developing

countries and thus contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Operationally, for most companies, the entry point for involvement in poverty reduction projects is through various corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recognizes the importance of the private sector in achieving the MDGs. The Secretary Generals Global Compact (GC) initiative calls on businesses to integrate into their core business operations a set of universal principles in the field of human rights, in labour protection, for the environment and to fight corruption. By working with businesses through the GC, UNDP seeks to engage enterprises in support of the MDGs in a number of ways: by stimulating private sector participation in dialogue and advocacy; brokering and facilitating pro-poor investments in developing countries; and forging partnerships aligned to UNDPs practice areas and the MDGs.

The private sectors efficiency, creativity and capacity to mobilize financing have been recognized by the United Nations in a number of ways. Two of the most important are the Secretary Generals Global Compact initiative (www.unglobalcompact.org) and the report of the United Nations Commission on the Private Sector and Development: Unleashing Entrepreneurship: Making Business Work for the Poor. The report makes a number of recommendations on better engaging the private sector in addressing the development challenges through public-private partnerships (PPPs).

B A C K G R O U N D

their ability to forge strong partnerships with the private sector and civil society organizations has become a critical factor in achieving positive change and improving living conditions of millions of people in the region in a sustainable manner. From 2006 to 2010, UNDP Bratislavas Regional Centre implemented the regional project Fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships to achieve MDGs in the Western CIS and Caucasus in the framework of United Nations Global Compact. This regional project, funded by the Government of Belgium and UNDP, was implemented in Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine and addressed the private sector as a partner in sustainable development in the region. Its main goal is to harness value-creating assets of the private sector for poverty reduction in the Western CIS and Caucasus by promoting multi-stakeholder partnerships and CSR adoption among the business community in the framework of GC. It builds on the GC principles and MDGs as a guidance framework for companies investments. The sustainability of the project is ensured by its promotion of companies involvement based on their core business which goes beyond philanthropy. When the project Fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships to achieve MDGs in Western CIS and Caucasus in the framework of UN Global Compact started in 2006, the concept of CSR was new and little known in the region. As a whole, the promotion of corporate social responsibility

(CRS) has been complicated due to ongoing and emerging economical and political challenges in each of the five countries. Despite these challenges, now, three years later, the results achieved in participating countries by the project show awareness that CRS is not merely a philanthropic tool; there is also a growing understanding among the business community in the region that it is part of modern business in a globalized economy, which can offer exciting business opportunities.

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MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS

he project resulted in the establish-

forms for learning and sharing experiences in CSR among companies, other stakeholders and non-business social actors. > As activities were implemented jointly with companies in collaboration with other social actors and stakeholders such as ministries, governmental organizations, the media and key international organizations, the GC and CSR were promoted, which produced positive change and contributed to society. Such activities included: ongoing awareness raising and educational outreach initiatives organized within the countries; continuing media engagement; development of CSR courses and curriculum; national CSR conferences and regional events in the countries; collective actions and campaigns; and training, networking and experience-sharing opportunities and services provided by the networks to their members. > The project has contributed to building commitment of the GC members for further

ment of five Global Compact local networks (GCLNs), involving a total of 361 GC participants representing

business, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and business associations as well as an increasing number of universities. As part of the regional project, the GCLNs in each country promote GC and CSR adoption, and encourage companies to forge partnerships with other social actors governments, civil society organizations, development partners and the academia. These partnerships engage business and other social actors in concrete projects that contribute towards achieving the MDGs and making commercial sense for companies. The major achievements of the project as are follows: > The project has contributed to significant awareness raising and understanding of CSR, not only among businesses, but also among the other stakeholders. This was accomplished as follows: > The GCLNs focused on being business-led while remaining multistakeholder. As a result, the networks served as neutral plat-

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practical adoption of CSR as integral element of companies business strategy and operations. > The project has enhanced participation of companies in policy dialogue and has established practices involving business, government and other stakeholders that will further develop and facilitate policy dialogue with a view to build the CSR agendas and improve the enabling environment for CSR and private sector development. > The project created multi-stakeholder partnership projects among businesses, the United Nations agencies and other stakeholders. The partnership project portfolio of 13 active projects (in the implementation phase) and seven projects in the pipeline (in preparation or under development) is implemented with enthusiasm, commitment and a great sense of satisfaction by the project participants. They have shown success and practical impacts and results. During the life of the GC project, the partnership projects have evolved from focusing on philanthropy only in the early days to contributing to society with more clearly defined business development priorities and profitability. > The project established communication and cooperation across countries, mainly in the form of sharing of experience and practices among the GC networks in Ar-

menia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, which helped the GC and CSR uptake and led to the replication of some good practices within and across the networks. > GC networks in Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine have established working and transparent governance structures and are on their way to become organizationally sustainable.

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THE PROJECTS GOOD PRACTICES

he purpose of this publication is to provide an overview of the good practices successfully implemented by the project in individual countries

or on the regional level as well as the development of the GCLNs. Good practices are activities or approaches undertaken within the project that are innovative, that enhance GC participation and impact, and that have the potential to be replicated throughout the GC network or among country and regional networks. The practices are presented in the following categories: outreach, learning, policy dialogue, awareness raising and advocacy, networking and information exchange, and collective action and collaboration with other actors.2 Under each category, regional/cross-country good practices and individual country good practices have been identified.

Partnerships is another category of the projects good practices. It is not covered by this publication, however, because it is reviewed in detail in a separate publication.

T H E

P R O J E C T S

G O O D

P R A C T I C E S

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OUTREACH

he focus of outreach activities within the

emerged as a good practice for expanding and enhancing GC participation. The most commonly implemented outreach events throughout the project included bilateral and sector-specific meetings with prospective companies, collective (open) informative meetings with multiple stakeholders, and presentations introducing the CSR concept and GC at corporate events. Such events tend to target organizations in addition to those that have already signed onto the GC. They help recruit new companies and nonbusiness members by sending public messages on the potential value of CSR and providing tangible options for action. It was logical that the GCLNs established by the project succeeded to target the largest companies first, because they were most prepared to work on CSR and had the most talented and qualified human capital and other supporting resources. On the other hand, throughout the life of the project, engaging with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in remote regions has been a major challenge and goal for each of the five GCLNs.

regional project is on introducing the concept of responsible entrepreneurship among companies and non-business

actors in each individual country by expanding and enhancing their participation in the GC network. When the project was launched in 2006, there was no awareness and history on CSR beyond corporate philanthropy in those countries. Very few of the companies in the region knew what GC was, its special benefits and distinguished value, or the responsibilities that GC membership brings to companies. Ongoing, systematic and effective outreach activities for recruitment of GC members across all business sectors and regions and among all social actors within each country combined with continuing efforts to ensure engagement of the membership in the network activities have therefore proven their importance among the projects main success factors. Enabling the development of sub-networks within the national networks and of a larger network that brings together the GC networks involved in the project on a regional level, has

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Country good practices Ukraine Regional GC launches to engage local companies to promote corporate social responsibility (CSR)
When faced with difficulties in reaching out to, and maintaining engagement with SMEs and various stakeholders located in different regions outside the capital, GCLN Ukraine came up with an innovative model for strategic regional outreach. The SMEs located in the regions seem less interested and familiar with the CSR and GC concepts than the capital-based companies; they have limited resources, operate in the local market, and focus on day-to-day survival. Thus, the GC Networks Secretariat decided to organize them locally. It introduced regional GC launches to promote CSR in the regions. These launches are organized on the premise that: (i) an informal regional GC network is established in the region; and (ii) there is commitment from a CSR pioneer, i.e. a local organization or a local company to take a leadership role as a GC focal point in the region. The first step in the preparation for a regional launch is finding a champion in CSR such as a trade union or a chamber of commerce that is interested in, and meets the criteria for, becoming a GC focal point in the region. The GC Secretariat organizes the launch, ensuring that the event involves all stakeholders, local authorities and the local business community. This launch event combines a wide range of ac-

tivities, from GC and CSR awareness raising, education and sharing of good practices among local companies and stakeholders, to the establishment of the regional networks local organizational and governance structure, and announcement of the networks leadership and members. Local signatories established through such launches are usually coordinated by the local leader, who also maintains the communication link to the GC Secretariat. One of the challenges is the need for the GC Secretariat to maintain an active dialogue and engagement with the regions after the launch events. The momentum is usually maintained by organizing regular activities locally, such as training and other events. The regional GC launches organized by GCLN Ukraine an average of two per year take place in different regions of the country and act as important drivers for expanding membership and awareness raising. The established regional networks are very cost-effective, having no need for physical replication of the GC Secretariat in the region. Such regional networks are fully owned by the local community and evolve as platforms for building local capacity for GC and CSR implementation in line with the specific local conditions and stakeholder needs. Between 2006 and 2009, a total of six regional launches were conducted in Lviv, Donetsk, Zhytomyr, Odessa, Lugansk and Simferopol regions, with more than 200 business representatives and local authority officials taking part. Launches also brought in

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more than 20 new members to the Ukrainian GC network. It is expected that the regional launches will have a positive impact not only in terms of expansion of the GC network throughout different regions of a country, but also in terms of deepening the level of engagement among the local companies in national GC initiatives. The major positive impact of the GC regional networks is that when successfully established, they build a high level of commitment to GC and CSR, as well as a very strong sense of ownership among their members. These networks have great capacity to stimulate local dialogue and collaboration between local businesses and their stakeholders. Moreover, they make CSR an integral part of the business and social life of the communities by focusing on local initiatives for addressing specific local environmental, social and economic development problems.

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LEARNING

earning activities are designed specifi-

with local case studies; capacity building for CSR consulting services; and dialogue events and peer-review of company reports, etc. Good practice learning activities not only provide access to international good practices, expertise and knowledge, but also serve as a platform for local companies to learn from each other by sharing their own practical experiences and lessons learned in CSR.

cally for Global Compact participants working to integrate the ten principles(Box 1) into their day-to-day busi-

ness operations and corporate culture. The adoption of the GC principles and the application of the CSR concept require significant change in the way the average company traditionally thinks about its social contributions, which are made in the form of donations and charity. Thus, key objectives of the project were to inform the GC members companies and other social players on the GC and CSR concepts and how they relate to the global and local challenges facing companies and their stakeholders. This would show what CSR means in practical terms, and prove that it can bring business benefits as well as social value. In this regard, the project has developed a number of good practices which include learning activities implemented in individual countries or offered through the five GCLNs to their membership, including: standardized training delivered in all five networks; development of CSR university courses and learning materials

Cross-country good practice Standardized training on Communication on Progress (COP) and nonfinancial reporting
One major challenge and obstacle to the practical adoption of CSR in companies has been the large number of GCLN member companies that do not submit their COP to the GC. The COP required by GC ensures that all member companies comply with the GC principles and act responsibly in line with the CSR and GC values. Reporting usually drives companies towards integrated CSR planning, implementation and

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management. The project has made CSR/GRI reporting a priority; thus, it is expected that GCLNs provide assistance in COP and apply pressure to their members to report. In response, all five GCLNs have given special attention to non-financial reporting, including the COP, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Guidelines, AA1000 and others. Initial training on COP reporting was carried out in each country, in some cases more than once in order to reach all GC members, but there was a need for a more elaborative approach to ensure that all networks have equal access to the most widely applied reporting tools. A regional tour of standardized GRI training, delivered in English and Russian, was organized in 2008 and reached more than 100 GC members, who became acquainted with the concept of sustainable development, learned how to prepare non-financial reports and were introduced to the technology of integrating GC requirements into GRI reporting. The training tour was coordinated by UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre, in collaboration with the GRI Secretariat and the project country offices. The GRI training aims to enable companies to monitor, measure, report, plan and improve their CSR performance. Standardized training for all GCLNs, and specifically, on GRI reporting, is an innovative approach for the establishment of a common set of tools and a level playing field for all companies across all five countries. The GRI standardized training module, deliv-

ered by an international GRI expert, prepared companies across the region for GRI reporting. It resulted in the release of the first GRI report in Belarus by one of the largest national companies, RUE Byelorussian Steel Works. In the longer term, the standardized GRI training allows benchmarking at both the national and regional levels. It stimulates exchange of CSR information and lessons learned as well as replication of good practices among companies, and will ultimately result in faster and more significant improvements in the companies social and environmental performance and impacts.

Country good practices: Moldova the CSR Training Course as a platform for collaboration among GC stakeholders
The understanding and acceptance of new concepts is usually a slow process. In a country like Moldova, where CSR was a new concept, foreign to the local culture and traditions, and thus seemingly unpopular, the project faced an enormous task to reach out and raise awareness about CSR, not only to the Moldovan business community, but also to society as a whole. GCLN Moldova decided to speed up this process by including CSR in the curriculum of business schools, business incubators, and other business development programmes that can quickly spread knowledge among the younger generation and stimulate develop-

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ment of CSR-aware entrepreneurs and businesses that normally have CSR as an element of their strategy and operations. The vision behind the CSR course created by the GCLN Moldova is to ensure that young people are educated on CSR issues before they enter the labour market. The first CSR training course in Moldova was developed jointly by GCLN Moldova and the Academy of Economic Studies, and resulted in a handbook for university courses, Corporate Social Responsibility: Practical Aspects. It presents each of the GC principles through a separate case study, which discusses a selected Moldovan GC member company and its specific CSR activities under the relevant GC principle. An agreement between UNDP/GC and the Technical University of Moldova has resulted in a productive partnership that led to integration of the CSR subject into the current university curriculum. In March 2010, the Global Compact project developed a Training-of-Trainers (ToT) course for professors teaching the CSR course: It provides practical examples on teaching methodology, and introduces and reinforces theoretical concepts through case studies and guest lecturers of GC members, which are key to the training. Many companies used as examples for the case studies are already offering internships to students who have participated in these courses. One of the unique values of the training course is the active participation of GCLN Moldova company members in the development of the

cases in the publication. As a good practice, the development and delivery of the course serve as a platform for channeling practical experience and knowledge from the business field directly to the academic educational process. It also builds collaboration between the academic institutions and GC business members on the practical implementation of CSR within the companies in the country. To date, four leading universities have included the CSR course in their curriculum at graduate level, while several other universities are interested in including it in the future. There is potential for much greater longer-term impact by making CSR part of the university curriculum. This may stimulate local research and collaborative action involving students, young professionals, and academic and business experts in finding solutions for concrete local environmental and social problems that society currently faces or may face in the future.

Georgia Building local capacity for consulting services in non-financial reporting to local companies
According to GCLN Georgia, ensuring that local companies and other stakeholders have access to reliable and high quality assistance in CSR reporting and communications is an important factor that encourages local companies and SMEs to join the GC, meet the COP requirements and begin implementation of CSR as part of their normal business practice. Given the difficulties the companies face in producing

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their reports, the demand for such a service is increasing, not only in Georgia, but also in a growing number of countries worldwide. In Georgia, the project has been collaborating closely with the Centre for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG), an NGO member of GC Georgia, in order to build its capacity to offer consulting services to companies on reporting. To ensure the compliance of the GC members with the reporting requirements in a sustainable way, the project encourages and provides technical assistance to CSRDG to frame their experience in reporting in a consulting package, offered to companies on commercial terms. CSRDG has translated the GRI reporting guidelines to Georgia, and a publication linking GRI reporting with COP reporting. It has also organized, in collaboration with the project, several workshops dedicated to reporting, and has developed a fund of knowledge on the issue. It is becoming increasingly important that the technical assistance in this field be provided by experienced local consulting firms, familiar with and capable of addressing the specific local issues, priorities and needs, and meeting the specific expectations of the local stakeholders. One of the main outcomes of the Georgian initiative is that a local NGO offers its consulting services at a lower cost than that of the international consulting firms. The impact of the initiative is expected to reach beyond the companies who will benefit from the reporting services, since it

will provide a modest income to the NGO, in turn adding to their sustainability. In the longer term, such local capacity development will play a significant role in addressing CSR needs of the business community and other stakeholders, ultimately adding to the sustainability of the GC network.

Ukraine Business talking to business learning events

A major task of the GC project and network is to continue to build CSR awareness among all stakeholder groups and to shift the focus of the discussions from the question What is CSR? to How companies can implement CSR in practice and how it can be integrated into their day-to-day business?. This would therefore stimulate companies to move toward practical implementation of CSR as part of their business agenda. The GCLN Ukraine concluded that one powerful way to stimulate businesses to start implementing CSR is by learning from local CSR champions. GCLN Ukraine has established a tradition of conducting meetings among its members, which aims to showcase good practices in implementing GC principles at company level combined with a visit to company premises. The first such meeting took place in 2006 in Ukraine and addressed the issue of ecological responsibility. Since then, the GCLN has adopted a special name for such learning events Business talking to business

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(B2B). The B2B format fully corresponds to the essence of the GC initiative as a platform for good practices exchange and experience sharing among the business practitioners on the implementation of the GC principles. When business talks to business, the benefits and advantages of participating in the GC are highlighted by stories of real Ukrainian companies. This in turn stimulates the private sector to be more proactive and innovative in implementing the GC, and in its long-term commitments to the ten GC principles. It is expected that the B2B meetings will have significant impact, not only on improved understanding of the practical aspects of CSR, but also on setting up the standards for peer review within the network and thus ensuring CSR reporting quality control and accountability among the GC member companies. As a good practice, the B2B meetings have proven their effectiveness as valuable learning platforms where GC members can gain a better understanding of the ten GC principles in practice, and the business case for being responsible. Peer learning from local companies allows companies to see the concepts of corporate responsibility applied by members of the local network and the role these companies play in influencing society.

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POLICY DIALOGUE

olitical and public issues are increasingly

> risks of government taking over the CSR agenda and using it to impose pressure on companies through regulations that can suffocate rather than stimulate business activities and initiative. In order to address the above challenges, the

seen by the business community as relevant to their commercial future. GCLNs in the regional project have been pro-

moting policy dialogue related to the business-society agenda. Public-private dialogue and partnerships are new concepts: time is required to establish new relationships and a culture of collaboration, openness and dialogue between government, business and other stakeholders. In this regard, the project addresses an array of challenges, including: > political instability; > the economic crisis; > the lack of understanding among the governmental institutions and officials about the meaning and value of CSR for the economic and social development of the country; > the lack of government support for CSR and of political will to develop the national CSR agenda; > resistance from companies in becoming too involved in partnerships with the government;

project focused on examining ways to bring government and business together, with the aim of building GC members confidence in addressing issues of common interest on the public agenda, establishing dialogue and developing good working relationships with various governmental bodies. In Armenia, Belarus and Ukraine, memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with, or appointment of certain ministries as contact points between the national governments and the national GC networks have opened opportunities for further engagement with the government and other ministries aiming at promoting CSR and developing governmental CSR policies and the CSR agenda. While each country has a different culture and political economy, the engagement approaches taken in these good practices on policy dialogue have been effective in increas-

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ing dialogue and cooperation among business, government and interested stakeholders. With the appropriate adaptation, they can provide guidance on increasing policy and practice dialogue on CSR and inclusive entrepreneurship.

of Trade and Economic Development. The Government of Armenia approved the Concept Note for PPP for Armenia, based on the projects Concept Paper. Following collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development, the GC project hired a consultant to conduct an analysis of the current Armenian legislation applicable to PPP and develop a

Country good practices Armenia Facilitating identification of priority issues among the government (Ministry of Trade and Economic Development) and the business community
The Armenian Government was faced with the challenge of designing and developing the right policies, laws and institutional framework to attract private investments for improving the socio-economic situation in the country. Building Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) is one of its priorities and is of great interest to Armenian companies. The GCLN identified and used the need for development of PPP legislation as an opportunity to establish a working relationship with the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development. Based on request from, and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development, the GC project in Armenia initiated a baseline study on PPPs in Armenia and developed a Concept Paper for PPP in the country, which was submitted to the Ministry

draft law on PPP in the country. This draft law has been submitted to the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development, and it is expected that it will be finalized and adopted for implementation by the end 2010. The successful collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development in the area of PPP legislation further resulted in the Ministrys appointment as a focal point between the GCLN and the Armenian Government. This ultimately opened opportunities for further engagement with the Government and other ministries aiming at promoting CSR and the development of governmental CSR policies and the CSR agenda. The applied approach is a valuable good practice showing how a GC network, through addressing an issue of common interest for business and government, can accumulate learning, build confidence, and become capable of productive and effective public policy dialogue based on an established, good working relationship with the government.

Georgia Linking policy research and multi-stakeholder dialogue for influencing supportive policies for economic development

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One of the specific problems in GCLN Georgia was a complete lack of business engagement and dialogue with the government. The Networks Secretariat focused on the identification and analysis of issues of importance for business and their stakeholders, and the presentation of recommendations to the Government for addressing them, as a platform for developing engagement of business and other entities with the government. The GC project in Georgia commissioned a series of five opinion papers from experts and opinion makers in the country on the private sector and development. The papers covered key issues identified during the project teams meetings with companies, representatives of business organizations and other stakeholders as being crucial for the countrys development. Each of these papers was circulated and then presented at a policy dialogue event. The five topics selected for the opinion papers were as follows: > Promoting the Development of the SME Sector (Value Chain Development). > The Importance of Standards and their Promotion for the Participation of Georgian Businesses in the International Market > Improving Human Resource Competitiveness of Georgia > What are Georgias Chances in the New Green Economy? > Green Fields: the Reality and Promise of Georgian Agriculture.

The development of policy papers is a good practice that has played a critically important role in Georgia as a preparatory step toward the development of GCLNs strategic approach in organizing and maintaining policy dialogue. In addition to identifying important issues and bringing together different stakeholders to discuss and present their positions and expectations, work on the papers was organized in such a way that resulted in establishment of a new model for constructive multi-stakeholder dialogue. The papers enabled a working process involving business, government and other concerned stakeholders that allowed sensitive issues to be raised and analysed in a neutral, factual and non-accusatory way, and recommended possible solutions to the problems. The great value of such a practice is that it further led to the establishment of appropriate structures and processes for policy dialogue and engagement with the government on issues of key importance for the business community and its stakeholders. For example, the dialogue on SMEs resulted in the creation of a multi-stakeholder advocacy working group to serve as an advisory body to the government and an advocate for SME issues in the country. The group currently consists of 11 organizations UNDP, AmCham, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Solidarity, the Business and Economic Centre in the Parliament of Georgia, the Center for Innovation and Enterprise Development, the European UnionGeorgia Business Council, German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), the European

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Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Bank of Georgia, TBC Bank, and several SME experts.

The establishment of a CSR syllabus for university students and its nation-wide acceptance will result in mainstreaming the CSR into the national management education in Ukraine. It will create a new generation of managers and business leaders with holistic integrated approaches to business management and with the ability to manage the environmental and social performance of their companies. The approach applied by the GCLN Ukraine resulted in strengthening the relationship with the MES and MESs engagement in a productive policy dialogue and working process. This is a good practice that can be replicated with other governmental institutions.

Ukraine Mainstreaming CSR into National Business Management Education

GCLN Ukraine has influenced the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) with respect to the importance of CSR and the need to educate future generations about its concept, and the challenges and opportunities it addresses. Establishing policy dialogue with MES on mainstreaming CSR courses into the academic curriculum resulted in the establishment of a Working Group (WG) designed to develop the CSR syllabus for university students majoring in economic disciplines. Within less than a year of intensive work, the WG produced the draft of the CSR syllabus for Bachelors degrees. It was discussed publicly at the numerous round tables with the participation of the representatives of leading Ukrainian universities, MES, GC members, NGOs, and the GC Secretariat, which is charged with facilitating and coordinating WG activities. MES posted the syllabus of the first CSR course developed by the WG on its website for public review and comments. Once agreed, the syllabus was recommended to become part of the curriculum of the Management and Economics Faculties of Ukrainian universities starting in the academic year of 2010/2011.

Ukraine Towards a National CSR Agenda

One of the projects good practices is the approach developed by GCLN Ukraine for the development of a National CSR Agenda. Since 2006, GCLN Ukraine has established relationships with various ministries and governmental structures through their engagement in GC initiatives and Partnership Projects. For examples, the Ministry of Environment is strong supporter and participant in the Go Green campaign; The Ministry of Education is involved in the development of a national programme for the integration of CSR courses into the university curriculum in Ukraine; and the Ministry of Health is involved in the Telemedicine Partnership Project. The GCLNs close working relationships and engagement with these key

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ministries and governmental structures have become a platform for establishing a working process and building momentum for developing the CSR National Agenda in Ukraine. As a result of the GC collaboration with the Verkhovna Rada (The Ukrainian National Parliament) Committee on Industrial and Regulatory Policy and Entrepreneurship, the issue of the CSR agenda development was raised at the Parliamentary public hearings, Developing Corporate Social Responsibility: Ukrainian Perspective in November 2009. Participants of the hearing Members of Parliament, representatives of the Government and the diplomatic community, Ukrainian and international companies as well as NGOs and media came to the conclusion that, through the mechanisms of CSR, businesses have enormous potential for contributing towards the achievement of the national development goals, such as poverty reduction, employment creation, energy efficiency and environmental protection, enhancement of the national competitiveness, and corruption eradication, etc. Following on the recommendations from the hearing, the Parliamentary Committee established a Multi-stakeholder Advisory Council (MAC) to develop a National CSR Agenda and a specific Action Plan to create a CSR enabling environment in Ukraine. In the good practice describe above, key success factors of the process towards National CSR Agenda set up by the GCLN Ukraine are the establishment of a multi-stakeholder MAC

and the inclusion of multistakeholder input which allows dialogue between business and government on the National CSR Agenda to expand among other social actors throughout the country and to become accepted practice. Only through active, open and accountable social dialogue involving all social actors can the CSR agenda evolve in such a way to ensure that emerging issues are properly addressed by government, business and concerned stakeholders.

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>

AWARENESS RAISING AND ADVOCACY

he purpose of awareness raising and adthe project became a priority and necessary element of the project agenda. As presented below in the good practices, awareness raising and advocacy are critical factors in contributing to growing awareness in society of the importance of CSR and for addressing the need of business to be transparent and actively engaged with stakeholders in addressing social and environmental problems and issues. vocacy in this context is to inform on CSR and the GlobalCompact among companies and non-business actors in a country.

The successful implementation of CSR by companies depends not only on their own level of understanding, commitment and preparedness for practical application of the CSR in their daily business, but also of their ability to collaborate and engage constructively with its stakeholders as part of its CSR initiatives for their own benefit and for the benefit of society. One of the main challenges identified by the project to the adoption of CSR in all five countries is the very low initial level of CSR awareness and knowledge among all the stakeholders and social actors. Initial observation in first phase of the project showed that companies and their stakeholders, especially governments, civil society organizations (CSOs), and the media, were not able to discuss and act jointly in a constructive way on issues concerning the role of business in society due to a low level of understanding. CSR awareness raising and advocacy across all stakeholder groups and regions in the countries involved in

Cross country good practice: Engagement with the media on corporate social responsibility (CSR)
With a view to raise awareness on GC/CSR among all sectors and the public, the project has prioritized engagement with the media in all five countries. Accordingly, across all project countries, the media is expected both to implement CSR and to provide a platform for dialogue and learning on CSR among the stakeholders. The project focused on the critical role of the media, i.e. of facilitating the establishment of public accountability rules and procedures on CSR. Following on the general project recommendations

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for work with the media, the GCLN in each country has developed its approach to engagement with the media on the basis of continuous information exchange with, and replication of good practices from the other GCLNs involved in the project. Some of the approaches that have evolved in different project countries as good practices for engagement with the media are highlighted below. > In Belarus, engagement with the media through a meticulously coordinated and executed media campaign is required in the implementation of the plan of every GCLN initiative and partnership project. The network maintains a close relationship with a number of key media contacts, which are systematically kept fully informed about the projects and activities implemented by the network and its members. > GCLN Armenia has developed a series of six TV programmes aimed at educating the general public on CSR and GC. They have been broadcast through various national TV stations across Armenia, reaching out to an audience of over a million people. > GCLN Ukraine introduced a National Contest for journalists on the good analytical material on CSR in Ukraine. Its main purpose is to improve CSR coverage in the Ukrainian media and to raise awareness of corporate citizenship. The Ukrainian GC network has also set an example by organizing, in partnership with Expert magazine and MTS Company, the first International Me-

dia Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility, attended by journalists from all five project countries. More than one hundred media representatives from all around the world, together with experts from the private sector, came together to discuss how the media can reinforce CSR development. The main objective of the Forum was to launch a debate on the two distinctive roles of media as a promoter, watchdog and educator on CSR-related issues, on the one hand, and as a business with its own social and environmental responsibilities.

CSR National Conferences

Another awareness-raising practice implemented across all five countries participating in the project is the tradition of organizing annual CSR conferences. The annual conferences stimulate collaboration among the GCLN members and between the GCLN and other organizations involved in CSR in each country: > In Ukraine, the GCLN in the capacity of analytical partner has traditionally supported the CSR annual conference, which is organized by the leading business magazine Expert. > In Moldova, collaboration between AmCham and GCLN on the development and implementation of the CSR conference has been of great mutual benefit. In all five countries, the Annual CSR Conference has become a major factor contributing to CSR

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awareness raising and GCLN outreach. It has been particularly effective in regard to the SME community for maintaining the level of engagement and dialogue among all stakeholder groups and for building momentum around the CSR and the GCLN agenda. The CSR conferences also play an important role in bringing international and regional experience to the local actors. They allow companies and other GC members to present their activities and plans with respect to CSR. Also, by giving recognition to the local champions and providing a platform for exchange of good practices, they energize the network, raise awareness, put critical questions on the table and maintain the debate on CSR. These conferences contribute to maintaining the ongoing discussions on how global responsibility trends can be applied to specific countries, what role different stakeholders can play to strengthen CSR adoption and widespread implementation, and consequently, what value GCLN can bring to companies and society.

proving the competitiveness of SMEs, and practical demonstration of CSR implementation by SMEs. The GCLN strategy for SME engagement includes a sequence of activities, beginning in 2009, with an SME round table attended by 80 representatives of GCNM, SMEs and the public administration. The event was organized within the 2009 National SME Forum whose main objective is national economic sustainability based on the development of performance capacities of the SME sector. The main goal of the round table was to promote social responsible practices and to demonstrate how SMEs can apply these practices by involving staff and company management involvement, which allows the company to increase their long-term competitiveness on the market. Following the round table, GC Network Moldova held a contestThe good entrepreneur of the SME sector. The topic of how SMEs apply CSR also has a central place on the agenda of the Annual CSR conference in Moldova. The GCLN is in the process of organizing regional training workshops for SMEs in the northern and southern regions of the country on general induction to CSR and multi-stakeholders partnerships. The regional SME training sessions will culminate in a CSR contest award and a CSR training session during the 2010 National SME Forum. The framework of activities presented above, supported by the commitment of the GCLNs Coordinating Board of Directors to expand engagement with SMEs and to bring more SMEs into the GC network, presents a good practice for addressing SME issues in Moldova that could be replicated in other countries.

Country good practice: Moldova Fostering CSR awareness within small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
One of the priorities of the GC network Moldova is reaching out and engaging with SMEs. The approach successfully combines multi-stakeholder dialogue on the SME challenges in adopting CSR, awareness raising on the benefits from CSR for im-

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>

NETWORKING AND INFORMATION EXCHANGE

ne of the highly valued benefits offered the membership meetings, the Annual Network Meeting of the GCLN has evolved as the highest decision-making platform in the GCLNs governance process. Through their participation in the Annual Network Meetings/General Assembly, all network members are responsible for giving final approval of the networks workplan, making strategic decisions related to the networks governance and activities, and electing its goverthrough the GCLNs is the opportunity for GC members to meet regularly, for networks to get to know each other and

other external parties to the network, and exchange valuable information for their respective organizations.

Cross-country good practice Global Compact Annual Meeting

The practice of organizing annual network meetings for GCLN members is firmly established within all five GCLNs. Also, it is one of the projects good practices that contributes to the exchange of information, networking and strengthening the collaboration among the network membership. These meetings are important GC forums where members share good practices and leadership examples, while the new GC members receive their membership certificates, are given recognition for their commitments, and have the opportunity to engage in the networks initiatives for the first time. Among

nance body, the Steering Committee/Board of Directors. The Annual Meeting is also the place where the network members present and discuss the companies good practices in CSR. The Annual Meetings institute the GCLNs and contribute towards building a sense of ownership among the member companies.

Country good practice: Ukraine Sharing Experiences to Foster GC Good Practice and Develop the GCLN
One of the best practices of the project is that the fastest developing and advanced networks

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act as host of study tours and conveners of networking meetings, bringing together all networks participating in the project for sharing information and lessons learned. GCLN Ukraine has evolved as a host of intra-regional events involving other participants in the regional project. For example, one such intraregional meeting marked the 3rd anniversary of the GC launch in the region and served as a local knowledge-sharing platform where representatives of the Belarusian, Moldovan and Ukrainian GCLNs shared their experience, achievements, challenges and good national partnership projects. A representative of the GCLN Ukraine Secretariat was invited to present the Ukrainian experience at the annual meeting of the GC network in Belarus. In 2007, GCLN Ukraine hosted a study tour of a Kazakhstan delegation of journalists, winners of a national contest on the good article on a CSR topic, accompanied by Kazakhstan businesses and civil society organizations. In 2006, a delegation including two representatives from the National Bank of Serbia and a representative from the UNDP Serbia visited Ukraine to obtain first hand information and experience on network development as a part of a preparatory mission before the official Global Compact launch in Serbia.

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>

COLLECTIVE ACTION AND COLLABORATION WITH OTHER ACTORS

obilizing collective action within the portant local actors, has been successfully replicated in Georgia with the creation of a CSR Coordination Group of 12 organizations, including leading business and employers associations, bilateral donors and NGOs. For the first time in Georgia, a group of different organizations has agreed to publicly sign a letter of agreement to show that all organizations involved in CSR are coming together with a commonly agreed agenda for action on CSR. The coalition has evolved as one of the GC projects most valunetwork on different priority issues is an important factor for building a sustainable network. Through collective action,

each of the GC networks can effectively engage and interact with other social actors to promote the creation of an enabling environment for corporate citizenship and to raise awareness among other stakeholders.

Cross-country good practice Building a Coalition for CSR promotion

The close collaboration initiated by GC Network Armenia with AmCham, the Eurasia Foundation and the British Council is an important driver for raising awareness, and maintaining dialogue and engagement on CSR among the business community in Armenia and with external actors interested in or already investing in Armenia. This good practice, which represents a model of coalition-building that brings together all im-

able contributions to the development of a national CSR agenda. In Moldova, collaboration between AmCham and GC on development and implementation of the annual CSR conference has been of great mutual benefit. During the last three years, the two organizations have worked jointly on developing CSR conference agendas, organizing conference sessions, marketing the conference, and attracting speakers and participants. Despite the challenges in coalition building, it has proven a good practice in bringing together diverse stakeholders for CSR promotion.

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Country good practices Belarus: The Socially Responsible Business for the Sustainable Development of Small Towns campaign: Promoting innovation, collaboration and partnerships for practical solutions
In 2008, GCLN Belarus successfully prepared and launched a country-wide campaign, Socially Responsible Business for the Sustainable Development of Small Towns. The campaign is among the best practices of the project which provides a model for unlocking the unlimited creativity and initiative of the corporate sector toward addressing specific CSR-related issues of significant importance for all stakeholders nationwide. It also builds a practical nation-wide platform for well-coordinated activities based on wide multi-stakeholder collaboration with the active involvement of all GC business members. The idea for the campaign originated as a result of brainstorming among the network members. Its main objective is to involve businesses in resolving the development challenges in small towns by attracting investment, creating new jobs and stimulating local entrepreneurship. Approved and supported by the Ministry of Economy, it enhances dialogue between government/local authorities and businesses on the implementation of small-town development programmes. The campaign is consid-

ered to have high potential to stimulate the countrys development. Today, the campaign is a compilation of many different streams of activities that are woven into one joint effort. The activities have lives of their own and naturally grow and expand driven by the ideas and enthusiasm of the GC members and the growing number local participants from the small towns. For example, help lines for entrepreneurs to provide counselling in CSR and practical issues concerning development and implementation of public service projects have been organized. In addition, the business incubator MAPZAO held three workshops on the basics of entrepreneurship and established the Foundation Minsk Region, 21st Century to facilitate dialogue between local authorities, communities and business on the implemention of local sustainable development programmes and for building multi-stakeholder partnership projects. The campaign has produced and disseminated a wide variety of awareness-raising CSR publications, and articles about the campaign have been published in mass media. One of the important innovative aspects of the campaign is that it actually serves as a platform for developing a new model for partnership projects, involving all members of the network around a cluster of individual projects that are interlinked, while each project had its specific place within the overall development agenda of the campaign. A number of partnership projects

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of GC members that have both high development results and long-term business return have been developed in the framework of this campaign. For example, in June 2009, a summer caf was opened in a small town as a result of the partnership project Business solves small town problems. One of them is the Telemedicine Development Project, which is provided to the population in the remote regions of the country using cellular communication technologies. Medical cardiological data of the patients can be transferred via wireless mobile communication from any point in Belarus to a specialized doctor in order to carry out a precise diagnostic. This project makes it possible to prevent critical situations in cardiology through operative counselling by specialists using TeleECG; it also helps re-train, and decrease the isolation of medical workers in small, populated areas. Another partnerships is the Telemedicine Development Project, which started in 2008 and is now being developed in many regions of Belarus.

GCLN major national initiave for all stakeholders, but also presents a highly innovative collective action approach focused on making an impact on two levels: the policy level establishing policy dialogue with ministries and government on the topics of green tariffs, renewable energy and the Kyoto Protocol; and the implementation level engaging organizations, promoting environmental public awareness and stimulating corporate and individual behaviour change with respect to the environment. On 3 July 2008, the campaign was launched by the official signing of the Go Green Declaration by business and civil society leaders. Since its launch, the campaign has implemented a number of joint actions and initiatives, including, inter alia: a national photo contest Caring for Our Planet: Addressing Climate Change (June 2008); Global Compact corporate cleanup weekends at Trukhaniv island in Kyiv (July, 2008; October, 2008; April, 2009; September 2009; April 2010); various partnership projects, including three waves of the social advertising campaign on environmental challenges (2008 2010); and Green Office training for GC members (February 2009). The Go Green campaign was established as an ongoing initiative as it continues to expand within Ukraine. Among the highlights of the campaign are two major events superbly executed by the GC Secretariat and the GC network, namely: > The National Survey on Climate Change Perceptions (December 2008January

Ukraine: The Go Green campaign: Establishing innovative, interrelated initiatives

The Go Green campaign launched by GCLN Ukraine presents another good practice for collective action and collaboration, combining multi-level strategic planning and implementation of multiple clusters of interrelated initiatives. This is the first initiative in the region that addresses the issue of climate change in great scope and depth. The campaign acts as the

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2009) This is the first survey on climate change perceptions, providing a comprehensive picture of climate change awareness within Ukraine. Survey results were presented and discussed during the first Ukrainian Business Summit on Climate Change. > The Ukrainian Business Summit on Climate Change The United Nations Office and Global Compact Network in Ukraine, with the support of the Ministry of Environment, conducted the First and Second Ukrainian Business Summit on Climate Change in 2009 and 2010. GCLN Ukraine is the first network acting as convener of a continuing national debate on the issues of climate change. They not only succeeded to organize the first national business summit on climate change in the region, but further established it as a traditional annual forum. The climate change summits contribute to raising awareness on climate change among the government, business, the expert community and NGOs, and also provide a platform for discussions on the role of business in climate change mitigation, new innovative business models for environmental protection, state facilitation of ecological responsibility of business, the necessity of PPPs and the importance of eco-friendly technologies and energy efficiency. The second Summit focused on, inter alia, the new diverse global challenges linked to climate change and the necessary strategies businesses needed to face them.

These and many other innovative initiatives within the framework of the Go Green campaign represent important good practices from the GC project in Ukraine for replication across the region. The idea of the campaign is already being replicated in Moldova. Green collective actions are also implemented by the members of GCLN Belarus, and are gaining popularity in Armenia and Georgia. The Go Green campaign illustrates another good practice created by the GCLN Ukraine Secretariat a comprehensive approach for the development and implementation of network activities. The network activities are grouped in thematic streams presenting specific GC principles or priority CSR topics, such as environmental stream, under which the Go Green campaign was developed. Each stream includes a spectrum of activities and methods of engagement, from awareness raising, research and training, to events, campaigns, and in many cases, policy dialogue and partnership projects. Each stream is also supported by operational structures within the networks governance and organizational system: the work is implemented under the leadership of the respectful working group responsible for planning, delivery towards targets, and reporting to the network; all WGs are coordinated and supported by the Secretariat. This thematic stream-based approach for the development of network activities has been replicated by GCLN Serbia.

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>

CONCLUSION

hile the context in each of the project

CSR that meets the needs and demands of businesses, governments and associated stakeholders. Each of these good practices may be adapted to the unique situation of a specific country or regions as a means to increase regional, national and local participation of business, government and other stakeholders interested in increasing business competitiveness through CSR practices.

countries may differ, the good practices presented all offer approaches that have been successful in expand-

ing and enhancing participation, awareness and practice of corporate social responsibility within and among GC Networks. The good practices have proven useful and successful in the countries with respect to the the following categories: 1. Outreach 2. Learning 3. Policy dialogue 4. Awareness raising and advocacy 5. Networking and information exchange 6. Collective action and collaboration with other actors. These good practices provide a range of proven approaches and activities that may help a country or region to increase knowledge, and influence policy and practice in CSR within the framework of the GC networks, without limiting other innovative approaches or measures for fostering inclusive, practical

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Box 1. The Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact

Launched in July 2000, the UN Global Compact is a both a policy platform and a practical framework for companies that are committed to sustainability and responsible business practices. Through a wide spectrum of specialized workstreams, management tools, resources, and topical programs, the UN Global Compact aims to advance two complementary objectives: > Mainstream the ten principles in business activities around the world > Catalyze actions in support of broader UN goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) As a leadership initiative endorsed by chief executives, it seeks to align business operations and strategies everywhere with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Human rights Principle 1 - Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and Principle 2 - make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses. Labour Principle 3 - Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; Principle 4 - the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour; Principle 5 - the effective abolition of child labour; and Principle 6 - the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. Environment Principle 7 - Businesses are asked to support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges; Principle 8 - undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and Principle 9 - encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies. Anti-corruption Principle 10 - Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.

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www.unglobalcompact.org/

United Nations Development Programme Europe and the CIS Bratislava Regional Centre Grsslingova 35 81109 Bratislava Slovak Republic Tel.: (421 2) 59337-111 Fax: (421 2) 59337-450 http://europeandcis.undp.org