Background

In his speech to the Davos World Economic Forum in January 1999, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan proposed a Global Compact between the UN and business to uphold and promulgate a set of core values in the areas of human rights, labour standards and environmental practice.

His proposal was made against the background of a developing constructive new relationship between the United Nations and business - a relationship reflected in two joint declarations agreed between the Secretary-General and the ICC, wherein each side recognized that their respective goals are mutually supporting.

The Global Compact was formally launched on 26 July 2000 at a meeting at the United Nations chaired by Kofi Annan and attended, among others, by senior officers of some 50 major companies.

ICC policy statement on "The role of the UN in promoting corporate responsibility"
21 June 2007

Remarks by Clarence Kwan, National Managing Partner, Chinese Services Group Deloitte & Touche LLP
- on behalf of the International Chamber of Commerce at the Global Compact Summit, Shanghai (China), November 2005

The Global Compact: a business perspective
Global Compact Leaders Summit, 24 June 2004, New York