Schools embrace UN global compact

Article Financial Times, November 3rd.

The United Nations global compact – a voluntary initiative to promote corporate citizenship – will work with leaders of academic institutions round the world to develop principles for responsible business education.

A framework for action for the academic world will be based on the global compact’s 10 principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption.

These principles for responsible business education are intended to help academic institutions act as strategic partners in advancing corporate citizenship across the globe.

The agreement was reached at a recent forum – titled “Business as an agent for world benefit” – in Ohio... (see related post on this blog of October 26th, 2006)

Institutions that are going to help draft the principles include the Academy of Management, the British Academy of Management, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the European Foundation for Management Development, the European Academy of Business in Society, Harvard University’s Social Enterprise Knowledge Network and Net Impact, the global student association.

Comments

[Edward Patrick Flaherty]

So long as the UN itself honors the principles of the Global Compact in the breach (particularly those those concerning labor practices and corruption), the Global Compact is a joke. Geoffrey Robertson, a noted UK barrister, Human Rights lawyer, and judge on the Sierre Leone War Crimes Tribunal alleged in June 2006 that the UN violates the human rights of its own employees (http://www.un.org/cmp/uncmp/news/2006-06-13_NYS.pdf) !!! So much for good global citizenship on the part of the UN--its rather more of the same old mush from the UN and its corrupt senior officials--'do as we say and not as we do, and be sure to send us lots of money to waste or embezzle while you are at it!!'

If the thousands of companies who have navishly joined the Global Compact do not start forcing the UN itself to abide by the 10 Global Compact principles immediately, then civil society should start boycotting those companies and their products for they are no better than the UN, and probably doing just as much if not more harm to the world at large. Maybe those educational institutions contemplating joining the Global Compact should look before they leap!!