SECRETARY-GENERAL PRAISES GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR PROMOTING PRINCIPLES
OF GLOBAL COMPACT, IN MESSAGE TO NORWAY CONGRESS
Following is Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s message to the Third Congress of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions in Stavanger, Norway, 28-30 August:
When promoting the Global Compact, I often say that the United Nations needs good partners.� I am glad that we have such a partner in the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM).�
The Global Compact seeks to advance responsible corporate citizenship by promoting nine universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour and the environment.� The Compact relies on public accountability, transparency and enlightened self-interest.� Above all, it depends on partnerships, including with international labour organizations that are reaching global agreements with multinational corporations.
The ICEM is one such organization.� You are a signatory to six of the 30 global agreements currently in place.� You are the only global union federation whose agreements specifically refer to the Global Compact and its notion of good corporate citizenship and social responsibility.� Some of the agreements you have reached create important monitoring mechanisms that give hope of further improving those agreements.� You are also the first to achieve a global agreement with an African-based company -– Anglo Gold of South Africa, a company doing business in some of the more volatile parts of the world.� And your General Secretary, Fred Higgs, is a member of the Advisory Council of the Global Compact.
The ICEM has therefore done much to promote the principles of the Global Compact and the vision of a more sustainable and inclusive global economy that lies at its heart.� I hope that you will build on these efforts in the future.� Your leadership is particularly important in generating support for the Compact within the global labour movement.� I take heart from the fact that this year has seen greater involvement by global labour in the Compact than ever before.� This bodes well for the future of the Global Compact.� In that spirit, I send my best wishes to all delegates for a successful congress.
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