Abstract
In this paper, the Executive Head of the Global Compact shares some of his own reflections on the evolution of the Global Compact initiative – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s voluntary corporate citizenship initiative in the area of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption. Two main themes are addressed. The first considers the Global Compact’s institutional context, examining how such an initiative is even possible in the historically hierarchical and traditionally business-unfriendly UN. The second concerns the voluntary nature of the initiative and how it interacts with regulatory approaches. It explains what the Global Compact has to offer as a voluntary initiative, as well as how it can make a unique and complementary contribution to regulation-backed initiatives. The paper concludes with a brief consideration of what the future holds for the Global Compact.
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Georg Kell Georg Kell began his career at the United Nations in 1987–1990: UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Geneva. 1990: he joined the New York office of UNCTAD; 1993–1997: head of the office. 1997: senior officer at the executive office of the Secretary-General responsible for fostering the cooperation with the private sector. Since 2000, executive head, Global Compact, United Nations, New York.
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Kell, G. The Global Compact Selected Experiences and Reflections. J Bus Ethics 59, 69–79 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-005-3413-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-005-3413-0