Dear Reader,

This will be the last issue of the Compact Quarterly, which was launched in January 2005 to communicate international expert perspectives on issues close to the Global Compact and to keep our participants updated on the initiative.

Since then, the Global Compact has grown – both in size and capacity – and is more regularly producing news and resources, as well as holding learning events around the world. Our library of guidance and best practice publications has become more extensive over the years – covering core issue areas and other key topics (e.g. responsible investment, food sustainability). Additionally, we have just launched a monthly UN Global Compact Bulletin to keep participants and interested stakeholders up to date on news, engagement opportunities, resources and events.

A special note of thanks to our Editor, Carrie Hall, who developed, launched and edited the Compact Quarterly. She will continue to play a leading role in the Global Compact’s communications portfolio, including our Annual Review and monthly Bulletin.

As a Compact Quarterly subscriber, you will automatically be added to the distribution list of our monthly Bulletin. Please contact us at bulletin@unglobalcompact.org with any comments or to be removed from the list.

We believe that between our website, publications and the UN Global Compact Bulletin even the most avid follower of the Global Compact will be kept well-informed. Thank you for your continued interest and commitment to advancing corporate responsibility.

Sincerely,

Georg Kell
Executive Director
www.unglobalcompact.org

Global Compact Local Networks have become the most important vehicle for facilitating and intensifying a company’s commitment to the Global Compact. They are also increasingly concerned and active caretakers of the Global Compact brand. For reasons of quantity, quality, integrity and accountability, the destiny of the Global Compact initiative is tied to the future development of Local Networks. And that future looks very promising indeed.

Global Compact Local Networks help ensure that individual commitments by companies and other stakeholders are harnessed into broad change – through collective learning, dialogue and action. In my experience, these networks are immensely valuable, bringing together groups of enthusiasts determined to discuss differing approaches to common problems and then resolving to take action.

Some of the largest and most admired companies in Japan have joined the Global Compact, yet there are still too few participants in our country. I believe that the Global Compact provides the proper platform for corporate responsibility activities, and many of my business peers share this sentiment. We are strengthening the Japan Network by making it CEO-led, recognizing that long-term commitment to change can only succeed if led by top management.

The positive role that development can play in peacebuilding is what brought the Global Compact to Sudan in 2006, and has since led to extensive work to establish a Local Network. We believe the network can provide a practical and neutral platform to bring all actors together to explore how business can make a positive contribution to sustainable development and conflict mitigation.

The global agenda calls for Global Compact participants that “walk the talk” and understand their role as change agents. Global Compact Local Networks have a strategic role to play in this regard, making critical adjustments for local context and language. Engaging and training participants at the local level lays the ground for common knowledge, collective action and policy dialogue.

Read about Local Network activities around the world, including the Secretary-General's meeting with the network in Mexico, launches in Israel and Slovakia, and more.

The global crisis in financial markets and the subsequent economic downturn raise a range of important and urgent questions regarding corporate sustainability generally and the UN Global Compact specifically. This article outlines how a commitment to sustainability in the spirit of the Global Compact principles can help the private sector and markets regain the confidence and trust of the public and other stakeholders.

Urgent, comprehensive and coordinated action to address the food crisis and its root causes must be taken. While government leadership is crucial, business also has a vital role to play in partnership with others to develop and implement innovative responses. Many companies are already playing an active role both individually within their own value chains and collectively in partnerships. This article highlights examples of actions being taken by Global Compact participants to help address the food crisis.

Learn more about a number of new Global Compact-related tools and resources, including: "United Nations and the Private Sector: A Framework for Action", "Combating Forced Labour: A Handbook for Employers and Business", "Unchaining Value: Innovative Approaches to Sustainable Supply" and "Clean Business is Good Business".