(New York, 25 June 2008) – The United Nations Global Compact Office announced today that a total of 630 companies have been removed from its list of participants for failure to communicate progress.

The delisting of companies is part of ongoing efforts by the UNGC Office to enhance the accountability and credibility of the initiative. The Integrity Measures were introduced in 2004 following a comprehensive review of the governance of the UN Global Compact. In accordance with the Integrity Measures, companies are required to communicate annually to their stakeholders on progress made in implementing the ten principles of the UN Global Compact. Failure to meet the Communication on Progress (COP) deadline results in a company being listed as “non-communicating” on the Global Compact website.

The delisting policy was first implemented in January 2008, when 394 companies were removed from the participant list. Since then, an additional 236 companies have been delisted – bringing to 630 the total number of companies delisted since the policy was implemented. In addition, 317 companies are currently listed as “inactive” on the website, of which 184 are at risk of being delisted in 2008.
 
Inactive companies at risk of being delisted can regain their status as “active” participants by submitting a Communication on Progress.
 
“While the delisting of companies is regrettable, it is essential that the UNGC initiative stays true to its accountability policy," said Georg Kell, Executive Director. “This helps protect the integrity of the initiative as a whole, while also protecting the engagement of seriously committed companies.”
 
Despite the large number of companies removed from the participant list, the overall number of participants continues to rise. During the first half of 2008, 701 new companies have joined the UN Global Compact, increasing the total number of business participants to 4619, and the total number of all participants – companies plus non-business stakeholders – to 5982.

Click here for a list of the 630 companies that have been removed from the Global Compact database.

Click here for a list of inactive participants.

Click here for a list of non-communicating participants.

Click here for more information about the Integrity Measures.

Click here for more information about Communication on Progress.

Links to related news items:
28 January 2008 - Update: Over 900 Global Compact Participants Marked “Inactive” or Delisted
28 December 2006 - 203 Additional Companies to be Listed as "Inactive"
2 October 2006 - 335 Companies "Inactive" as Part of Quality Drive
4 May 2005 - Global Compact Enters Next Phase in Governance Review
9 November 2004 - The Global Compact's Next Stage of Development

Contact: Oliver Johner, Communication on Progress Analyst, johner@un.org