Event: Aligning Investors and Companies to Advance the SDGs
1 December 2017
The UN Global Compact Network UK and PRI joined forces to organise an event on ‘Aligning Investors and Companies to Advance the SDGs’, that took place in London on 1 December 2017. The main speakers were Steve Waygood, Chief Responsible Investment Officer at Aviva Investors, and Kris Douma, Director of Investment Practice and Reporting at PRI. They were followed by high level representatives of the investment community who led a discussion aimed at exploring how investors can help drive corporate action on the SDGs and how to align investor expectations with corporate actions. While there is a strong investment case for the SDGs, many challenges remain. On one side, corporate SDG reporting needs to be improved so the information can be adequately used by investors. On the other, the management of ESG risks and SDG impacts has to be combined into an intelligent dynamic within the investment community in order to move towards longer-term investment strategies.
Event: Modern Slavery and UN Sustainable Development Goals Cross-sector Dialogue
28 September 2017
The UN Global Compact Network UK and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) joined forces to organise a meeting on Modern Slavery and UN Sustainable Development Goals hosted by Debenhams. The primary objective of this gathering was to facilitate an exchange of knowledge about these critical issues across industry sectors. Key speakers for the event were Baroness Lola Young, who presented her Private Member’s Bill to strengthen Section 54 of the MSA 2015 and Paul Broadbent, former GLAA’s Chief Executive.
Event: 2017 meeting of the European Business and Human Rights Peer Learning Group
26 September 2017
The UN Global Compact Network UK hosted the 2017 meeting of the European Business & Human Rights Peer Learning Group, an event organised in cooperation with the UN Global Compact Networks Germany and Spain. The peer learning group was launched in 2016 by the Local Networks UK, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Netherlands, following the UN Forum on Business & Human Rights in Geneva. This year’s meeting, titled ‘From Global to Local – Implementing human rights due diligence across your global operations’ gathered 36 companies from different European countries to discuss common issues faced in addressing human rights risks across global value chains.
Workshop: Human Rights Due Diligence and Reporting – India
25 September 2017
After the success of the first workshop held in Johannesburg in June 2017, the UN Global Compact Network UK continued its partnership with SHIFT and WBCSD, to deliver another workshop in Delhi. Focused on Human Rights Due Diligence and Reporting, the workshop provided a training tailored to the needs of UNGC UK and WBCSD members with operations or suppliers in India. Participants learned about their organisation’s responsibility to respect human rights and familiarized with a number of key tools to prioritise, manage and report publicly on salient human rights and to embed the UN Guiding Principles throughout their organisations. This workshop was part of the second phase of a larger DFID-funded initiative started in December 2016 to advance human rights reporting as a driver of improved corporate performance in the area of respect for human rights.
Event: A Conversation with Lise Kingo & UNGC Network UK AGM
22 June 2017
The UN Global Compact Network UK was delighted to host the Global Executive Director, Lise Kingo, at its Annual General Meeting on the afternoon of 22 June 2017. She presented the Global Compact’s new 2020 Strategy which lays out how we will create a global movement of sustainable companies and stakeholders to create the world we want. During the AGM participants learned about the changes to the Global Compact’s funding model that will affect companies with over USD50M in annual turnover starting from January 2018. For more information, please contact the Network Secretariat.
Workshop: Human Rights Due Diligence and Reporting – Africa
13 June 2017
In partnership with SHIFT and WBCSD, the UNGC UK Network held a one day workshop in Johannesburg focused on Human Rights Due Diligence and Reporting. The workshop provided a training tailored to the needs of UNGC UK and WBCSD members with operations or suppliers in Africa. Participants learned about their organisation’s responsibility to respect human rights and familiarized with a number of key tools to prioritise, manage and report publicly on salient human rights and to embed the UN Guiding Principles throughout their organisations. This workshop was part of a larger DFID-funded initiative started in December 2016 to advance human rights reporting as a driver of improved corporate performance in the area of respect for human rights.
Workshop: Communicating Progress: The Essentials
22 May 2017
The UN Global Compact Network UK repeated its half-day training workshop on how to draft a Communication on Progress (COP) that complies with the UN Global Compact’s reporting requirements and effectively communicates with your company’s stakeholders. Presenters discussed COP requirements, materiality, links to GRI, data collection/metrics and effective presentation. This workshop is aimed at people producing their first COP and always receives very positive reviews from participants.
Event: UK Launch of WEPs Gender Gap Analysis Tool
17 May 2017
The UN Global Compact Network UK and BSR organized an event to introduce the WEPs Gender Gap Analysis Tool and to explore the WEPs in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals. Through an exercise participants were invited to discuss about SDG 5 and its links with the other SDGs. The exercise was followed by the presentation of the WEPs Gender Gap Analysis Tool from BSR and the experience of RELX Group in piloting the Tool.
Roundtable: EU Conflict Minerals Regulation and the Implications for UK Companies
29 March 2017
With the passage of the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation, the UK Network organised an event to inform members about the current state of play with regards to this new legislation and the implications it will have for UK companies.
This event was a small roundtable with two key speakers:
1) Michael Gibb, Campaign Leader, Conflict Resources, Global Witness and
2) Rein Nieland, Policy Officer, European Commission – DG Trade
Roundtable: Children in Humanitarian Crises – What Business can do
7 March 2017
The UN Global Compact Network UK organised a small roundtable on children in humanitarian crises. Discussions were centred on the recent joint UN Global Compact/Unicef guidance publication, ‘Children in Humanitarian Crises: What Business Can Do’. The panel consisted of a representative from UNGC and Unicef and Pearson talking about what their business is doing to protect children in emergencies.
Event: Ring the Bell for Gender Equality
7 March 2017
The UN Global Compact Network UK joined forces with the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, the London Stock Exchange, Principles for Responsible Investment, Rosa UK, Women in ETFs and the IFC Treasury to ‘Ring the Bell for Gender Equality’ at the London Stock Exchange on 7 March to mark International Women’s Day.
Workshop: ‘Communicating Progress: The Essentials’
19 January 2017
The UN Global Compact Network UK repeated its half-day training workshop on how to draft a Communication on Progress (COP) that complies with the UN Global Compact’s reporting requirements and effectively communicates with your company’s stakeholders. Presenters discussed COP requirements, materiality, links to GRI, data collection/metrics and effective presentation. This workshop is aimed at people producing their first COP and always receives very positive reviews from participants.
