Event: Celebrating UN International Anti-Corruption Day: A Panel Discussion – Tuesday 9 December, 2014

As the world celebrated UN International Anti-Corruption Day, Mazars reflected on the international efforts made to combat corruption and looked forward to the future.  International Anti-Corruption Day has been celebrated annually on 9 December since 2003. In 2014, the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime and United Nations Development Programme established a global campaign focusing on how corruption hinders efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.  Coincidentally, 2014 also marked the 10th anniversary of the introduction of anti-corruption as the fourth pillar of the United Nations Global Compact.  To celebrate the significant successes achieved so far and discuss ongoing challenges, Mazars held an International Anti-Corruption Day event at the Tate Modern on Tuesday 9 December 2014. Joined by a panel of experts who discussed the ongoing international anti-corruption effort and their hopes for progress over the next ten years, the session also touched upon the wider ambitions of the UN Global Compact. More information here.

Webinar: ‘Meet the UN’ Webinar Series – 17 & 18 November
The United Nations is an extremely complex organisation, comprised of hundreds of offices around the world, addressing the full spectrum of the human experience.  From the outside (and even from the inside) it can be an impenetrable alphabet soup of acronyms: UNEP, UNDP, ILO, UNRWA, FAO, UNCTAD, OHCHR, UNESCO, UNIDO, IMF, WFP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN-Women, IFAD, IDA, UNHCR, UN-Habitat…  Very few people know what all these letters stand for, let alone what these organisations do! To address this problem, the Global Compact Network UK presented a ‘Meet the UN’ Webinar Series.  The programme consisted of two webinars on consecutive days with 20+ UN agencies giving brief introductions to their work and how the private sector can engage with them. The webinars took place from 13:30 – 15:30 on Monday, 17 November and Tuesday, 18 November. 

Workshop: ‘Communicating Progress: The Essentials’ – 21 November
The Global Compact Network UK offered a half-day training workshop on how to draft a Communication on Progress (COP) that effectively communicates with your company’s stakeholders and complies with the UN Global Compact’s reporting requirements. This workshop was aimed at anyone struggling to produce their COP.  Presenters discussed COP requirements, materiality, links to GRI, data collection/metrics and effective presentation. There was a participation fee for this workshop, with a substantial discount for Network members.

Partner Event: ‘Communications & Reporting Summit’ – 13 & 14 November
Thought-leaders specialising in reporting and communications have been meeting at Ethical Corp’s CR Reporting & Comms Summit in London for nearly a decade to discuss the finer points of what constitutes reporting best practice. This November, they were back with a strong focus on value-creation for stakeholders, both internal and external, company’s financial performance, and generating positive change. The Global Compact Network UK participated in the Summit this year as a media partner. The aim for the 8th Annual CR Reporting & Communications Summit was to help companies bring sustainability to life and create value. Focusing on these bigger issues to improve organisation’s reporting process is where thought leaders are heading. Getting this right is crucial to building a sustainably viable commercial business. A complete agenda for the Summit, along with a complete speaker and delegate line-up, can be found here.

Webinar: ‘Water Scarcity: A threat to business as usual’ – 11 November
In partnership with Sedex, the UK Network organised a webinar that considered water-related business risks.  The CDP Global Water Report 2013 found that 64% of respondents to the CDP survey believe water-related risks will hit their businesses within the next five years, with 70% identifying water as a significant business risk now.

Event: ‘Education: The Smartest Investment’ –  7 November
In 2013, the UN Global Compact, in partnership with the UN Special Envoy for Global Education, UNICEF and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published The Smartest Investment: A Framework for Business Engagement in Education.  This publication sets out the case for why businesses should care about education and provides guidance for businesses keen to create educational and learning opportunities for children and young people. This Global Compact Network UK event explored the value business can generate for itself and society by developing, supporting and engaging in educational activities that bolster a child’s or young person’s future prospects.  We looked at the business case for investing in education and provided concrete examples that could be applied to your business.

Webinar: ‘Communicating About the Global Compact’ – 21 October
The Global Compact Network UK, in collaboration with UN Global Compact HQ, organised a webinar to help you communicate about the Global Compact. We were joined by 44 participants on 21 October. When your organisation became a signatory to the UN Global Compact, your CEO made a number of commitments, one of which was to  “…advance the Global Compact through advocacy and active outreach to peers, partners, clients, consumers and the public at large.” We recognize that communicating about the Global Compact can be quite challenging, and therefore hope that all the participants found the webinar informative and helpful in their pursuit to comply with their obligations as a Global Compact signatory. A recording of the webinar can be accessed here; and if you find you are missing the required codec, it can be obtained here.

Event: ‘Supply Chain Forum: Managing for Supply Chain Sustainability’ – 15 October
In partnership with Sedex, the UK Network organised an event to promote peer-to-peer knowledge exchange on the subject of managing for supply chain sustainability. Attendees heard speakers from BBC Worldwide, M&S, and Sedex, sharing experience about overcoming internal challenges to embedding sustainability into their business operations.

Webinar – Transparency: The Impact of Corruption on Supply Chains – 9th September
In Partnership with Sedex
This well-attended webinar addressed the issues of corruption and bribery, which cost developing countries up to $40 billion (£24.5 billion) each year and are described as the “thieves of economic and social development”, according to The UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Business signatories of the UNGC are calling for Anti-Corruption to be a fundamental pillar of the Post-2015 Development Goals. In this webinar, hear practical guidance from experts for companies on managing anti-corruption in the supply chain.
Our expert speakers included:
• Peter van Veen, Director – Business Integrity Programme – Transparency International UK
• David Lawrence – Chairman, AIM-PROGRESS and Non-Executive Board Member, Sedex Global
• Ralph Schmid –  Manager, Compliance Management Procurement – Daimler Group
To view it, click here.

Workshop: ‘Operationalising the UN Guiding Principles’ – 3-4 July
Hosted by De Beers
The UK Network organised a two-day workshop on the UN Guiding Principles.  ‘Operationalising the UN Guiding Principles’, aimed at those who are tasked with leading their company’s corporate responsibility programmes.  Facilitated by twentyfifty, this training demystified business and human rights, gave a business orientation to the UN Guiding Principles, and provided simple, practical advice on their implementation.  Importantly, it was:

  • tailored to participants‘ specific needs through pre-training assessment interviews;
  • based on an action-learning model, supporting participants in applying the training to their practice;
  • highly interactive, with small group work and discussions where participants contribute their own experiences using real world examples;
  • useful, through helping participants navigate the many resources available and to identify practical steps to implement the UN Guiding Principles.

The cost for UNGC Network UK members was £525+VAT and £725+VAT for non-members.  More information and details can be found here or in this workshop flyer. If you have any questions, please contact the Secretariat.

Event: UK Launch of the UNGC’s Business for Peace Platform – 24 June
Hosted by Old Mutual
The UK Network was pleased to organise a UK launch of the UNGC’s ‘Business for Peace Platform’, which was first presented at the Leaders’ Summit in September 2013 and has become a key thematic area for the initiative.  The event was organised in partnership with Engi.  More details of the event will be available soon.

Event: Introducing the UNGC’s Food & Agriculture Business Principles –
4 June
Hosted by Sedex
Dr Puvan Shelvanathan, the UNGC’s Head of Sustainable Agriculture, joined us to introduce the Food & Agricultural Business Principles (FABs). We partnered with Forum for the Future, Sedex and UNGC HQ on this event.  Places were quite limited, so participation of companies in the food, beverage, agriculture and related industry sectors were prioritised.

Event: Assessing human rights impacts: where the rubber hits the road – 3 June
Hosted by Clifford Chance LLP
Over 90 people attended this event, which brought together speakers from BP, Kuoni, Marshalls, Nestlé and Rio Tinto, all leading companies that are undertaking human rights due diligence and, specifically, assessing the human rights impacts in their business operations and other key organisations working on business and human rights, for example: the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, Institute for Human Rights and Business, Amnesty International UK and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (see Agenda).  A publication entitled ‘Assessing human rights impacts: where the rubber hits the road – A primer’ was developed and distributed in support of the event.  It includes a Foreword from Jenny Willott, Minister for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and captures the thoughts of all ten speakers. For a copy of the keynote speech, given by John Morrison of the Institute of Human Rights and Business, click here.

Workshop: Communication on Progress (COP) training – 31 March 2014
Hosted by Mazars
This half-day workshop highlighted the essential elements of a Communication on Progress report.  Presentersl discussed COP requirements, materiality, links to GRI, data collection/metrics and effective presentation in addition to presenting case studies of ‘best-in-class’ reports.  It was attended by participants from eight UNGC signatory companies.  Further workshops on how to communicate progress are planned throughout the year.

Webinar: Human Trafficking and Forced Labour – a modern day slavery (part of the Supply Chain series) – 25 February
Online
Recent news coverage has done much to raise awareness of this important issue.  However, with awareness comes responsibility and companies must be vigilant to ensure that both their direct operations and their supply chains are free from trafficked and forced labour. This webinar underscored some of the pressing challenges for businesses and provide recommendations on what businesses can do to tackle human trafficking. More information can be found here.

Event: Supply Chain Series: Enabling Sustainable Practices in Supply Chains – 11 February
Hosted by Reed Elsevier
Continuing our successful events partnership with Sedex, this first event examined how businesses can drive and empower sustainable practices in their supply chains. The format was highly participatory, with short presentations from moderators, followed by roundtable discussions that provided opportunities to participate in B2B knowledge exchange and learning.