Catalyst for the 10 principles

In 2006, Fondation Guile signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Global Compact office to act as a booster for its 10 principles.

Since then, Fondation Guilé has been actively encouraging compliance with the universal principles of the United Nations Global Compact. These 10 principles, covering human rights, the right to work, environmental protection, and the fight against corruption, are universally applicable to varying extents, regardless of the size of a company or the region in which it operates.

Fondation Guilé also collaborated with the UN Global Compact in designing the “Blueprint for Corporate Sustainability Leadership”. The project was initiated at a private event which took place during the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting on 29 January 2010. The event was hosted by Fondation Guilé in cooperation with the Swiss Government (represented by SDC), KPMG and Novo Nordisk.

The proposal for a “Blueprint for Corporate Sustainability Leadership in the Context of the UN Global Compact” was presented by the Head of the Guilé Engagement Team. Important inputs for the design and development of the Blueprint were collected through discussions with high-level representatives from the private and public sector as well as the UN.

These findings informed Fondation Guilé’s work on the Blueprint and defined leadership within the Global Compact over three distinct dimensions: a) integrating the 10 principles into strategies and operations b) taking action in support of broader UN goals and issues and c) engaging with the UN Global Compact.

In the following, the rationale, structure and in particular the key components of the identified leadership dimensions were discussed and further developed together with the core team of the Global Compact Office. The Blueprint was launched at the UN Global Compact Leaders’ Summit 2010 in New York.