Global Compact International Yearbook 2009

Agenda
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each country will be represented by both
a member of a government entity and a
representative from the corporate world.
The current members of the Steering
Committee aim to convene at least three
times a year, with the location of the
meeting rotating between them.
The UNGC Local Network’s activities
The UNGC Local Network has been off to
a flying start. Introducing the UNGC in
the region that was largely unfamiliar
with the Initiative and its principles,
we initially set out to raise awareness
among our existing members and the
general public. Support has been steadily
growing and we consequently rolled out
a number of lectures, workshops, and
documentation to further familiarize
organizations in the region with the
UNGC.
We also provide our participants with
access to CSR experts and resource speakers
to further strengthen their own CSR
practices. The Local Network has represented
the UNGC at three international
forums; the First Alliance of Civilizations
Annual Forum (Madrid, January 15–16,
2008), the Second Forum of Ministers for
Social Development (Amman, November
12–14, 2008), and the Business for the
Environment Global Summit (Singapore
April 22–23, 2008).
In addition to officially representing
the UNGC at high-level events, we have
committed ourselves to lobby for greater
UNGC participation whenever the (speaking)
opportunity arises. Perfect examples
of such opportunities were the International
Business Forum (Doha, November
28, 2008) and the CSR networking event
hosted by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce,
where the EEG chairperson, in
the capacity as guest speaker, encouraged
businesses to join the UNGC.
In addition to public speaking engagements,
the Local Network Steering Committee
convened twice in the past year.
The Local Network was also represented
at the UNGC board meeting, with Mrs.
Al Marashi present in New York (April
30–May 1, 2008).
UNGC Local Network participants
The UNGC Local Network for the GCC
states was launched under the patronage
of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed
bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai’s Crown
Prince and the chairman of the Executive
Council. His involvement with the UNGC
Local Network and with its launch has
been extremely beneficial to the Network
in terms of credibility and publicity. In
this region, having the government’s
seal of approval is crucial to engaging
key players in society, and the Crown
Prince’s patronage has proven to be very
helpful in this process.
The UNGC Local Network currently has
34 active participants spread out over
five GCC states, while the applications
for two more memberships are currently
being processed. The participants are
heterogeneous, with MNC’s, SME’s, and
local companies all participating. Reflecting
the GCC’s economy, the majority
of participants are Construction and
Engineering companies, with the Professional
and Scientific and Oil&Gas
enterprises coming in second and third
place, respectively.
As a relatively young Local Network, the
UNGC Local Network for the GCC set out
with a dual policy: to actively recruit new
participants to the UNGC and to engage
those businesses that had already signed
up globally to become active participants
locally. In this it has largely been successful.
Businesses across the region are
becoming more aware of the benefits of
participating in a Local Network, and the
Local Network focal point, in turn, has
been stepping up its efforts to actively
engage its Local Network participants.
This too has paid off. UNGC global initiatives
such as the CEO Water Mandate, the
Caring for Climate statement, the CEO
statement on the UN Convention against
Corruption, and the CEO statement on
Business and Human Rights were all
endorsed by businesses from the GCC. In
addition to these initiatives, one of the
GCC Local Network participants became
the first business from the Middle East
to donate to the UN Central Emergency
Response Fund (CERF) by answering the
Secretary General’s call to donate to the
Gaza Relief Fund.
Among the participants of the UNGC
Local Network for the GCC, there are
varying motivations for joining the Network.
In a participant survey held in
2008, respondents cited the desire to
build knowledge and capacity for CSR
as their top reason for joining the UNGC.
Improving stakeholder relationships and
building trust came in as a close second.
The fact that companies cite these objectives
as being more important than just
networking opportunities and PR value
is a clear sign that the long-term value of
responsible business is sinking in with
companies in the region.
The UNGC and CSR in the current
financial climate
Global Compact International Yearbook 2009 51