The Ten Principles of the Global Compact

The Global Compact asks companies to embrace, support and enact, within their sphere of influence, a set of core values in the areas of human rights, labour standards, the environment, and anti-corruption:

Human Rights

Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and
Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.

Labour Standards

Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;
Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour;
Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; and
Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.

Environment

Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;
Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and
Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.

Anti-Corruption

Principle 10: Businesses should work against all forms of corruption, including extortion and bribery.

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Participants

Public/Government

The public/Government is responsible for engaging their city into the Cities Programme. The most senior representative (Mayor, administrator, Chief Executive or other) writes a letter to the UN Secretary General indicating the desire to participate.

Local government may also assist in the establishment of the local secretariat that will manage the project process. The Mayor or other senior members of the local government should actively engage in the local secretariat by providing resources and expert opinions.

Private/Business

Private companies are invited to help resolve complex social, economic and environmental issues. The innovative process is designed to ensure that private businesses will receive direct benefits. This is one of the key elements that differentiates the Cities Programme from other urban development or Corporate Social Responsibility Programmes.

Civil Society

The participation by the civil society is vital to the success of the Cities Programme. They are equal partners to business and government and fulfil an important role providing ideas, expertise, guidance and direction to the issues under consideration by individual cities.

Academia

Falling within the category of civil society, academia can play a vital role in this process: assisting with and/or conducting research, providing local and international context and providing brain-power and resources on specific projects as chosen by individual cities.  Academia is thereby asked, within the context of the Cities Programme, to assist with the concrete application of theory and research to real-life urban issues.

Cities

The Cities Programme operates in diverse socio-economic, cultural and environmental contexts across the globe. Currently, the Programme operates in all six continents, with membership encompassing an expanding list of geographically distinct cities.

Contact Us

International Secretariat
UN Global Compact Cities Programme
Global Cities Institute
RMIT University
Melbourne
Australia

Postal:
International Secretariat
UN Global Compact Cities Programme
Global Cities Institute
RMIT University
GPO Box 2476V
Melbourne 3001 Australia

Office:
RMIT Building 91, Level 2
110 Victoria Street
Melbourne VIC 3000 Australia

Secretariat Contact Numbers
(T) +61 3 9925 3407
(F) +61 3 9925 3058


Email:

FAQ

Global Partners

Methodology

Resources

UNGC Cities Programme – Useful Information

• United Nations Global Compact Cities Programme The Melbourne Model: Solving Hard Urban Issues Together
• The Melbourne Model and its All Sector Taskforces: Theoretical Framework and Delivery Mechanism for the United Nations Global CompactCities Programme

Membership

Cities interested in membership of the Cities Programme should contact the International Secretariat at:

Milton House
Level 2, 25 Flinders Lane
Melbourne VIC 3000
Australia
Tel: +61 3 9650 8800
Fax: +61 3 9650 6066
Email:

Participation

To participate in the Cities Programme, a city should:

1. Send a Letter of Engagement from a senior city representative to the UN secretary General stating a commitment on behalf of the city to participate.
2. Identify an organisation to act as Local Secretariat
3. Identify a project of direct concern to all sectors (government, business and civil society)
4. Pay an engagement fee for the administrative costs of programme facilitation

Benefits

UNGC Cities Programme membership is a constructive and proactive step for cities towards mobilising existing local resources to meet the economic, social, and environmental challenges of urbanisation. By working in collaboration, the Cities Programme and its member cities will contribute to international best practice in urban development, all sector cooperation and local capacity building.

Membership benefits include:

Dedicated Consultation

• Access to international expertise on chosen topic
• Project design advice and guidance
• Project evaluation
• Project facilitation materials
• Regular contact with the International Secretariat
• Access to the Melbourne Model methodology

International Branding

• Access to UN Global Compact – Cities Programme logo
• Individual cities branding
• Inclusion in academic journals and conferences
• UN Global Compact – Cities Programme website listings
• Cooperative marketing opportunities
• Official Certificate of Participation

Access to Urban e-Portal

• Member city networking
• Access to successfully trialled strategies
• E-based industry workshops and forums
• Opportunity to communicate project internationally

International Networking

• International Conferences

General Assistance

• Provision of a media kit
• Supply of UN Global Compact – Cities Programme marketing brochures
• Presentation of certificate of appreciation and association with the programme

Additional benefits – Access to:

• Visits from International Secretariat (subject to availability)
• Additional dedicated consultation and advice
• Technical advice and instruction
• Supplementary project evaluation during or post – completion
• All-sector organisational matching
• All-sector Taskforce workshop facilitation
• Trade or Secretariat visits to partner cities
• Trade delegation visits to partner cities
• Opportunity to host international conferences

‘The UN Global Compact Cities Program Guidelines of Participation’ provides further information

Costs

There is an Engagement fee associated with joining the Cities Programme. Please contact the International Secretariat for further details.

About Us

Cities Programme

The UNGC – Cities Programme is an urban-focused component of the UN Global Compact. The programme provides a unique model for cities across the globe to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to long-term and intractable challenges based on the ten principles of the Global Compact in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption.

Based on the premise that any city, anywhere, contains the capacity to resolve the issues it faces, the Cities Programme offers a framework for building constructive, all-sector taskforces between business, government and civil society, to produce practical responses in areas where single-sector initiatives have previously failed.

The development of new, progressive methodologies such as the Cities Programme has become increasingly critical in the twenty-first century as urban populations outnumber rural growth for the first time and new, complex challenges emerge.

Combining the ideas, knowledge, experience and resources inherent within all three sectors offers a powerful, unique and unlimited capacity to effect change and address these challenges in areas such as waste management, water and sanitation, poverty alleviation, traffic safety and housing redevelopments.

Cities Programme within the UN Global Compact

The United Nations Global Compact and associated Cities Programme are complementary organisations that, together, offer business, government and civil society options for proactively supporting corporate social justice principles and initiatives.

The UN Global Compact

The Global Compact is a business-focused initiative that seeks to bring companies together with UN agencies, labour and civil society in support of ten core principles focusing on the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption. The Global Compact recognises the growing influence of the private sector and the subsequent opportunity that exists for corporations to adopt, internalise and apply these key overarching principles in their sectors of activity for the benefit of their companies and the communities in which they operate.

The Cities Programme

The Cities Programme exists to offer metropolises the opportunity to implement the ten principles at a city-wide level, translating these standards into concrete and positive outcomes in everyday urban environments. Working within the Global Compact framework, the Cities Programme makes a clear statement of a metropolis’ civic, cultural and corporate character as well as motivating real and measurable change and encouraging participation in international dialogue.

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The Cities Programme

Improving the Quality of Urban Life

The Cities Programme seeks to translate the overarching 10 principles of the UN Global Compact into innovative, concrete and sustainable solutions to intractable economic, social and environmental urban issues.

The Programme achieves these outcomes by identifying, harnessing, focusing and applying existing local capacity within business, government and civil society.