LCHR co-signs Letter to United Nations with Oxfam International, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch concerning UN Global Compact

On April 7th, four international organizations joined together to address the United Nations with their concerns regarding the UN Global Compact. The Global Compact, launched on July 26, 2000, was intended to offer an opportunity for UN bodies, corporations, unions and non-governmental organizations with a variety of interests to come together and reinforce ongoing efforts around the world to promote greater corporate accountability. The Global Compact promotes nine core principles relating to human rights, labor and the environment.

This letter addresses the co-signers' concern that the Global Compact needs to strengthen methods of accountability for the private sector when gauging compliance to the Compact's core principles, and offers several practical suggestions of how to make the Compact more rigorous in its methodology. The letter was sent to Ms. Louise Fréchette, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.

The letter states: "Our basic concern is about the role of the Global Compact once companies have committed themselves to the principles. The model so far has been that of a “learning network”, whereby relevant actors come together through various processes to discuss how best to implement the principles. Proposals to build some mechanisms of accountability into the Compact have been difficult to advance. Indeed, some might argue that accountability mechanisms have weakened over time... As we have stated in the past, we believe that the Global Compact must find ways to strengthen methods of accountability for the private sector in relation to the principles."

Read the full text of this letter

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