Promoting Private Sector Partnerships (UN Global Compact)
The process of globalization brings many opportunities for development and increased prosperity around the world. However, there is a growing awareness of and concern about the impact of the globalization process on local communities and the broader responsibilities that business must accept.
The UN Global Compact, announced by former Secretary General Kofi Annan at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 1999, aims to encourage and promote good corporate practices and learning experiences in the areas of human rights, labour and the environment. It is also an entry point for the business community to work in partnership with the United Nations, in support of the principles, shared values and broader goals of the international community.
UNDP Thailand has worked with a number of Thai business partners and federations to promote the values and principles of the UN Global Compact in Thailand since May 2001. Among UNDP Thailand’s major partners in this area are the Employers' Confederation of Thailand (ECOT), the Federation of Thai Industries, the Thai Chamber of Commerce, the Office of Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) Promotion, and the SME Bank.
A partnership with the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), one of the leading national educational institutions in Thailand, has also been established to promote the values and principles of the Global Compact through the development of curricula and courses targeted at businesspeople at both the senior executive and start-of-career levels.
A series of national workshops have been organized with business partners and UN agencies based in Thailand to explore how to better support corporate social responsibility and the UN Global Compact in the country.
