Center for Responsible Business at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business Becomes Secretariat for the United States Network of the United Nations Global Compact
The Center for Responsible Business (CRB) is pleased to announce that we are the new Secretariat for the United States Network of the United Nations Global Compact (UN Global Compact).
“I’m excited to help the UN Global Compact more fully engage the 500 members of the U.S. Network, inspire collaborative action, and help businesses transform how business is done here in the US and around the world,” proclaimed Jo Mackness, CRB’s Executive Director.
“Our students and faculty are looking forward to supporting and expanding this platform to unleash the opportunities associated with collaborative action.”
In this role, the Berkeley-Haas CRB will support the Steering Committee of the nearly 500-organization Network in executing its mission and goals around growing the engagement and impact of the Network.
The U.S. Network of the UN Global Compact has grown to become the eighth largest among the UN Global Compact’s approximately 100 country networks around the world. These national networks help support the work of the UN Global Compact’s more than 10,000 participants as they seek implement the Compact’s ten principles in the areas of human rights, labor conditions, the environment, and anti-corruption.
Says UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: “The Global Compact asks companies to embrace universal principles and to partner with the United Nations. It has grown to become a critical platform for the UN to engage effectively with enlightened global business.”
The U.S. Network has grown increasingly active in recent years. In addition to being a regular participant and contributor at the UN Global Compact’s international Annual Local Networks Forum, the U.S. Network convenes yearly working conferences covering key sustainability and corporate responsibility topics. Previous working conferences have covered issues as diverse as “Managing Climate Risk”; “Business and Development Objectives”; “Business and Human Rights”; “CSR and Public Policy”; and “Sustainability and the Total Value Chain”.
CRB is a Natural Partner
“We are delighted to welcome the Haas School and its Center for Responsible Business in this new role,” said Cecily Joseph, Senior Director of Corporate Responsibility at Symantec Corporation and Chair of the U.S. Network Steering Committee. “As a world-class institution with a commitment to developing responsible business practices, we think the CRB is a natural partner and will contribute significantly to the evolution and continued growth of the U.S. Network.”
Ms. Joseph also noted that the Haas School of Business is a signatory of the UN Global Compact’s Principles for Responsible Management Education, which seeks to advance the tenets of sustainability and corporate responsibility in management education and research.
CRB Responsibilities
The CRB will lead activities to grow the U.S. Network through Dec. 31, 2013 (with the option and expectation of renewal). Specific responsibilities will include developing a comprehensive Network Strategic Plan and providing ongoing strategic advice on the overall Network strategy and governance, as well as the annual Fall Symposium to be held in San Francisco.
About the U.S. Network of the United Nations Global Compact
The UN Global Compact is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. The mission of the U.S. Network is to support the advancement and implementation of these ten Global Compact principles through dialogue, the exchange of information, and the expansion of U.S. signatories to the UN Global Compact.
