Ten years of Global Compact Network Germany – liaison office under GIZ management from the outset
Global Compact is a strategic policy initiative for businesses by the United Nations that calls on companies to align their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. On signing up to the Global Compact, businesses voluntarily undertake to improve their own social standards and carbon footprint and to report regularly on progress. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) is a member of Global Compact and has been coordinating the German Global Compact Network (DGCN) since 2001 – formerly as GTZ. This year sees DGCN celebrate its tenth anniversary.
Information sharing increasingly important
As the liaison office, we are a point of contact for the UN Global Compact Office and represent DGCN outwardly,’ says Ann-Ulrike Henning, who heads the DGCN coordination team at GIZ. ‘We have been commissioned with this task by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and coordinate our work with the German Foreign Office (AA) and the International Chamber of Commerce Germany. Furthermore, we are responsible for planning and implementing all DGCN events and keeping German participants informed about what is going on internationally at Global Compact.’ Sharing information with other regional Global Compact Networks is becoming increasingly important. Ms Henning has for example just conducted an online seminar on ‘Business and Human Rights’ with networks from Bangladesh, Colombia, the Netherlands and 25 other participants.
DGCN sees itself as an active learning and dialogue platform. Meetings are held three times a year in Berlin. With a focus on joint learning and discussions, companies share their hands-on experience with the ten principles. A few years ago, the liaison office also turned its hand to business coaching. Furthermore DGCN organises public forums, for example on the role of business in humanitarian disasters or in the management of biodiversity.
150 businesses on board
DGCN has grown substantially in recent years – from just six founding members at the start to some 150 today. And what does the future hold? ‘Global Compact has mapped out a strategy for the years ahead,’ says Henning. ‘One of the objectives is to better manage the growing number of participants, improve reporting, strengthen local networks and to make headway with regard to implementation of the principles.’
Jörn Leonhardt
