The Ten Principles
Inspiring, guiding and catalyzing change
Sustainability begins with a principles-based approach to doing business
Corporate sustainability starts with a company’s value system and a principles-based approach to doing business. This means operating in ways that meet fundamental responsibilities in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. By incorporating the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact into strategies, policies and procedures, and establishing a culture of integrity, companies are not only upholding their basic responsibilities to people and planet, but also setting the stage for long-term success.
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
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 corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.
Human Rights
The idea of human rights is as simple as it is powerful: that people have a right to be treated with dignity. While Governments have the duty to protect individuals against human rights abuses by third parties, businesses are increasingly recognizing their legal, moral and commercial need to respect human rights. Today, businesses are subject to closer scrutiny of their impacts on people and the planet. Companies that focus on respecting human rights — and cultivate positive relationships with their stakeholders — can help ensure their business’ continued growth and social license to operate.
The Human Rights Principles (Principles 1 and 2) of the UN Global Compact are derived from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We call on companies to respect and support internationally-proclaimed human rights and to ensure they are not complicit in human rights abuses. Before us is a unique opportunity to create a more equitable and sustainable society. The global business community can and must answer the call and stand up for human rights.
Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights.
This Principle sets out the UN Global Compact’s overarching expectation of business on human rights, namely, to respect and support human rights. Respecting human rights means a business should use due diligence to avoid infringing human rights (“do no harm”) and should address adverse human rights impacts with which they are involved. In addition, beyond respecting human rights, business is encouraged to take action to support human rights. This means seeing the opportunity to take voluntary action to make a positive contribution towards the protection and fulfillment of human rights whether through core business,strategic social investment/philanthropy, public policy engagement/advocacy, and/or partnerships and other collective action. Action to support human rights should be a complement to and not a substitute for action to respect human rights. Special attention should be paid to the rights of vulnerable groups, including women, children, people with disabilities, indigenous peoples, migrant workers, older persons etc.
Principle 2: Businesses should make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.
Complicity means being implicated in a human rights abuse that another company, government, individual or other group is causing. The risk of complicity in a human rights abuse may be particularly high in areas with weak governance and/or where human rights abuse is widespread. However, the risk of complicity exists in every sector and every country.
The requirement to respect human rights, pursuant to Global Compact Principle 1 and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, includes avoiding complicity, which is another way, beyond their own direct business activities, that businesses risk interfering with the enjoyment of human rights. The risk of an allegation of complicity is reduced (though not eliminated) if a company has a systematic management approach to human rights, including due diligence processes that cover the entity’s business relationships. Such processes should identify and prevent or mitigate the human rights risks with which the company may be involved through links to its products, operations or services.
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