UN Secretary-General appoints new members to UN Global Compact Board

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New York, NY, June 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — UNITED NATIONS, New York, 2 June 2021 — UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed three new members to the United Nations Global Compact Board. 

Stephen Cotton, General Secretary, International Transport Workers’ Federation and Marco Lambertini, Director General, WWF International have been appointed to serve for a three-year term, effective immediately. Guy Ryder, Director-General, International Labour Organization, has been appointed to a new rotating two-year Board position which will be shared among the four guardian agencies of the UN Global Compact Ten Principles (International Labour Organization, UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN Environment Programme).

Also joining the Board is Rasmus Abildgaard Kristensen, Head of Department, Green Diplomacy and Climate, Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for this year during Denmark’s tenure as Chair of the UN Global Compact Government Group.

During the Board meeting last month, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J Mohammed and Board Vice Chair Paul Polman recognised and thanked outgoing members for their service: Board Vice Chair Bola Adelsola, Senior Vice Chairman – Africa, Standard Chartered Bank; Francesco Starace, CEO & General Manager, Enel SpA and Philip Jennings, former General Secretary, UNI Global Union.

“This new Board will help guide the strategic direction of the UN Global Compact as we look to build back better from the pandemic and make business truly sustainable. I look forward to working with our Board Members to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the SDGs through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change,” said Sanda Ojiambo, CEO & Executive Director of the UN Global Compact.

As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, who serves as Board Chair, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. 

Commenting on his appointment to the Board, Stephen Cotton, General Secretary, International Transport Workers’ Federation said: “Throughout the Covid-19 crisis the collaboration between labour organisations, employers and the UN Global Compact, particularly around the seafarers crew change crisis, has been instrumental to provide solutions for workers and businesses alike. I look forward to contributing to the UN Global Compact’s long term vision and strategy by representing the vital voice of labour and hard-working people on the Board.”

Marco Lambertini, Director General, WWF International said: “We will never defeat poverty or build a prosperous, equitable and resilient society on a failing planet. However, within this challenge lies the momentous opportunity to rebalance our relationship with the planet and address social inequalities at the same time. And in particular, business has a crucial role to play in building a truly sustainable development model by aligning their strategies, actions and operations to advance social and environmental development.” 

Guy Ryder, Director-General, International Labour Organization said: “As the first head of a guardian agency to take up a permanent seat on the UN Global Compact Board, I am committed to its ambitious agenda and strategy to make businesses more sustainable, responsible and accountable for the impact of their operations on people and planet. I also re-state my support for The Ten Principles, which are the foundation of our engagement with business on the broader UN agenda and the SDGs.  They are as critical now as they were 20 years ago when they were first launched.”

The following Board Members terms have been renewed for a further three years: 

Clara Arpa Azofra, CEO, ARPA Equipos Móviles de Campaña

Patrick Chalhoub, CEO, Chalhoub Group

Ren Hongbin, Vice Chairman, State Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of State Council (SASAC) of China

Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group

Flora Mutahi, Founder & CEO, Melvin Marsh International

Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Chairman & CEO, Schneider Electric

Sandra Wu Wen-Hsiu, Chairperson & CEO, Kokusai Kogyo Co. Ltd.

The UN Global Compact Board plays an important role in shaping the strategy and policy of the initiative, which acts as the United Nations flagship for responsible business action. Designed as a multi-stakeholder body, the Board provides ongoing strategic and policy advice for the initiative. Board members are considered champions who are willing and able to advance the mission of the UN Global Compact. They act in a personal, honorary and unpaid capacity. 

For the current list of board members please refer to: www.unglobalcompact.org/about/governance/board/members

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About the United Nations Global Compact

As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Our ambition is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. With more than 12,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, and 69 Local Networks, the UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative — one Global Compact uniting business for a better world.

For more information, follow @globalcompact on social media and visit our website at unglobalcompact.org

Contact

Media Contacts

Alex Gee

+447887 804594

alex@mackworthassociates.com

media@unglobalcompact.org


        

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