The UN-Business Focal Point · Meet a Focal Point Meet Randy Gossen of Nexen, Inc., a Pioneer of CSR Introducing a private-sector focal point ... The Partnering Initiative Case Study

July 2006 ISSUE 2

Sections

Letter from the Global Compact

New Partnership Projects

News and Debate

Meet a Focal Point

Tools and Resources

Upcoming Events Calendar

Contacts

Contribute!

Letter from the GlobalCompact

Letter from the GlobalCompact Office

New PartnershipProjects

Catalyzing Micro-insurancethrough PPP – A Market basedSafety Net Mechanism for thePoor

UNHCR Partners with Microsoftand Nike to Launchninemillion.org

The MDG Carbon Facility:Mobilizing Carbon Finance forthe Millennium DevelopmentGoals

The UNDP Equator Initiative:Promoting Local Entrepreneursand Sustainability

Humanitarian Relief Initiative:A Newly Launched Initiativefor Strategic Public-PrivatePartnership Development

UNDP and The Coca-ColaCompany Work Together forClean Water

Those Fingers Greasy, Buddy?

Financing For Development: ALong Way since Monterrey

The International BioenergyPlatform (IBEP)

New Partnerships in Brief

News and Debate

Preparing for Impact, Scaleand Local Ownership

CSD-14 Results: Pushingforward in Energy forSustainable Development,Industrial Development, AirPollution, Atmosphere and

From the Global Compact

Letter from the Global Compact Office by Georg Kell, Global Compact Office

Dear Colleague, I am delighted to bring to you the second edition of the UN BusinessFocal Point e-newsletter. Thank you to all of you who providedsubmissions to this edition. It is great to see that you are takingadvantage of this forum for networking and communication...

[FULL STORY]

Partnership Projects

Catalyzing Micro-insurance through PPP – A Marketbased Safety Net Mechanism for the Poor by Arun Kashyap, UNDP

This public-private partnership project is designedas a strategic alliance between the UNDP, AllianzAG and GTZ to develop, offer and market a rangeof demand based private micro-insurance productsfor social protection of poor population groups ona model basis in India, Indonesia and Laos...

[FULL STORY]

UNHCR Partners with Microsoft and Nike to Launchninemillion.org by Elena Bonfiglioli, Microsoft EMEA

On 20 June, World Refugee Day, Microsoft, Nikeand Right To Play partnered with the UnitedNations refugee agency (UNHCR) to launch theninemillion.org campaign to bring attention to theneeds of refugee youth and to create a globalcommunity dedicated to giving them a chance tolearn and play...

[FULL STORY]

The MDG Carbon Facility: Mobilizing Carbon Finance forthe Millennium Development Goals

In order to capitalize on the benefits of carbon

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Climate Change

European Commission ChoosesBusiness over Conscience

The Three Pillars ofHumanitarian Reform

Business Action AgainstCorruption – How CorporateCitizenship Can Contribute toDeal with the Supply Side ofthe Corruption Dilemma

Meet a Focal Point

Meet Randy Gossen of Nexen,Inc., a Pioneer of CSR

Meet Kai Bethke, TechnicalAdvisor Private SectorDevelopment Branch, UNIDO

Tools and Resources

UN Launches Principles forResponsible Investment

The IEG Evaluation of WorldBank Assistance for NaturalDisasters

The New and ImprovedUNDESA CSD Database

The Seed Initiative PartnershipReport

The Business of Health - TheHealth of Business

The Development AssistanceDatabase: Tracking andAnalyzing TsunamiContributions from the PrivateSector

Partnering for Development:Making it Happen

The Partnering Initiative CaseStudy Toolbook

UNEP Creative Gallery onSustainability Communications

UNCTAD Publishes NewResource for CorporateGovernance Disclosure

Upcoming EventsCalendar


Contacts

New UN Private Sector FocalPoints

financing, the United Nations DevelopmentProgramme has established the MDG CarbonFacility, a process for developing a number ofprojects that yield tangible sustainabledevelopment and poverty reduction benefits...

[FULL STORY]

The UNDP Equator Initiative: Promoting LocalEntrepreneurs and Sustainability by Elspeth Halverson, UNDP and Sean Southey, UNDP

The Unleashing Entrepreneurship Report (UNDP,2004) refers to small and medium enterprises(SMEs) as the “hotbed of entrepreneurship andinnovation.” Responding to UNDP’s increasingsupport for SMEs, the Equator Initiative decided toinvest greater resources in the development ofrural enterprises...

[FULL STORY]

Humanitarian Relief Initiative: A Newly LaunchedInitiative for Strategic Public-Private PartnershipDevelopment by Shruti Mehrotra, WEF

In the last twenty months, the world has faced alarge number of highly devastating naturaldisasters and complex emergencies, including thetsunami in Southeast Asia, hurricane Katrina inthe Atlantic, a growing food crisis in the Horn ofAfrica, and ongoing conflicts in Sudan and theDemocratic Republic of Congo. These humanitariancrises are only the recent examples of a largerglobal trend...[FULL STORY]

UNDP and The Coca-Cola Company Work Together forClean Water by Karolina Mzyk, UNDP and Hansin Dogan, UNDP

UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe, the CIS andThe Coca-Cola Company announced a USD 6million partnership agreement to cooperate onimproving access to safe drinking water and otherwater projects in the region...

[FULL STORY]

Those Fingers Greasy, Buddy? Partnering with World-Check

http://www.un.org/partners/business/index.asp

About The UN-Business Focal Point

The UN-Business FocalPoint seeks to enhancecommunication among UN PrivateSector Focal Points, therebyadvancing the sharing of bestpractices and lessons onpartnerships and jointpartnership activities across theUN system.

For questions and comments,please contact the editors [email protected]

For more information on theGlobal Compact see:www.unglobalcompact.org

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Premier Issue April 4, 2006 Issue 1

Building partnerships just got safer. At least thatis the hope of the United Nations DevelopmentProgram, the United Nations Population Fund,World Food Program, and the United NationsOffice for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs,all of which recently joined forces with World-Check in order to better screen individuals andorganizations with which they collaborate...

[FULL STORY]

Financing For Development: A Long Way sinceMonterrey by Krishnan Sharma, FFDO/UN-DESA

Following through on the Monterrey Consensus topromote better financing for development is noeasy task. However, the Financing forDevelopment Office is actively pursuing thisobjective by providing effective support for asustained follow-up to the agreements andcommitments reached at the United NationsInternational Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey,Mexico in March 2002...

[FULL STORY]

The International Bioenergy Platform (IBEP) Bioenergy research and technology developmenthas been carried out for decades at relatively lowlevels by a few institutions. During the sameyears, field experience has been gained by anumber of private and public institutions andorganizations. The recently renewed attention onbioenergy has given rise to new opportunities foralternative energy concerns related to ruraldevelopment and food security...

[FULL STORY]

New Partnerships in Brief Some additional new partnerships with short summaries and links tofurther information

[FULL STORY]

News and Debate

Preparing for Impact, Scale and Local Ownership United Nations System Private Sector Focal Points Meeting2006

The fifth annual UN System Private Sector Focal

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Points Meeting was recently convened in Paris on1-2 June. The event brought together more than80 colleagues from UN agencies, funds andprogrammes, bilateral organizations, internationalorganizations, NGOs, and business to discussrelevant issues in UN-Business partnerships...

[FULL STORY]

CSD-14 Results: Pushing forward in Energy forSustainable Development, Industrial Development, AirPollution, Atmosphere and Climate Change The 14th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-14) was convened from May 1-12, 2006 at the United NationsHeadquarters in New York. Throughout the course of two weeks,representatives from governments, the UN System, other internationalorganizations, the private sector and NGOs gathered to take part informal discussions, a partnership fair, courses at the learning center, and89 side events and related activities...

[FULL STORY]

European Commission Chooses Business overConscience Opinion Piece by Wade Hoxtell, GPPi

Judging by the recent Communication issued by the European Commissionin March, the debate on CSR in Europe appears to have taken a ratherunfavourable turn...

[FULL STORY]

The Three Pillars of Humanitarian Reform by Christelle Loupforest, OCHA

To improve the consistency and quality of servicesthey provide as a group, the key humanitarianactors (UN agencies, IFRC and NGOs) active in theInter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) haveembarked on humanitarian reform aimed atbuilding up the overall humanitarian capacity,strengthening the humanitarian coordinationsystem and making funding more reliable. This article describes theseefforts and how the private sector can help the IASC implement thisthree-pronged reform agenda...

[FULL STORY]

Business Action Against Corruption – How CorporateCitizenship Can Contribute to Deal with the Supply Sideof the Corruption Dilemma The Global Compact’s 10th Principle Against Corruption by Birgit Errath, Global Compact Office

With the growing knowledge about the costs ofcorruption have come a growing number ofregulatory and voluntary initiatives trying to stemand reduce the tide of corruption. But despite theflurry of activities around corruption, surprisinglylittle is known about what works and what doesnot...

[FULL STORY]

Meet a Focal Point

Meet Randy Gossen of Nexen, Inc., a Pioneer of CSR Introducing a private-sector focal point

It only takes a few seconds talking with Dr.Randall Gossen to be inspired by his immenseknowledge of public-private energy partnerships...

[FULL STORY]

Meet Kai Bethke, Technical Advisor Private SectorDevelopment Branch, UNIDO Introducing a public-sector focal point

With a first degree in business administration inhand, this Berlin native took a leap across theAtlantic to Colombia, where he began to gatherexperience in the private sector. Already at thisearly stage in his career, he was gainingexperience in facilitating favourable businessrelations...

[FULL STORY]

Tools and Resources

UN Launches Principles for Responsible Investment by Gavin Power, UN Global Compact and Paul Clements-Hunt, UNEP

On 27 April 2006, the United Nations launched thePrinciples for Responsible Investment, a set ofvoluntary guidelines intended to promotesustainable development...

[FULL STORY]

The IEG Evaluation of World Bank Assistance for NaturalDisasters The first ever assessment of World Bankassistance for natural disasters, and one of themost comprehensive reviews of disasterpreparedness and response ever conducted...

[FULL STORY]

The New and Improved UNDESA CSD Database A new and redesigned partnerships database from UNDESA...

[FULL STORY]

The Seed Initiative Partnership Report A welcome contribution to our understandingabout the role that different actors—andparticularly business—can play in implementingthe Millennium Development Goals...

[FULL STORY]

The Business of Health - The Health of Business A sourcebook of case studies demonstrating howbusiness can help tackle health issues...

[FULL STORY]

The Development Assistance Database: Tracking andAnalyzing Tsunami Contributions from the Private Sector

by Elizabeth Leff, UNDP

In response to the Indian Ocean tsunami inDecember 2004, there was an enormousoutpouring of aid and a huge growth in thenumber of organizations involved in the relief,recovery and reconstruction of the affectedareas. This influx created a challenging situationfor the countries...[FULL STORY]

Partnering for Development: Making it Happen by Soren Petersen, UNDP Nordic Office

“Partnering for Development-Making it Happen” isanother timely resource which addresses thebenefits of public-private partnerships for reaching

the Millennium Development Goals...

[FULL STORY]

The Partnering Initiative Case Study Toolbook An increasing number of individuals are becominginvolved in commissioning, researching, writing ordisseminating partnership case studies. The CaseStudy Toolbook is designed to help individuals tocreate their own case studies more successfully...[FULL STORY]

UNEP Creative Gallery on SustainabilityCommunications The first international online database of corporate and public advertisingcampaigns specifically dedicated to sustainability issues and classified bysustainability themes...

[FULL STORY]

UNCTAD Publishes New Resource for CorporateGovernance Disclosure by Anthony Miller, UNCTAD

UNCTAD has recently published a new resourceentitled "Guidance on Good Practices in CorporateGovernance Disclosure." This guidance is avoluntary technical aid for, among others,regulators and companies in developing countriesand transition economies...

[FULL STORY]


Upcoming Events Calendar A list of upcoming events relevant to UN Private Sector Focal Points...[FULL STORY]

Contacts

New UN Private Sector Focal Points

The names and contact information for new colleagues

[FULL STORY]

The UN-Business Focal Point Copyright © 2006 Published by the Global Compact Office. All rights reserved.Produced in collaboration with GPPi (www.gppi.net)

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July 2006 ISSUE 2

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CSD-14 Results: Pushingforward in Energy for

Letter from the Global Compact Office by Georg Kell, Global Compact Office

Dear Colleague, I am delighted to bring to you the second edition of the UN BusinessFocal Point e-newsletter. Thank you to all of you who providedsubmissions to this edition. It is great to see that you are takingadvantage of this forum for networking and communication. In particular,I would like to draw your attention to the new partnership initiatives thathave emerged across the UN system. Each of these initiatives is unique,and demonstrates the potential of cross-sector collaboration for makingprogress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. It was wonderful to see so many of you at the annual UN System PrivateSector Focal Points Meeting the Global Compact Office convened this yearin Paris last month in collaboration with UNESCO, UNSSC and UNFIP.From my perspective, the meeting was very successful - not only becauseof the strong representation from UN colleagues from across theOrganization along with a substantial number of senior business, andother partners - but because the meeting generated some veryconstructive conversations and recommendations. I think we are makingsubstantial progress in making the UN a more effective partner. In a way,I believe what has started a few years ago has slowly but surely evolvedinto a silent reform from within. All the innovative ideas, all theenthusiasm that have come to the UN through new partnerships havetriggered quite a profound process or organizational renewal and change.For example, new forms of engagement with business advance UN reformby providing the Organization with exposure to improved managementpractices and better ways of leveraging its moral authority and conveningpower. In fact, it has become a powerful catalyst for institutionalinnovation across the System. As we continue to improve our approachesto working in partnership with business and share our experiences, thiscooperation will ensure we have a much greater impact in the work thatwe do. For those of you who were unable to attend this year’s meeting,this edition contains an overview of the event as well as links to themeeting report, background document and participant list. I would also like to make all of you aware of the upcoming high-levelGlobal Compact Leader’s Summit which will take place on 27-28 June2007 in Geneva. All 3000 Global Compact participants will be invited tosend their highest-ranking executives to attend this event. We at theGlobal Compact Office are eager to use the Summit platform to furthergalvanize support and partnership engagement from the businesscommunity with the United Nations. To this end, we believe that it will beimportant to profile promising UN/business initiatives that have thepotential to be replicable/scaleable if given additional private sectorsupport. In order to identify these initiatives and undertake thepreparatory work necessary to galvanize new private sector commitmentsat the Summit, I will be contacting all Heads of Agencies, Funds and










Sustainable Development,Industrial Development, AirPollution, Atmosphere andClimate Change




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Programs in the upcoming weeks to provide further information. I hopewe can collaborate over the course of this upcoming year in order to makethe most of this unique occasion to build new partnerships with business. On behalf of the Global Compact Office, I would like to wish you and yourfamilies a relaxing summer break. As always, we are interested to hearfrom you. If you have comments about our work, please do not hesitateto contact me. All the best, Georg

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Catalyzing Micro-insurance through PPP – AMarket based Safety Net Mechanism for the Poor by Arun Kashyap, UNDP

At present well over a billion people worldwide liveon an income of less than 1 US$ per day. Twothirds of these are women. These people lackaccess to a safety net mechanism, whether state-run or private. Consequently they are exposed tolife threatening risks and shocks and stress, bothnatural and man-made including accidents andillnesses. So far hardly any satisfactory state-run - let alone private-sector- program of insurance benefits is available for poor population groups,people working in the informal sector, and other disadvantaged persons.This has primarily failed because of a lack of political will and the scarcityof public funds. Moreover the business outlook for private micro-insuranceproviders lacks a viable model and therefore appears to be unattractive atthe cursory level. The costs of marketing and processing appear to be toohigh and, in view of the extremely low purchasing power of the consumerbase, cannot be easily apportioned to the target group. While there is aserious dearth of appropriate products and services, the success of anypoverty reduction strategy will be determined by the quality and theextent to which the life and livelihoods risks can be better managed bythose affected. This niche can be best addressed through a partnershipbetween state-run and private insurance schemes that address thedemand of the target groups.

Accordingly, a public private partnership project has been designed as astrategic alliance between the UNDP, Allianz AG and GTZ. It aims todevelop, offer and market a range of demand-based private micro-insurance products for social protection of poor population groups on amodel basis in India, Indonesia and Laos. In complementing any existingpublic safety net benefits, the insurance program is anticipated tocontribute towards building a social security system in these countries.Although the cooperation agreement between the three partners expresslyrefers to achievement of the "Millennium Development Goals" (MDG), theproject will particularly address the goals of "Eradicating extreme povertyand hunger" (MDG 1), "Promoting gender equality and empoweringwomen" (MDG 3) and "Developing a global partnership for development"(MDG 8).

The first stage of the activities focused on examining and appraising themost urgent social-security risks and needs of poor populations groups.While highlighting the existing insurance benefits in the pilot countries thesecond stage analyzed and developed/redesigned the products to suit thetarget groups. The products in greatest demand will be subjected to apreliminary test and then modified, if necessary. The three countrydocuments are currently being edited along with the preparation of userfriendly summary documents for decision makers and private sectorinsurance providers.













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The third stage or the implementation stage will focus on India andpossibly Indonesia. Existing local civil-society structures, i.e., non-governmental organizations (NGOs), trade unions, and microfinanceinstitutions that can facilitate access to micro-insurance benefits by theirmembers and reduce transaction costs of processing, will be identified.Such intermediaries will function as group insurance contract holdersbetween their members and the insurance companies. They will be trainedfor this task and be provided with backstopping and advice. The final stage will consist of sensitizing further potential intermediariesand promoting the range of insurance services among the target groups.Extensive training materials will also be prepared for intermediaries andtraining sessions will be conducted including the education of clients andother stakeholders. Equally important is to understand how micro-insurance relates to government policies and the role of the governmentand the public sector in terms of creating an enabling environment, layingthe foundation for its efficient implementation through developingcapacity, strengthening institutions and infrastructure, and disseminatinginformation including through south-south partnerships for thedevelopment of micro-insurance opportunities as safety net mechanisms.The experience will be replicated in other countries if possible.

For more information on this partnership, contact Arun Kashyap, UNDP


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UNHCR Partners with Microsoft and Nike toLaunch ninemillion.org by Elena Bonfiglioli, Microsoft EMEA

On 20 June, World Refugee Day, Microsoft, Nikeand Right To Play partnered with the UnitedNations refugee agency (UNHCR) to launch theninemillion.org campaign to bring attention to theneeds of refugee youth and to create a globalcommunity dedicated to giving them a chance tolearn and play. “Ninemillion.org is about giving the world’srefugee youth a chance to see beyond theircurrent situation and begin to rebuild their lives,” said UN HighCommissioner for Refugees António Guterres. “Our greatest priority is tohelp refugees in crisis and to find lasting solutions for them. Once out ofharm’s way, the needs of refugees continue despite having moved off thefront pages, and those needs far exceed existing sources of funding.Ninemillion.org can help refugee youth by giving them a chance to learnand play, a chance to change their future through education and sport.” Microsoft is supporting the ninemillion.org campaign through MSN byhosting the ninemillion.org site in 11 countries in 9 languages, andproviding premium editorial and advertising placement. The contribution isworth an estimated $1 million, and is the biggest online cause campaignof this type run by MSN. Two thirds of the money raised will bedistributed by UNHCR to support education, including HIV/ AIDSawareness and prevention, gender sensitivity and peace educationprograms; the remaining one-third will fund access to sport and playprograms, implemented by the humanitarian organization Right to Play,for refugee youth with an emphasis on getting girls onto the playing field. Speaking at the launch event in Washington DC, Patrick De Smedt,Chairman of EMEA, said, “Working with our partners we aim to bring thereality of refugees closer to people, visible through the stories of youngrefugees and their hopes for a better life, and to help realize theirpotential.” He added, “Microsoft is proud to support UNHCR’s efforts tobring education, sport and joy to refugee youth. Together, we can reachand move the world with a powerful message of hope and common causeto truly make a difference in the lives of these young people.” Microsoft has worked with UNHCR since 1999, when a group of Microsoftemployees contacted UNHCR to volunteer their technology skills duringthe Kosovo crisis. This work evolved into Project Profile, the standardizedregistration system for refugees developed by UNHCR with support fromMicrosoft. To date seventy Microsoft employees have volunteered theirtime and expertise to help Project Profile field workers set up theregistration process in UNHCR camps in some 41 countries. For more information, please visit www.ninemillion.org or contact Elena









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The MDG Carbon Facility: Mobilizing CarbonFinance for the Millennium Development Goals

In order to capitalize on the benefits of carbonfinancing, the United Nations DevelopmentProgramme has established the MDG CarbonFacility, a process for developing a number ofprojects that yield tangible sustainabledevelopment and poverty reduction benefits. Carbon financing, or the process of offsettingcarbon emissions by investing in sustainability andpoverty reduction, has emerged as an innovativestrategy for funding projects that directly contribute to achieving theMillennium Development Goals (MDG). By developing projects that allowgovernments, business, and other entities to offset carbon emissions, thetargets set forth by the Kyoto protocol and the MDGs can be realized. And the MDG Carbon Facility aims to do just that. By selling carbonemission offsets to these entities, developing countries receive financingfor projects that adhere to sustainability and poverty reduction goals whileconstructing a foundation for future sustainable development practices.Charles McNeill, the Environment Programme Team Manager of UNDP,states that “the focus is on “pre-market development” and capacitybuilding through a learning-by-doing and demonstration approach in thosecountries that currently do not have broad-based access to carbon-financed projects.” In order to further develop these projects, private partnerships will beformed. McNeill states that “in addition to working with local private sectorpartners to implement specific projects in developing countries, UNDP willalso work with a global private sector financial firm to provide trust,administrative, and financial services to the Facility for both the CER andVER markets.” Thus far, the private sector has shown strong demand toparticipate in this endeavor. In order to maintain a consistent offset product, the projects arededicated to sustainable development and poverty reduction goals andstrictly adhere to a set of standards set by both UNDP and privatepartners. McNeill states, “projects go through a rigorous screening processthat feature many “screens” including Clean Development Mechanism(CDM) methodology screens, MDG screens which feature a double-bottomline (i.e. projects will need to provide both carbon benefits and MDGoutcomes) as well as financial, legal and operating screens. The projectsneed to be consistent with the demands of the country offices and ofcourse, the countries UNDP serves.” In addition, the financial partner willalso be involved in the project screening process, which means thatprojects will need to satisfy not only criteria set forth by UNDP and theMDGs, but also the investment criteria of the partner. For more information, visit http://www.undp.org/mdgcarbonfacility/









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The editors conducted an interview with Charles McNeill, UNDP


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The UNDP Equator Initiative: Promoting LocalEntrepreneurs and Sustainability by Elspeth Halverson, UNDP and Sean Southey, UNDP

The Unleashing Entrepreneurship Report (UNDP,2004) refers to small and medium enterprises(SMEs) as the “hotbed of entrepreneurship andinnovation.” Responding to UNDP’s increasingsupport for SMEs, the Equator Initiative decided toinvest greater resources in the development of ruralenterprises. In 2005, the Equator Ventures facilitywas launched as the fourth strategic priority of theEquator Initiative with a focus on providing financialand technical support to SMEs that help conservebiodiversity in the equatorial region. To undertakethis work, the Equator Initiative has partnered with ConservationInternational’s Verde Ventures to provide grants, loans and capacitydevelopment support to local businesses that improve human welfare,protect the environment and utilize natural resources wisely. While theEquator Initiative’s promotion of local entrepreneurs involves the transfer offinancial capital and business skills, it also recognizes the potential of thedomestic private sector to contribute to development through localresources and expertise:http://www.undp.org/equatorinitiative/equatorventures/EquatorVentures.htm The Equator Initiative recently presented its experience in working withSMEs and diverse partners on the local level. Together with the GEF SmallGrants Programme, the Equator Initiative published a book detailing 30Latin American Case Studies of local initiatives, entitled Community Actionto Conserve Biodiversity: Linking Biodiversity Conservation with PovertyReduction (UNDP Equator Initiative & GEF Small Grants Programme, March2006), which can be downloaded via the following link: http://www.undp.org/equatorinitiative/equatorknowledge/publications.htm?#publications Although the attention directed at the potential of biodiversity-based SMEsto create lasting sustainable livelihoods in developing countries isencouraging, there remain considerable barriers that need to be overcome.UNDPs Biodiversity Global Programme and the Equator Initiative willcontinue to address the restrictions created by unfair trade regulations, lackof access to markets and credit, lack of recognition of rights, and politicalisolation as they relate to communities working to find economically-viable,biodiversity-based livelihoods. For more information, please visit http://www.undp.org/equatorinitiative/ orcontact Elspeth Halverson, UNDP or Sean Southey, UNDP.










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CSD-14 Results: Pushingforward in Energy forSustainable Development,Industrial Development, AirPollution, Atmosphere andClimate Change


The Three Pillars of

Humanitarian Relief Initiative: A Newly LaunchedInitiative for Strategic Public-Private PartnershipDevelopment by Shruti Mehrotra, WEF

In the last twenty months, the world has faced alarge number of highly devastating naturaldisasters and complex emergencies, including thetsunami in Southeast Asia, hurricane Katrina inthe Atlantic, a growing food crisis in the Horn ofAfrica, and ongoing conflicts in Sudan and theDemocratic Republic of Congo. These humanitariancrises are only the recent examples of a largerglobal trend, with natural disasters in particular,happening more often and having a more dramaticimpact on the world in terms of human, social, and economic costs. As the number and impact of humanitarian emergencies has grown, theinternational humanitarian relief community has found that its responsecapacity is increasingly challenged to meet these demands. At the sametime, the private sector has shown willingness to provide significant levelsof support to humanitarian relief efforts in recent years, contributing asmuch as $1.2 to $1.8 billion in cash and in-kind inputs to such activitiessince 2004. It is understood that some level of participation inhumanitarian relief is an existing and growing part of most globalcompanies’ corporate social responsibility portfolios. That being said, discounting exceptional cases, the participation of theprivate sector in humanitarian relief activities has generally been veryreactive and ad hoc in nature, resulting in at times in inappropriateactivities, for example with the private sector contributing inappropriatein-kind inputs, or in inappropriate company behavior, either at anoperational level or in terms of company public relations activities. Suchactivities and behavior on the part of some under-informed private sectoractors have caused understandable mistrust and skepticism on the part ofhumanitarian actors. In addition, due to the often unplanned nature ofprivate sector engagement, corporate contributions infrequently aredirected towards the priority needs of humanitarian actors, and rarelyleverage the real core competencies of companies to achieve the highestimpact for beneficiaries. As a result, based upon strong expressions of interest by various UNagencies and companies, the World Economic Forum launched theHumanitarian Relief Initiative (HRI) at its Annual Meeting in Davos inJanuary of this year. The HRI aims to create a more systematic,streamlined, and coordinated approach to the participation of the privatesector in humanitarian relief through the following three main activities:

1) Facilitation of a process of matching the priority needs of

humanitarian “clusters,” sector-specific groups of humanitarianactors led by various line UN agencies, with key industrycompetencies resulting in concrete, action-oriented public-privatepartnerships with cluster lead agencies, and other members asappropriate

2) Establishment of groups of companies committed to industry-level









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engagement with humanitarian relief (using the Logistics andTransportation Industry Humanitarian Workstream model - see boxbelow), or at a regional level as appropriate

3) Development of a set of cross-sector and sector-specific guidelines

and standards regarding private sector participation inhumanitarian relief facilitated by the United Nations, and throughthe clusters as appropriate

Due to the interest of the UN World Food Programme and Citigroup, aswell as the Forum’s experience in the area of logistics and humanitarianrelief (see box below), the HRI chose the World Food Programme, and theLogistics Cluster, as the first cluster for its public-private partnershipdevelopment work (Activity 1). From January to date, the HRI has workedwith WFP internally to help define its priority needs from the privatesector in the area of logistics and to develop the internal systems,policies, and procedures necessary for the intended type of public-privatepartnerships. Currently, the HRI is in the process of expanding this initialwork with WFP to the Logistics Cluster level, and envisions discussionswith the full cluster regarding appropriate next steps over the comingweeks. Based upon the success of the work to date in the area of logistics, theHRI is now ready to expand its activities to further humanitarian clusters,given interest of the full set of cluster members, and the cluster leadagencies in particular. At the same time, the World Economic Forum is working with interestedmember companies to develop groups of companies from either anindustry or regional level to make a group commitment to meet thepriority needs of the humanitarian community (Activity 2). Finally, the HRI is in initial discussions with various humanitarian actors todevelop a process for the definition of the aforementioned cross-sector /cross-cluster guidelines and standards for private sector participation inhumanitarian relief. It is envisioned that a full process can be agreed uponand commenced by the end of this year (Activity 3). The overall goal of the HRI is to have completed all three main activitiesacross all clusters and relevant industries over the course of the next twoto three years, ideally resulting not only in an agreed upon set ofguidelines and standards for private sector participation in humanitarianrelief, but moreover, a large and growing set of action-oriented public-private partnerships spanning the full cluster / sector spectrum. If your agency is interested in working with the World Economic Forum inthe HRI, as a cluster leader, or as a member of the humanitarian reliefcommunity, please contact Shruti Mehrotra. The website of the HRI iscurrently in development, and will be available on www.weforum.orgshortly. Sidebox:Logistics and Transportation Industry Humanitarian Workstream(LTHW)In recognition of the severe impact of natural disasters such as the IndianOcean Tsunami, and the significant role of the logistics and transportationindustry in disaster response, the CEOs of four leading industry playerslaunched the Logistics and Transportation Industry HumanitarianWorkstream (LTHW) at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in2005. The LTHW group currently includes UPS, TNT, DPWN / DHL, andPWC Logistics, four of the companies most involved in humanitarian reliefactivities, as well as the World Economic Forum as the facilitator of theworkstream. The LTHW has three main activities: 1) Development of jointLogistics Emergency Teams (LETS) that mobilize in response to sudden-onset natural disasters and leverage the different resources and




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competencies of each of the participating companies; 2) Development ofindustry-wide “ground rules” for logistics and transportation companies’work in disaster response, including responsible public relations, guidelinesfor in-kind donations, etc.; and 3) Information and experience sharingregarding industry participation in disaster response. Guided by thegroup’s strong emphasis on cooperation with humanitarian actors, theLTHW recently presented the LETS concept to the head of the LogisticsCluster from the UN World Food Programme and eventually plans todiscuss the concept with the entire Logistics Cluster. The group expects tohave a full set of Logistics Emergency Teams operational in Southeast Asiaby the end of the year. For more information on the LTHW, please contact Shruti Mehrotra, WEF


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UNDP and The Coca-Cola Company WorkTogether for Clean Water by Karolina Mzyk, UNDP and Hansin Dogan, UNDP

UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe, the CIS andThe Coca-Cola Company announced a USD 6million partnership agreement to cooperate onimproving access to safe drinking water and otherwater projects in the region.

Recognizing the significant challenges related towater, both the Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) and the United NationsDevelopment Programme (UNDP) have committed to identifying andsupporting solutions to these challenges. The convergence of this mutualcommitment has provided the basis for the development of thispartnership and project. Discussions on a TCCC-UNDP joint regional waterpartnership initiative officially started in October 2005 at a meetingbetween UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS (RBEC) DirectorMr. Kalman Mizsei, UNDP Turkey Resident Representative Mr. JakobSimonsen, and TCCC President for Eurasia and Middle East Division(EMED) Mr. Ahmet Bozer and his team.

This was followed by a series of technical discussions in Turkey betweenthe Country Office and TCCC/EMED in Istanbul. In January 2006, UNDPstaff met with the Regional Communications and Public Affairs Manager ofTCCC/EMED, Mr. Kadri Ozen at the TCCC/Central Europe Headquarters inVienna. The draft concept was developed at the meeting with Kadri Ozenon 24 January in Vienna, and was further elaborated upon at a regionalmeeting in Istanbul on 15-17 March with 40 representatives from Coca-Cola and UNDP offices in the region. The result was the formulation of thefirst draft of the project document. A sub-committee on project designaims to finalize the project document by the end of July 2006.

A memorandum of understanding was signed by Kalman Mizsei, UNAssistant Secretary General and Regional Director for UNDP RBEC andAhmet Bozer, the Coca-Cola President for the Eurasia and Middle-EastDivision on June 15, 2006 (photo, centre). The joint project wasannounced in Vienna at a conference on Responsible Investing in EasternEurope and the CIS (http://www.vienna-csrforum.com/) organized byUNDP, Austrian Development Cooperation and UNIDO.

The five-year partnership between RBEC and the Coca-Cola Company'sEurope and Middle East Division will initially focus on projects in Turkey,Kazakhstan, Romania and Croatia to improve rural communities’ access tosafe drinking water, as well as on industrial water use along the DanubeRiver and providing advocacy on water issues in the region. The partnership illustrates just one of the many ways the private sectorcan be involved in finding solutions to public issues, said Kalman Mizsei,UN Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director for UNDP’s Bureaufor Europe and the CIS, at the press conference in Vienna.









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“Partnership with the private sector is essential as a lot of the skills andhuman capacity needed to solve public problems actually sit in the privatesector and in private enterprises,” said Mr.Mizsei. “Without the privatesector involved, we cannot hope to solve these problems of publicconcern.” Water resources are critical for economic development in the region, forconsumption, sanitation, irrigation, industrial use, transportation, fishingand aquaculture and recreation. But many aquatic ecosystems in Europeand the CIS have suffered serious degradation or are under threat - frompollution, over-harvesting of surface and groundwater, invasive species,and habitat loss - and achieving a balance between the water demands ofcommunities and the needs of the aquatic ecosystems on which theydepend remains a key challenge.

For more information, please visit http://europeandcis.undp.org/?menu=p_cms/show&content_id=EBE201DF-F203-1EE9-B923C75761B18878 or contact Karolina Mzyk or Hansin Dogan


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Those Fingers Greasy, Buddy? Partnering with World-Check

Building partnerships just got safer. At least thatis the hope of the United Nations DevelopmentProgram, the United Nations Population Fund,World Food Program, and the United NationsOffice for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs,all of which recently joined forces with World-Check on 25 April 2006 in order to better screenindividuals and organizations with which theycollaborate. World-Check is a company that serves over 180 regulatory authorities andgovernment agencies worldwide, tracking and creating profiles for high-risk individuals and businesses, including prospective partners, vendors,and business associates. Its objective is to uncover hidden relationshipnetworks and mitigate potential financial as well as reputation risks. Usinghundreds of thousands of public sources and updating their databasetwice daily, the World-Check research team stays abreast of criminalactivities, ranging from money laundering to drug trafficking and thefinancing of terrorists. Working with the private sector presents the UN with the challenge ofselecting appropriate partners. The UN must face a considerablereputational risk, especially considering that the key asset of the UN restsin its perceived legitimacy - its name and brand recognition. A surveyconducted by GPPi found that the prime motivation for business to engagethe UN rests in their desire to associate themselves with the positiveimage of the world organization. Of the business representatives whoanswered the survey, 93% responded that showing good corporatecitizenship was either a “very important” or an “important” driver in theirdecision to partner with the UN. The UN also represents the collective willof governments. It is important that the UN protects its good name. Partnering with World-Check may emerge as a key instrument for the UNas it tries to avert risks in partnering with business. As a new growthindustry, partnerships have sprouted up at a remarkable rate. Partnershipsare an important innovation in the greater context of UN reform, as theUN has recognized that this vehicle can reach greater scale and impactthan the agency and member governments alone. Not only the speed, butdiversity in composition and context of these cooperative initiatives canmake a comprehensive selection process for identifying “safe” partnersdifficult. Obviously, there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach forpartner selection across the entire UN system. In fact, many funds,agencies, and organizations within the UN system are in the process ofeither formulating or ironing out partner selection schemes tailored totheir institutional needs, building on the broad framework sketched out inthe Secretary-General’s Guidelines for Cooperation Between the UnitedNations and the Business Community (17 July 2000,http://www.un.org/partners/business/otherpages/guide.htm).









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Getting the values and principles right is absolutely key. However, carefulselection that is not efficient can result in large time lags and costs, whichare also not desirable. What so far has been missing is a tool UNorganizations can use to apply their values and principles thoroughly andconsistently without getting bogged down in ambiguous searches. This iswhere World-Check comes in, lending services that will confront thisdouble-edged challenge. Despite its intricacy, World-Check conducts their ongoing analysis in aspeedy manner. Speed and thoroughness are especially important,considering the hundreds of thousands of individuals and entities withwhich the UN cooperates on some level. Careful yet efficient partner selection is not only crucial for partnershipimpact, but also for maintaining legitimacy and support for thepartnership approach among UN colleagues as well as with externalactors. As each organization continues to enhance its methods foreffective partnership with the private sector, partner selection will remainat the forefront and transparency will prove essential in making the mostout of partnership potential. The agreement also allows for all UN entities to take advantage of thispartnership since World-Check’s services have been provided pro-bono tothe UN. This service is unlimited and free of charge to any agencyexpressing interest to the UN Department of Management. World-Check and the UN begin their partnership with enthusiasm and lookforward to keeping the UN void of risky business and high-riskindividuals. For further information about World-Check, refer towww.world-check.com.

To view the press release outlining the agreement, please visithttp://www.world-check.com/media/d/content_pressrelease_reference/reference-242_.pdf


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Financing For Development: A Long Way sinceMonterrey by Krishnan Sharma, FFDO/UN-DESA

Following through on the Monterrey Consensus topromote better financing for development is noeasy task. However, the Financing forDevelopment Office is actively pursuing thisobjective by providing effective support for asustained follow-up to the agreements andcommitments reached at the United NationsInternational Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey,Mexico in March 2002. One of the unique aspects of the financing for development process hasbeen the full and structured engagement between governments,multilateral organizations and the business sector. Business participationduring the financing for development process has focused on generatingactionable proposals to be discussed with governments and internationalorganizations. These ideas have been discussed at hearings andworkshops and disseminated through reports produced by the variousbusiness interlocutors. Business representatives and leaders from aroundthe world participated in the International Conference in Monterrey,Mexico, in March 2002 and since then in workshops and hearings held aspart of the follow up to this Conference. The business entities that haveparticipated in these meetings include leading financial institutions (e.g.Deutsche Bank, Citigroup, ABN AMRO, Soros Fund Management, UnionBank of Philippines, Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services ofIndia), credit ratings agencies (Moody’s Investors Services, Standard andPoor’s), non-financial companies (e.g. Ford Motor Company, Suez, ElfAquitaine, Bechtel, Repsol YPF, Cisneros Group, AB Volvo, CISCO,CEMEX,), and regional business associations such as the African BusinessRoundtable and the Commonwealth Business Council. The proposals that have been made by business representatives haveincluded ideas for launching a Global Information Clearinghouse to providepertinent information on individual developing countries and sectors inuser-friendly form for investors, coupled with government-investornetworks (for two-way communication); setting up expert groups todiscuss methods of better mitigating the risks facing infrastructureinvestors in developing countries; improving processes for internationaldebt work-outs for debt-crisis countries; and incubating local sources ofventure capital in developing countries. Some of these ideas have beensuccessfully adopted. As part of the follow-up, process to the Monterrey Conference, theFinancing for Development Office has supported a series of multi-stakeholder consultations on pertinent issues related to the MonterreyConsensus. One of these tracks of consultations was organized by theWorld Economic Forum and explored two sets of issues: first,understanding how public/private partnerships can improve the reach and













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effectiveness of development assistance and, second, improving theclimate for private investment. The consultations began in October of2004 and meetings were held in San Paulo, Hong Kong, Durban, Brasilia,New Delhi, Paris, Geneva and New York. An interim report containing theinitial findings of these consultations was distributed at the High LevelDialogue on Financing for Development on 27 and 28 June 2005. A finalreport was distributed at the World Summit in September 2005, at theWorld Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos in January 2006, andrecently during the World Bank/IMF Spring meetings in April 2006. The business sector has also been actively involved in consultationsorganized by the Financing for Development Office to assess the viabilityof GDP-linked bonds. High-profile meetings have been held at UNheadquarters in October 2005 and IMF headquarters in April 2006, wherevery senior representatives from the private financial sector interactedwith finance ministers and influential government officials, experts frommultilateral institutions and prominent thinkers in this field such asProfessor Robert Shiller from Yale University and John Williamson fromthe Institute for International Economics. The papers and proceedings ofthese meetings can be obtained from the Financing for DevelopmentOffice’s website (www.un.org/ffd) and further research and consultationsat the highest level are being planned. The Financing for Development Office also developed a report on "The roleof the private sector and entrepreneurship in financing for development".This report was in response to a request from the Economic and SocialCouncil, and was distributed at the High Level Dialogue on Financing forDevelopment that took place in New York on 27 and 28 June 2005 andthe World Summit in September 2005. The report covers the issues ofcreating an appropriate enabling environment for the private sector indeveloping countries, strengthening entrepreneurship and private sectoractions to facilitate development. Regarding future initiatives, discussions are underway with a number ofbusiness associations and corporations on organizing additional multi-stakeholder consultations on the issue of strengthening entrepreneurship.As part of this, there are plans to hold an expert meeting in New York inthe coming months, the findings of which will be presented to the SecondCommittee of the 61st session of the General Assembly. Reports will alsobe prepared on the findings and recommendations of this and otherconsultations and presented to ministers, senior government officials andsenior representatives from the major multilateral organizationsparticipating in the High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development in2007. For more information, please contact Krishnan Sharma, or visithttp://www.un.org/esa/ffd/.


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The International Bioenergy Platform (IBEP)

Bioenergy research and technology developmenthas been carried out for decades at relatively lowlevels by a few institutions. During the sameyears, field experience has been gained by anumber of private and public institutions andorganizations. The recently renewed attention onbioenergy has given rise to new opportunities foralternative energy concerns related to ruraldevelopment and food security. The complex challenges of bioenergy’s broadintegration into the sustainable development scenarios require effectivelymanaged and coordinated partnerships. The multi-disciplinary needsrequire similarly diverse team members and players neither of whom canany longer resolve the problems on their own. Experience shows thatwhen opportunities are created and fostered through enhancedcommunication, collaboration improves with mutual benefits. IBEP, aninformal mechanism of its own, intends to provide such an opportunitythat can be taken by its participants to whatever formal or informal levelbest serving their overall purpose. IBEP intends to be a sort of hyper-partnership, to facilitate the necessarypartnerships directed at specific solutions and scenarios. In doing so, itintends to pay particular attention to the bioenergy-food security –environment nexus, yet include sufficient public and private partners tofully integrate bioenergy in the overall energy systems required forsustaining human activities. IBEP was officially presented at the 14th Session of the Commission forSustainable Development (CSD-14) in New York in May 2006 and hasgenerated immediate interest with a number of public donors and FAOmember countries as well as with several public and private organizationsactively supporting development and/or environmental activities. The essence of IBEP’s focus and its first actions aim to provide the criticallinks to facilitate transition to a sustainable energy future, matching localand global benefits, risks and potentials by concentrating on seven tasksrelated to knowledge management and implementation:

data and methodologies forevaluation and measurement of potentials andsustainability (decision making tools)presented through an interactive information system (i-BIS),building the necessary capacities andpartnerships andmainstreaming bioenergy activities in partner organizations.

This framework is expected to evolve, change and grow with theinvolvement of more interested partners. Through dia(multi-)logue and













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willingness to achieve the higher good, the initiative aims to optimizestrengths, capacities and resources and minimize weaknesses andinefficient repetition. The current state of activities and aims can be explored at:http://www.fao.org/sd/dim_en2/en2_050902_en.htm For a full description of IBEP:ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/A0469E/A0469E00.pdf To participate, please contact [email protected]


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New Partnerships in Brief UNHCR teams up with Microsoft to assist refugees UNHCR and Microsoft have teamed up to create "Project Profile", aconsolidated data system for registering and identifying refugees. Thesystem, developed by 70 volunteers from Microsoft, will be implementedat UNHCR camps in some 41 countries and will contain demographic datafor each refugee, including digital photos, medicinal and nutritionalrequirements, and other information useful for identification andprotection purposes. The protected system is confidential and will be usedby UNHCR to insure that the repatriation process goes smoothly. For more information on this partnership, see http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/news/opendoc.htm?tbl=NEWS&id=443a6c644 For more information on UNHCR's Corporate Partnership program, seehttp://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/partners?id=3d8f1be44 or contactOlivier Delarue, Senior Corporate Relations Officer, UNHCR UNICEF partners with FIFA for children UNICEF and the world’s governing soccer body Fédération Internationalede Football Association (FIFA) kicked off their partnership campaign on 16May for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ under the banner UNITEFOR CHILDREN – UNITE FOR PEACE. The campaign spotlights the power of soccer in promoting values of peaceand tolerance within communities and at the international level. FIFA andUNICEF joined forces during the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ to use one of theworld’s great sporting events as a platform to show how sport can createself-esteem, self-confidence and trust among children. For further information, please visithttp://www.unicef.org/media/media_33963.html or contact: Kate Donovan, UNICEF Media, New YorkMonique Thormann, UNICEF Media, GenevaFederico Addiechi, FIFA, Zurich

Fertile Ground: A new IBLF Partnership Network Fertile Ground, a project of the International Business Leaders Forum(IBLF), is a fast growing network of well over 100 individuals andorganizations which work together to support co-existence projects acrossthe Israeli-Palestinian divide. The aim of Fertile Ground is to use the arts,sports, education, small business and culture to break down barriers andmake a practical difference on a non-partisan basis.









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The project is comprised of prominent business and arts people,organizations and community leaders drawn from across the cultural andreligious spectrum. Fertile Ground's long-term goal is to develop coexistence acrossboundaries but in the short term, the Palestine and Israeli ventures areoperating separately in order to establish a foot on the ground in eachregion - thereby building confidence and trust without which little progresscan be made. Launched in 2006, Fertile Ground aims to have a personworking in each region to be the project link and inform them on potentialpartners, opportunities and situations and the local situation. For more information, please visithttp://www.iblf.org/regions/middle_east/fertile_ground.jsp or contactLaura Jacobs, Fertile Ground

UNODC teams up with the Qatar National Olympic Committee to “DoSports, Not Drugs” The Global Sport Fund, a partnership of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC) and the Qatar National Olympic Committee will provide grants,contributed by the country, to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) tosponsor events, youth camps and exhibitions and to hold trainingseminars for coaches and young people. The Fund is designed to encourage NGOs to be creative in developingsport-related prevention projects that best meet the needs of youngpeople in their communities. Applications from organizations worldwide willbe accepted for project proposals beginning on 26 June, the InternationalDay against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. For more information, please visithttp://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/press_release_2006_05_17.html orcontact Richard Murphy, Chief, Advocacy Section, UNODC


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Preparing for Impact, Scale and Local Ownership United Nations System Private Sector Focal Points Meeting2006

The fifth annual UN System Private Sector FocalPoints Meeting was recently convened in Paris on1-2 June. The event brought together more than80 colleagues from UN agencies, funds andprograms, bilateral organizations, internationalorganizations, NGOs, and business to discussrelevant issues in UN-Business partnerships. Themeeting proved to be one of the most fruitful and forward-looking inrecent years. Especially notable was the prominent representation fromthe private sector and other partnership experts. Together the group hadmany frank and constructive conversations, leading to the establishmentof concrete initiatives, such as working groups to enhance theUN/Business Website, circulation of a list of impact assessment tools, andcommitments to utilize the UN Business Focal Point Newsletter as acommunication forum for those working with business from across the UNSystem. The event provided a great opportunity for Focal Points andpartners from outside the UN system simply to meet face to face anddiscuss some of the challenges they face in working together. Jane Nelson, Director of Harvard University’s International BusinessLeader’s Forum rose to the challenge again and did a fantastic job offacilitating the meeting. She coordinated contributions from workinggroups as well as plenary sessions, taking in suggestions, anddisseminating a list of collaborative recommendations to the group. FocalPoints were busy with back-to-back working group sessions and producedsome concrete recommendations for a variety of the issue areasdiscussed. Indeed, it was clear that participants were committed toworking toward overcoming obstacles in their partnerships and makingthem more effective for all parties involved. Ideas for new cooperativeinitiatives also emerged among Focal Points and between UN staff andother organizations given the event’s focus on information sharing andexperience exchange. Themes of the first day focused on UN businessguidelines, mechanisms for impact assessment, lessons learned incooperation with bilateral agencies, industry-wide and country/regionalapproaches to partnerships, and the role of business in humanitarianrelief. At the end of the first day of hard work, communication advancedfurther in a more informal setting during the evening cocktail receptionsponsored by Véolia Environnement. While the group discussed topics during the first day with a view tomoving the issues forward, the second day took learning and collaborationa step further with focused working groups which dealt with questions ofcapacity building, revamping UN communication platforms, and improvingpartnership performance through enhanced accountability. While themeeting in Paris accomplished its objectives to enhance communication,strengthen learning, advance coordination, and improve collaboration withUN partnerships toward greater impact, scale and local ownership - the













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bulk of the work remains ahead. Follow-up activities undertaken withineach UN entity and across the Organization will provide the real gage ofprogress in terms UN reform efforts aimed to help UN staff moreeffectively partner with business.


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CSD-14 Results: Pushing forward in Energy forSustainable Development, Industrial Development,Air Pollution, Atmosphere and Climate Change

The 14th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-14)was convened from May 1-12, 2006 at the United Nations Headquarters inNew York. Throughout the course of two weeks, representatives fromgovernments, the UN System, other international organizations, the privatesector and NGOs gathered to take part in formal discussions, a partnershipfair, courses at the learning center, and 89 side events and related activities. From the very beginning of the session, speakers advocated for a coherentfocus on ‘success factors’ that have empirically contributed to effective andsustainable programs, policies, and projects. Additionally, thematic emphasiswas placed on energy for sustainable development, industrial development,air pollution, and atmosphere and climate change. Session participantsexplored challenges in this cluster in the context of national developmentstrategies. One particular challenge expressed repeatedly related to securingprivate sector financing for investment in energy efficiency, renewable energyand cleaner production. Many speakers and contributors highlighted theadvantage and necessity of breaking down long-term general goals in theseareas into to short-term concrete targets in order to make progress.

During the 28 partnership presentations, 7 interactive discussion sessions, andexchanges at 25 information desks, representatives from organizationsinvolved in partnerships shared suggestions for success. They stressed theindispensability of a supportive policy and regulatory framework, politicalcommitment at high levels, public awareness, and a reliable resource base.Ongoing obstacles exist in two main areas: scaling-up pilot projects andcoping with the time and resource intensity involved in communicatingeffectively and regularly with partners. An urgent need for reporting on andconveying demonstrable results in partnership work was articulated by anumber of participants. This need however was juxtaposed to anotherchallenge: how to measure success in partnership activities where theintended outcome is qualitative. Results in capacity-building, training andpublic education, for example, remain difficult to quantify.

The High-Level Segment took place during the last two days of the CSD, fromMay 10-12. Ministers underlined the urgency of ensuring modern energyservices to the poor in developing countries, especially in Africa. Theyformulated a list of responses to a plethora of challenges conveyed by variousstakeholders throughout the CSD-14. Furthermore, a number of private sectorrepresentatives, many of which who are participants in the Global Compact,attended the session. In conclusion, many ministers called for an integratedapproach to dealing with this cluster of interlinked issues, hoping it will serveas a basis for discussions at CSD-15. For a detailed list of these action items, seehttp://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/csd14/documents/chairSummaryPartII.pdf.









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For the Chairman’s full summary of CSD-14, seehttp://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/csd14/documents/chairSummaryPartI.pdf


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European Commission Chooses Business overConscience Opinion Piece by Wade Hoxtell, GPPi

Much (though by no means all) of the UN-Business partnership agendahas been driven by a renewed sense of social and environmentalresponsibility in the business community. For many companies, buildingpartnerships with the UN has become one practical expression of how theybreathe life into their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies. Itis all the more important to see where the debate on CSR is going since itwill have an inevitable impact on partnerships. Judging by the recentCommunication issued by the European Commission in March, the debateon CSR in Europe appears to have taken a rather unfavorable turn. In March, the European Commission released a new Communication onCorporate Social Responsibility that was a product of years of multi-stakeholder debate between the EU, NGOs, and businesses. However,what began as a lobbied attempt by NGOs, trade unions and variousstakeholders to establish standard European benchmarks for corporateresponsibility and accountability appears to have ended up as pro-business strategy to increase the competitiveness of European businessesin the global marketplace. As a response to the outcomes of the European Multi-Stakeholder Forumon Corporate Social Responsibility which ended in 2004, the Commissionhas formed the “European Alliance for CSR,” a hotly criticized result thatsignifies a defeat for NGOs, trade unions and other stakeholders looking toincorporate social and environmental concerns into European businesspractices. While the Commission’s communication paper states that “[t]heCommission continues to attach importance to dialogue with allstakeholders”, many of these stakeholders feel neglected and, in fact, hadno input on the resulting Alliance. The paper adds that the Commission“wishes to give recognition to enterprises as the primary actors in CSR.” The Alliance encourages all European businesses to participate regardlessof commitments to existing corporate social responsibility standards andprinciples. The EU proposal focuses on competitiveness and growth, wherethe role of CSR is to aid in this progress as opposed to altering theresponsibility, sustainability and accountability behavior of companies in aregulated manner. Critics of this decision have argued that CSR programs, in many cases,are little more than public relations window-dressing designed to invokethe image of accountability. Highlighting these critiques is the lack ofconcrete controls or minimum standards for CSR claims by businesses inthe draft paper. Moreover, much of the criticism has fallen on EU industrycommissioner Gunter Verheugen who, in a 12 March 2006 Financial Timesarticle, stated that "[o]riginally the Commission's plans looked verydifferent. The department responsible wanted to publish naming-and-













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shaming lists (of companies) and to create a monitoring system for theimplementation of the CSR principles. I had to halt this enthusiasm fornew regulations." The Commission sees CSR as a win-win business opportunity to improveEuropean competitiveness. The paper states that the Alliance “seeks topromote CSR as a business opportunity creating win-win situations forcompanies and society and recognizes that CSR is a voluntary businessapproach which reflects the diversity of European business.“ In addition,the paper states that the Commission will support the organization of areview meeting with all stakeholders to take stock of progress made inrelation to the recommendations of the CSR Forum before the end of2006. It seems doubtful that the new Alliance, at least in its currentincarnation, will be able to accomplish these objectives. To read the latest draft of the European Commission communicationpaper, visithttp://www.euractiv.com/29/images/CSR_Com_2006_03_draft_tcm29-153538.pdf If you would like to contribute a different perspective on this topic, pleasecontact the editors and it will be included it in the next issue.


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The Three Pillars of Humanitarian Reform by Christelle Loupforest, OCHA

Thousands of organizations are active in disasterrelief and humanitarian activities around theworld. Some of them focus on a specific issue(e.g. Action contre la Faim is specialized in foodsecurity) while others are mandated to assist aspecific type of beneficiaries (e.g. UNHCR focuseson refugees). Some have a global reach whileother are only represented in a limited number of countries. Some ofthem are well-resourced while others are struggling to finance theiroperations due to the voluntary nature of humanitarian funding. As aresult, the capacity and resources available to respond to humanitarianneeds vary greatly from one crisis to another, and people do not alwaysget the minimum required to survive adverse conditions caused byconflicts and natural disasters. To improve the consistency and quality of services they provide as agroup, the key humanitarian actors (UN agencies, IFRC and NGOs) activein the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)(http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/iasc/), have embarked on humanitarianreform aimed at building up the overall humanitarian capacity,strengthening the humanitarian coordination system and making fundingmore reliable. This article describes these efforts and how the privatesector can help the IASC implement this three-pronged reform agenda. 1. Cluster Approach: Capacity Mapping and Planning A cluster (or working group) has been established to beef-up capacity innine areas of work where critical gaps have been identified: water andsanitation, nutrition, health, emergency shelter, logistics, emergencytelecommunications, camp coordination, early recovery and protection. Atthe request of the Emergency Relief Coordinator, various organizationshave taken on the role of global cluster leads which are accountable forproviding an effective inter-agency response within their particular area ofresponsibility. For example, all humanitarian actors with expertise and capacity in waterand sanitation are expected to participate in the Watsan cluster led byUNICEF. Together, they must map out the overall capacity of the group,assess what additional capacity they are likely to need, and createstandby arrangements to be in a position to expand their capacity rapidly,for instance through surge capacity rosters. In this context, a companycan be called upon to make available Watsan engineers for a number ofdays each year through a partnership with one of the cluster members. Asthe cluster lead, UNICEF is the last resort provider, meaning that if noother cluster member has the capacity to provide the Watsan servicesrequired in a crisis situation, UNICEF is expected to do all it can to attendto the needs.









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Partnerships can be a cost-effective way of addressing some of the gapsidentified by clusters. For instance, the logistics cluster identified airfieldcongestion as a key challenge in large-scale disasters. DHL has agreed todonate services (personnel and assets) to help manage the surge ofhumanitarian cargo which too often in the past has created bottlenecks atairports. Two 80-person disaster response teams are on standby andready to deploy in Asia or in the Americas. How much standby capacity each cluster should develop is a difficultquestion that requires good intelligence of the different contingencieshumanitarians must plan for. Early warning and natural hazard analysisare helping humanitarian organizations anticipate future needs and areguiding humanitarian preparedness activities. That said, the damage thatnatural disasters and conflicts will inflict on populations in the next fiveyears is hard to predict with certainty. 2. Humanitarian Coordinators System: Preparing the EmergencyManagers of the Future Humanitarian actors have the right to expect an effective and professionalcoordination capacity when they deploy to a new disaster area. A pool ofpre-certified humanitarian coordinators has been established and OCHA isexploring different executive education programs to ensure that thesefuture emergency managers are well-prepared to carry out their missions.The course will bring relevant business management practices intoemergency management (evaluation tools, supply chain managementplanning etc). 3. Humanitarian Reserve: the Central Emergency Response Fund(CERF) Over the past few years, at least a third of the humanitarian requirementspresented in Consolidated Appeals were unmet for lack of funding. Howcan one expect humanitarian actors to be accountable for providingshelter, health services or food without funding? To address this problem,the United Nations has launched the third pillar of the UN reform: theCERF. The CERF is a reserve which the Emergency Relief Coordinator can use asa last resort (when all options have been exhausted) to make fundingavailable to UN agencies when life-saving programs are critically under-funded. The CERF can also be used immediately to provide quick initialfunding for rapid response in sudden onset disasters or when an existingcrisis rapidly deteriorates. Up to two-thirds of the grant facility can beallocated to rapid response with the additional one-third devoted toaddressing under-funded emergencies. The Secretary-General launched the CERF in New York on 9 March 2006and member states have pledged USD $263 million to resource the newgrant facility. In addition, the CERF continues to serve as a loanmechanism with USD $50 million available to make advances to UNagencies faced with cash-flow problems. OCHA has disbursed or committed USD$ 60 million under the rapidresponse window to address humanitarian needs in the Central AfricanRepublic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, GuineaBissau, Niger, Somalia, Sudan and Timor Leste. In addition, it is in theprocess of disbursing USD$ 32 million to the under-funded emergencywindow. This will provide critical resources for under-funded programs inBurundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic







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Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Haiti, Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe,Ethiopia, Kenya and Zambia. Information on implementing agencies andtype of activities funded can be found at http://cerf.un.org under themenu “CERF in Action”. Finally, the UN Foundation, UNFIP and OCHA are finalizing an agreementto allow private donors to make tax-deductible contributions to the CERF.Once the agreement is signed, they will reach out to foundations andcorporations to help replenish the fund. Communications, advertising andmarketing will be necessary to convince private donors that the CERF ishelping humanitarian actors address needs that otherwise would havegone unattended. To this effect, OCHA is looking for a media group toproduce a documentary showcasing how the CERF is helping UN agenciesto make a difference. For more information, please visithttp://ochaonline.un.org/ocha2006/chap6_6.htm or contact ChristelleLoupforest, OCHA.


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Business Action Against Corruption – How CorporateCitizenship Can Contribute to Deal with the SupplySide of the Corruption Dilemma The Global Compact’s 10th Principle Against Corruption by Birgit Errath, Global Compact Office

With the growing knowledge about the costs of corruptionhave come a growing number of regulatory and voluntaryinitiatives trying to stem and reduce the tide ofcorruption. But despite the flurry of activities aroundcorruption, surprisingly little is known about what worksand what does not. All too often, anti-corruptionmeasures are framed narrowly, ignoring that it is a deeplysocietal phenomenon with great variations over time andacross cultures and economies, involving societal values, power structures and allsegments of society. Many futile efforts have been spent on making the case foror against regulation and for and against voluntary approaches. Both areneeded. What matters is finding the right balance. Business-led approaches must be an integral part of any comprehensive anti-corruption strategy. They cannot substitute for effective regulation but they cancomplement regulatory efforts. Regulation alone will not work. Even if appliedeffectively, it can at best define a minimum floor below which society is preparedto impose sanctions. Regulation feeds compliance-based behaviors and costminimization. It does not provide for the trust-based informal social norms,without which markets and societies cannot function. Nor does it stimulateinnovation. This is where voluntary business-led initiatives such as the UN GlobalCompact can play an important role. They help to make the case for goodcorporate performance and thereby can give impetus to broad-based change,especially if good performance is rewarded and established as a de factobehavioral norm. The Global Compact’s 10th principle against corruption was introduced in June2004 after extensive consultation with all participants and stakeholders and hadbeen accepted by an overwhelming majority. Since then, implementation effortshave mainly focused on recommendation of tools (see publication: “Businessagainst corruption – a framework for action”, December 2005), collection ofpractical examples (see publication: “Business against corruption – case storiesand examples, April 2006), and creating partnerships with organizations such asTransparency International, the International Chamber of Commerce, the WorldEconomic Forum Partnering Against Corruption Initiative, the World Bank Instituteand many more. 10th principle: “Business should work against corruption in all its forms,including extortion and bribery.” The following can already be said: First, effective implementation of the tenth principle within organizations followsthe same organizational change process as for the other Global Compact









http://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/issues_doc/7.7/BACtextcoversmallFINAL.pdf

http://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/issues_doc/7.7/BACtextcoversmallFINAL.pdf

http://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/issues_doc/7.7/BACbookFINAL.pdf

http://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/issues_doc/7.7/BACbookFINAL.pdf





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principles on human rights, labor standards and environment. While anti-corruption may involve additional reporting requirements in accordance withprevailing regulation, the overall processes to make anti-corruption an integralpart of corporate strategy and operation are the same: leadership commitment,effective organizational change and management processes, empowerment ofemployees, incentives, the capacity to assess change and impact, andcommunication to shareholders and stakeholders.

Second, when it comes to actions in society that go beyond the immediate sphereof influence of individual organization, the tenth principle has greatly underscoredthe importance of working together. More than any other principles it encouragescooperation between corporate participants and other stakeholders and policymakers. A number of Global Compact local networks have already undertakencollective action inspired by the tenth principle, in all regions of the world.Dialogues and joint actions have already started to take place on quite a largescale in places such as Malawi, Egypt, Norway, Germany, Denmark, Brazil andArgentina. Some of the most encouraging examples include business voicesspeaking jointly to public institutions by making the case that business can onlybecome more competitive if public institutions are more effective. We arecurrently developing frameworks for collective action that our national focal pointscan use to engage Global Compact participants and other actors in the relevantcountries, which hopefully will spur further activities especially in Latin America,Africa and Eastern Europe. In conclusion, the focus on anti-corruption and its integration in the corporatecitizenship agenda are important developments. They contribute to greatermarket integrity and hold the promise of infusing improved governance in thepublic and private spheres alike. We may not yet know what works best. But wedo know that there are at least two viable pathways ahead: advancing aprinciples-based organizational change process across all organizations andsupply-chains, and fostering collaborative efforts that involve all actors insociety. For more information, please visithttp://www.unglobalcompact.org/Issues/transparency_anticorruption/index.html orcontact Birgit Errath, UN Global Compact


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Meet Randy Gossen of Nexen, Inc., a Pioneer ofCSR Introducing a private-sector focal point

It only takes a few seconds talking with Dr.Randall Gossen to be inspired by his immenseknowledge of public-private energy partnerships.With his down-to-earth, approachable manner anda PhD in Soil Microbiology, he can explain theprocess of upstream and downstream oilproduction in one sentence, and in the next speakwith enthusiasm about CSR, the importance of hiswife and family of 5 children, and his hobbies(flying his own L4 Grasshopper plane (used as anartillery spotter in WWII), and playing the piano).He heeds the very advice that he gives his kids,namely to have a high self-esteem and at leastone stress relief mechanism. For him, flying and the piano provide thisoutlet—when doing these activities, he cannot focus on anything else.Indeed, Randy Gossen had many surprising experiences and insights todivulge to our editors. As Vice president of Safety, Environment, and Social Responsibility atNexen, Inc. in Calgary, Canada, Randy has had some quite amazingexperiences. After finishing his Bachelor’s degree in biology, he traveled toColombia and worked with an FAO team to develop the first national parkin the country. In addition, he helped to take inventory of the flora andfauna of the area, about which little was known at the time. This wasduring the late 1960s when guerrilla violence was just beginning to flareup in a few pockets of the country. His time in Colombia not only servedas an impetus for his professional development and interest in soilmicrobiology and the environment, but was a turning point in his personallife as well: here he also met his wife. On another project, ‘Operation Green Turtle’ he worked with Florida StateUniversity and the US Navy to help repopulate the Caribbean with greensea turtles. He assisted with the release of hatchlings and eggs flown bythe Navy to strategic points around the Caribbean. Upon returning to Canada, Randy started working for the Arctic gaspipeline project where he was responsible for environmental researchstudies on northern flora and fauna. He then began working with ImperialOil Ltd. where his assignments included managing an oil sands project innorthern Alberta. Looking back, he remembers how much corporateattitudes have changed toward CSR, because when he joined, he was seenas the ‘token environmentalist.’ Business did not yet perceive the value-added in environmental sustainability. At Imperial Oil, Randy gained astrong foundation in the oil industry and stayed with them for 18 years,at which point he took the opportunity to move on and join Nexen, Inc.,which was just starting to expand to become international. This was 16













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years ago. Nexen had already taken a leadership role on the path to sustainabilityduring the early 1990s. They conducted business on the principle that thecommunities in which they work have a legitimate right to contribute todecision-making and benefits generated in their area. This belief ledNexen to react to widespread concerns about the impact of oil companieson the environment and human rights in Nigeria. Before the existence ofthe United Nations Global Compact and the emergence of the CSRmovement, Nexen took the initiative to lead the formulation of astatement of values and principals that was endorsed by 12 othercompanies, NGOs, and the local government. Furthermore, as one of thedrafters of the International Code of Ethics for Canadian Business, RandyGossen helped to ensure that companies uphold certain standards in theareas of human rights, community participation, environmental protection,business conduct, employee rights, health and safety. More recently, Randy followed these same principles in Yemen whereNexen partnered with UNDP and the Canadian International DevelopmentAgency (CIDA) with the objective of providing enhanced water andsanitation to a community in the vicinity of Nexen’s field operations. Thisproject will also ensure local capacity building and effective managementof these water resources. This partnership project is an extension ofNexen's community affairs program in Yemen which was initiated in theearly 1990’s. Nexen acknowledges their responsibility to be accountableto local communities in Yemen, as their activities make up 25% ofYemen’s GDP. In Yemen, the biggest concern revolves around the basicneed for water access, as ground water is the prime source and ischallenging to tap into. In addition to water, the program hasconcentrated its community efforts on areas of health and education,helping to build hospitals and schools. In its early stages, the UNDPpartnership project has experienced substantial obstacles, but RandyGossen and Nexen have been patient with the process, realizing that allthe partners are still learning how to best take advantage of the differentroles and strengths of each partner organization. Randy vigorouslystresses the need for the UN to perceive companies as more than justdonors and also to simplify the process by allowing local ownership andmore authority to UN project staff on the ground. Nexen continues tocollaborate with the UN and CIDA to overcome these obstacles and indoing so has demonstrated its active support of the United Nations GlobalCompact aims and principals. Randy is a lucky man – he does his job because he likes it! He feels verycontent to work for a company that mirrors his own views and iscommitted to the Global Compact. He attributes Nexen’s active role in theUnited Nations Global Compact to the dedication of his CEO, CharlieFischer, who is “an enlightened individual with a social conscience.” CEOcommitment, he asserted, is key to active participation in the UnitedNations Global Compact. To Randy, this consciousness means that “thecompany still has a primary responsibility to its shareholders, but not atany cost.” Business can only be successful if the community stakeholdersare also successful. Otherwise, business activities cause conflict anddiscontent, which does not help anyone. He is convinced that “no singlegroup can do as much as partnerships” and applauds those who are activeparticipants in the United Nations Global Compact. He urges those whoare still “on the fence,” and perceive membership in the United NationsGlobal Compact as good PR, to instead embrace it as an integral part ofthe company.

To contact Randy Gossen, write to:







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Randy GossenNexen Inc.801-7th Avenue S.W.Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 3P7

*The editors conducted a personal interview with Randy Gossen


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Meet Kai Bethke, Technical Advisor PrivateSector Development Branch, UNIDO Introducing a public-sector focal point

With a first degree in business administration inhand, this Berlin native took a leap across theAtlantic to Colombia, where he began to gatherexperience in the private sector. Already at thisearly stage in his career, he was gainingexperience in facilitating favorable businessrelations. What began on a bilateral level wouldlater help him in his work as an Industrial Development Officer for UNIDO.He explained this path to our editors.

After university, he knew it would be important for him to obtainexperience working abroad. When he was accepted for a position at theGerman-Colombian Chamber of Commerce, he packed his bags andheaded for Bogotá. Here he stayed 18 months. The Chamber ofCommerce focused on promoting export and business between Germanand Colombian companies. Kai worked with a network to maintainbusiness contacts, establish business relations, and conduct trainings forcompanies on how they could best cooperate on a bilateral level. Hisexperience there provided a sound foundation for later global partnershipfacilitation. During his work in Bogotá, he had daily contact with German businesses,but worked with a mix of Colombians and Germans. He found working inColombia not that much different from home in that Colombian businessnorms are very similar to those in Europe. Also, due to the country’sfascinating character and knack for accommodation, he could work andlive there very comfortably and found his way around without trouble.This year and a half in Colombia was a meaningful experience for hisprofessional and personal development. While he did learn some technicalskills, the most beneficial and challenging aspect of working there was ona personal level. He gained a wider perspective in regards to learningdifferent ways of working. Here he realized that there is no one absoluteframework for conducting business. After his time in Colombia, Kai worked at a publishing house in Munich fortwo years with database management systems. Thereafter he began hisPhD studies at the Latin America Institute of the Free University of Berlinin development economics. The Free University offered him a good mix oftheory and practice. During this time, he found his first window intoworking in the UN system for the United Nations Commission for LatinAmerica and the Caribbean (ECLAC, or CEPAL in Spanish). ECLACcomprises one of the regional commissions of the UN and is based inChile. In his work with them, he conducted research and learned how toformulate policy advice from proper analysis of an issue. This processformed an important intellectual influence for his career path.













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After finishing his PhD in development economics in the mid 1990s, Kaibegan working for the International Trade Center (ITC) in Geneva. At thatstage, the UN did not yet engage very intensively in partnerships with thefor-profit sector and his work therefore focused on trade promotion issueswith governments and intergovernmental institutions. The goals of hiswork at the ITC in Geneva were similar to objectives he now works towardat UNIDO. His job involves assisting small- and medium-sized companiesto grow and succeed 10 years from now. However, since he joined UNIDOhe has been responsible for CSR and business partnership programs,focusing on innovative ways to bring not only government, but alsobusiness into the mix. He explains that previously, discussions revolvedaround how to best transfer technology from the ‘West’ to the ‘ThirdWorld’ and advance productivity. Now, this technical bottleneck is nolonger as prominent and efforts have shifted toward technologymanagement in these small- and medium-sized businesses. Through thisstrategy, UNIDO hopes to integrate small companies into the global supplychain by helping them meet quality, environment and social standards. When asked what challenges he faces in his position as an IndustrialDevelopment Officer, he responded that partnership building exercises,although they may seem so easy, often present many obstacles. Technicalintricacies, however, are not the cause of this challenge. Rather,integrating all stakeholders into the process in a way that satisfies allthose involved is not so simple. Especially, bringing colleagues on boardinternally proves difficult at times. Kai expressed that the best methods toconvey the value of partnerships with colleagues are fairly simple. To thisend, he advocates clarity, communication, inclusion and transparency.These principles ensure a reliable structure for information exchange andcan be employed on a daily basis, from preparing documents in a certainway to setting up web-based communication. In the last few years, Kai has seen collaboration increasing within the UNsystem and also externally. He finds it rewarding to take part in thisprocess and has enjoyed working more closely both with internalcolleagues and other partners around the world.

* The editors conducted an interview with Kai Bethke


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UN Launches Principles for ResponsibleInvestment by Gavin Power, UN Global Compact and Paul Clements-Hunt, UNEP

On 27 April 2006, the United Nations launched thePrinciples for Responsible Investment, a set ofvoluntary guidelines intended to promotesustainable development. The Principles, composed in coordination with theUN Environment Programme Finance Initiative andthe UN Global Compact, were developed by leading institutional investorsworking together with the UN to create a basis for the integration ofenvironmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) considerations intoinvestment activities. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who officially launched the Principles,stated “[t]hese Principles grew out of the understanding that while financefuels the global economy, investment decision-making does notsufficiently reflect environmental, social and corporate governanceconsiderations – or put another way, the tenets of sustainabledevelopment.” The six main Principles are supported by 35 approaches that investors canincorporate into their investment activities to successfully integrate ESGconsiderations. Ranging from recommendations on financial reporting andtransparency to active promotion and implementation, the Principlesprovide a foundation for achieving more sustainable markets andeventually better investment returns. At the international launch in New York on 27 April, roughly $2 trillion inassets from all continents signed on to the Principles. The following week,the European launch in Paris signed on an additional $2 trillion, and sincethen another $1 trillion has pledged support. A global rollout will beginsoon and it is hoped that scores of institutional investors from around theworld will incorporate the Principles in their activities in order to committo practices that should improve long-range returns while advancingsustainable global development. The Principles can be found at http://www.unpri.org/principles/ For more information please contact Paul Clements-Hunt, UNEP or GavinPower, UN Global Compact Office (New York).


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The IEG Evaluation of World Bank Assistance forNatural Disasters The report calls for new thinking that integratespredictable disaster risks into developmentprograms. The report concludes that it is possibleto anticipate where many natural disasters willstrike, yet expresses concerns that the WorldBank's disaster assistance efforts areunderutilizing these vital lifesaving forecasts.

The World Bank is the largest funding agency ofdisaster recovery and reconstruction in developingcountries. Since 1984, the Bank has financed atotal of $26 billion in disaster activities. Thesemore than 500 projects represent almost 10% ofall Bank loan commitments during this period. Over 80 percent of Bankdisaster financing has addressed rapid onset disasters -- floods,earthquakes, tropical storms and fires.This evaluation was carried out by the Independent Evaluation Group(IEG), an autonomous body reporting directly to the Board of ExecutiveDirectors of the World Bank Group to assess the effectiveness of theBank's development efforts. For the complete report, visithttp://www.worldbank.org/ieg/naturaldisasters/report.html


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The New and Improved UNDESA CSD Database

The United Nations Division for Sustainable Development (UNDESA) firstlaunched the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) Partnershipsdatabase in February 2004 in response to a request from the CSD at its11th session.

This database has been recently redesigned (in May 2006) to increaseuser-friendliness, improve site navigation and enable easier access topartnerships-related information. New features added include apartnerships events calendar and searchable listings of partnerships-related web links, publications and articles.

The information contained in this online resource is based on voluntaryself-reports from partnerships registered with the Commission onSustainable Development.

To browse the partnership database, register a new partnership, or obtainfurther information, please visithttp://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/partnerships/partnerships.htm


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The Seed Initiative Partnership Report There is a continuing debate about partnerships.The contribution they make to sustainabledevelopment remains in the policy spotlight. Withincreasing experience, however, the tenor ofdiscussion has changed. No longer is the focus onwhether we can or should engage in partnerships,but on 'when' and 'how to'. When and under whatconditions are partnerships the appropriate toolfor addressing sustainable development and howcan they best be managed to generate maximumimpact?This first issue of the Partnership Report, produced by GPPi on behalf ofthe Seed Initiative, makes a contribution to this evolving debate using theprogress and setbacks experienced by the 'Seed partnerships'. Thesepartnerships —the five winners and 70 award applicants who responded toa survey—shed light on critical questions for partnerships: How likely arepartnerships to achieve impact in sustainable development? What roledoes local ownership play in the work of partnerships? What businessmodels are these partnerships based upon? What are their strengths andweaknesses in planning and management? And what can be done toenhance the chances of success of locally driven partnerships?

For further information, contact Julia Steets, GPPi or download the fullreport at http://gppi.net/partnershipreport/


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The Business of Health - The Health of Business

In this joint publication by the InternationalBusiness Leaders Forum (IBLF) and the WorldBusiness Council for Sustainable Development(WBCSD), examples are gathered to illustrate thebusiness case for corporate action on health anddemonstrate how companies can positively andimaginatively engage with these issues to create business advantages. Case studies in the publication include:

How GlaxoSmithKline works to enhance the mental well-being andresilience of its employees through a comprehensive workplaceprogram

Lafarge's sub-Saharan HIV/AIDS program, which combinesprevention, screening and access to care for employees and theirfamilies

Unilever's hand washing program, which aims to educate 200 millionIndians within the next five years, and is being extended elsewhere.

How Volkswagen has developed a strong obesity program for thebenefit of its Mexico operations, where chronic disease has emergedas a key public health concern.

To download this publication, please visithttp://www.iblf.org/docs/BizofHealth.pdf. To order a hard copy email,Jonathan Bennett


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The Development Assistance Database: Trackingand Analyzing Tsunami Contributions from thePrivate Sector by Elizabeth Leff, UNDP

In response to the Indian Ocean tsunami inDecember 2004, there was an enormousoutpouring of aid and a huge growth in thenumber of organizations involved in the relief,recovery and reconstruction of the affected areas.This influx created a challenging situation for thecountries struggling to manage the increased volume of aid and theamount of actors involved. But while the need to more effectivelycoordinate the resources pouring into the affected countries was notdisputed, aid management has historically addressed ‘traditional’ donors,such as the bi-lateral organizations, international financial institutions,such as the World Bank, and large international NGOs, and the UN. In the case of the tsunami, however, the private sector emerged as neverbefore in terms of the size and scope of its contributions. Whilegovernments were struggling to cope with coordinating resources fromtraditional donors, they had even less history with the private sector,fewer previously established relationships and less of an understanding ofhow to effectively integrate the private sector’s contributions within theoverall structure of aid coordination. In an attempt to address this gap, a specific private sector database hasbeen developed by UNDP to target private sector company and foundationtsunami contributions. This Private Sector Development AssistanceDatabase (PS DAD) is aimed at addressing the role of the private sectorin the tsunami context, as well as providing a means to discuss issues andneeds relating to collaboration with the private sector in order to offer aneffective tool for use in future crises or in ongoing development efforts.This work is part of a collaborative initiative among UNDP, the affectedcountry governments, and other development partners undertaken toprovide improved tracking and coordination of tsunami aid. The PS DAD’s four main objectives are to:

Capture the Contribution of the Private Sector: Progress fromfragmented to systematic collection of data that leads to a betterunderstanding of the private sector’s increasing role in providingfunding, services and expertise in response to disasters

Improve Accountability and Transparency: Address, in part, thegrowing demand by private companies, governments, the public,and the media for increased accounting and enhanced transparencyof the substantial donated resources

Highlight Success Stories: Showcase effective projects andpartnerships and highlight innovative initiatives that have made animpact in the lives of those affected













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Match Supply and Demand: Provide a first step in aligning resourcesto needs on the ground by analyzing what has been contributed,where, and to whom in order to link resources to unmet needs

The PS DAD is an online database that is accessible to the public andprovides a means to collect, aggregate and analyze private sectorcontributions to tsunami relief and reconstruction. It supports tracking,highlighting and analysis of reported contributions through access to bothindividual company profiles and aggregated private sector data, includingcustomizable reports, graphs, charts and maps. The PS DAD has the ability to collect and report on:

Organization profiles with company informationFinancial contribution data, including cash, in-kind and long-termproject contributionsProject information, such as timeframes, descriptions and objectivesand countries benefitedPartnership information, including receivers of contributions andpartnership contact informationPhotographs and press releases

The PS DAD is currently being populated and can be accessed athttp://privatesector.tsunamitracking.org. If you have any furtherquestions, please contact Elizabeth Leff, UNDP RCB


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Partnering for Development: Making it Happen by Soren Petersen, UNDP Nordic Office

Partnering for Development-Making it Happen” isanother timely resource which addresses thebenefits of public-private partnerships for reachingthe Millennium Development Goals. As a follow-upto the publication “UNDP and the Private Sector:Building Partnerships for Development”, whichfocused on describing partnership cases, “Makingit Happen” addresses the overarching questionsand concepts regarding partnerships with an easyto read style that serves as a notable introductionto the topic. The aim of the book “Partnering for Development-Making it Happen” is to answer the question ofwhy different actors should engage in partnerships. It presents theargument that by combining the knowledge, experiences and resourcesfrom both the private and public sector, both sectors can potentiallybenefit. In addition, the publication stresses that bringing corporate socialresponsibility to the country level and stimulating business partnershipsfor development is a main priority for the United Nations DevelopmentFund (UNDP), which plays a central role as a facilitator between thebusiness sector and other stakeholder groups and development partners. The book also provides some concrete examples that demonstrate thepotential of partnerships. Some examples include the collaborationbetween the government, Amnesty International, Statoil and UNDP inVenezuela where they have built capacity within the judiciary system oninternational human rights law; collaboration between Citigroup, ChevronTexaco, NGO partners and UNDP in Kazakhstan to promote smallenterprise development through micro-credit loans and a BusinessAdvisory Center; and a partnership in China between UNDP, Shell,PetroChina, government, universities and various institutes who areundertaking social impact assessments in preparation for the constructionof the West-East pipeline in order to ensure that social and communityconcerns are taken into consideration and are being addressed. “Partnering for Development-Making it Happen” concludes that theMillennium Development Goals can be met by 2015 but only with supportfrom the private sector. To download the booklet, please visithttp://www.undp.org/partners/business/UNDP-booklet-web.pdf For more information or to receive a hard copy, contact Soren Peterson,UNDP Nordic Office









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The Partnering Initiative Case Study Toolbook

An increasing number of individuals are becominginvolved in commissioning, researching, writing ordisseminating partnership case studies. The CaseStudy Toolbook is designed to help individuals tocreate their own case studies more successfully. Itis aimed at partnership practitioners worldwide,irrespective of their sector or their partneringrole(s), whether they are working on partnershipsat an operational or a strategic level and whetherthey are ‘internal’ or ‘external’ to the partnership being studied.

This publication aims to do three things: first, to make the case for morepenetrating and useful partnership case studies; second, to promptreflection on the challenges faced by a case study researcher / writer andthird, to provide some useful tools for those involved in partnership casestudy work. It is an output from a one-year project, and should beregarded as a ‘work in progress’.

The publication draws on contributions from partnership practitionersthrough a series of commissioned papers, researched partnership casestudies and logbooks documenting different case study researcher’sexperience.

To register with the Partnering Initiative and to download the toolbook,visit http://thepartneringinitiative.org/mainpages/case/tool/


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UNEP Creative Gallery on SustainabilityCommunications

Another way to productively spend your lunchbreak: Watchingenvironmentally and socially responsible advertisements! As the firstinternational online database of corporate and public advertisingcampaigns specifically dedicated to sustainability issues and classified bysustainability themes, the Creative Gallery on SustainabilityCommunications is the result of a thorough selection, which started withthe viewing of over 40,000 ads. The campaigns highlighted in this Galleryaddress sustainability issues through various themes, tones, types ofmedia and strategies. Some reflect companies' public commitmenttowards social and environmental issues. Others feature awarenesscampaigns from public authorities. Some aim to promote the purchase ofgreen products and services, others strive to change citizens' orconsumers' attitudes. The Gallery also compiled case studies taken fromexisting UNEP publications like “Communicating Sustainability” and “Talkthe Walk”.

By gathering these campaigns from all around the world, UNEP wishes toinspire and foster more and better communication on sustainability issuesfrom all stakeholders involved in the promotion of sustainabledevelopment. However, the selected campaigns do not constitute anendorsement by the United Nations Environment Programme for anymessage, brand, company or public advertiser. To view the Creative Gallery, please visithttp://www.unep.fr/pc/sustain/advertising/ad/ad_list.asp?cat=all


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UNCTAD Publishes New Resource for CorporateGovernance Disclosure by Anthony Miller, UNCTAD

UNCTAD has recently published a new resourceentitled "Guidance on Good Practices in CorporateGovernance Disclosure". This guidance is avoluntary technical aid for, among others,regulators and companies in developing countriesand transition economies. The purpose of thisguidance is to assist the preparers of enterprisereporting in producing disclosures on corporategovernance which will address the major concernsof investors and other stakeholders. This new resource would be relevant toenterprises eager to attract investment regardlessof their legal form or size. This guidance wouldalso be useful for promoting awareness in countries and companies thatare not sufficiently adhering to international good practices and areconsequently failing to satisfy investor expectations regarding corporategovernance disclosures. The guidance focuses on widely applicabledisclosure issues that should be relevant to most enterprises. It coversfinancial and non-financial corporate governance disclosures, as well asdisclosure issues regarding general meetings, timing and means ofdisclosure and compliance with best practice. In preparing this work, UNCTAD drew upon recommendations forcorporate governance disclosure contained in widely recognized documentsfrom other international organizations and national governments, as wellas the deliberations of the Intergovernmental Working Group of Expertson International Standards of Accounting and Reporting (ISAR). Forreference purposes, the guidance also contains a list of national andinternational resources on corporate governance disclosure. UNCTAD's new publication is expected to serve as a useful tool fordrawing attention to good corporate governance disclosure practices thatenterprises in different parts of the world might wish to emulate. For further information and to obtain a copy, please visit:www.unctad.org/isar or write to [email protected]


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CSD-14 Results: Pushingforward in Energy forSustainable Development,Industrial Development, AirPollution, Atmosphere andClimate Change



Upcoming Events Calendar August: 27 – Sept. 1 Hertie School of Governance Executive Seminar on Global Public Policy, Berlin 31 GPPi and Hertie School of Governance event with Mary Robinson on Realizing Rights:

New Alliances for Human Rights, Development, and Migration September: 6 – 8 59th Annual DPI/NGO Conference, United Nations, New

York 11 – 12 UNRISD Social Policy, Regulation and Private Sector Involvement in Water Supply,

Geneva October: 10 – 12 Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of

Accounting and Reporting (ISAR) meeting, Geneva 25 – 27 FAO/World Bank Congress on Communication for

Development, Rome August 27 – Sept 1 Hertie School of Governance Executive Seminar on Global Public Policy, Berlin. Jointlyorganized by the Global Public Policy Institute and the Hertie School of Governance.

The Executive Seminar is a unique cross-sectoral learning forum bringing together professionalsfrom national ministries and agencies, international organizations, NGOs and business.

Wolfgang Reinicke, Director of the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) and Managing Director ofgalaxar s.a., Geneva, and Thorsten Benner, Associate Director of GPPi, will lead the seminar andwill guide the participants during the course of the week. They will be supported by a group ofoutstanding academics and practitioners including:

John Ruggie (Harvard University and UN Special Representative on the Issue of HumanRights and Transnational Corporations)Klaus Leisinger (Novartis Foundation and Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General on theGlobal Compact) Ricardo Soares de Oliveira (University of Cambridge)Andrew Bone (De Beers Group)Corinna Gilfillan (Global Witness)Mary Robinson (Ethical Globalization Initiative, former UN High Commissioner for HumanRights)

For more information on the seminar, please visit http://www.hertie-school.org/en/2_executive_education/Global_Public_Policy/index.html

August 31:GPPi and Hertie School of Governance event with Mary Robinson on Realizing Rights: NewAlliances for Human Rights, Development, and Migration, Berlin









http://www.hertie-school.org/en/2_executive_education/Global_Public_Policy/index.html

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The UN-Business FocalPoint seeks to enhance

On 31 August 2006 The Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi), in cooperation with the Hertie Schoolof Governance, will host Mary Robinson, President of Realizing Rights: The Ethical GlobalizationInitiative, previous UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and former president of Ireland. Theevent is entitled “Realizing Rights: New Alliances for Human Rights, Development, and Migration”and will take place at the German Historical Museum in Berlin.

For further information, please contact Wade Hoxtell, GPPi.

September 6 – 8:

59th Annual DPI/NGO Conference, United Nations, New York

More than 2,500 Non-governmental Organization (NGO) representatives and other civil societypartners from more than 90 countries are expected to gather at the United Nations headquartersin New York, from 6 – 8 September 2006, to discuss ways and means for strengtheningcollaboration between local communities and global institutions. They will meet during the 59thAnnual DPI/NGO Conference, entitled Unfinished Business: Effective Partnerships for HumanSecurity and Sustainable Development.As an annual meeting taking place on the eve of the opening of the General Assembly, theConference has become an established forum for networking and exchange of views, opinions,expertise and best-practices on relevant issues. Beyond these, it has moved in recent timestowards strategic partnership-building by inviting representatives of Member States to engage indialogues with Conference participants. This year, it aims to provide a policy-building forum forNGO collaboration with the United Nations.

For further information, please visit http://www.undpingoconference.org/

NOTE: REGISTRATION DEADLINE 15 JULY

September 11 – 12UNRISD Social Policy, Regulation and Private Sector Involvement in Water Supply, Geneva

UNRISD is organizing a final workshop to present the research findings of the project on SocialPolicy, Regulation and Private Sector Involvement in Water Supply in Geneva on 11-12 September2006. The overall objective of the research was to investigate whether private sector involvementin water supply is the “right” option, even with regulatory mechanisms in place. In order toexplore this, the research has addressed issues surrounding access, affordability, and how socialpolicies and regulation are designed to achieve the specified objectives of the private sectorinvolvement.The project researchers will be presenting their findings during the workshop. Participants willinclude academics, researchers, policy makers, NGOs, the private sector and others.

For more information, please visithttp://www.unrisd.org/80256B3C005BD6AB/(httpEvents)/28E8CC0F8D4C3232C125716C0034D401?OpenDocument

If you are interested in participating in this workshop, kindly contact Naren Prasad.([email protected]).

October 10 – 12Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accountingand Reporting (ISAR) meeting, Geneva.

The twenty-third session of ISAR will deliberate on two main agenda items:

Review of practical implementation issues of International Financial Reporting Standards(IFRS); andComparability and relevance of existing indicators on corporate responsibility.

The deliberations on IFRS will include a panel discussion on the accounting and financial reportingneeds of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Other topics to be addressed include: theannual survey of corporate governance disclosure, a new survey on corporate responsibilityreporting, as well as updates by regional and international organizations on their respective




http://www.undpingoconference.org/

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communication among UN PrivateSector Focal Points, therebyadvancing the sharing of bestpractices and lessons onpartnerships and jointpartnership activities across theUN system.




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activities.

Confirmed speakers include experts from the European Commission, the International AccountingStandards Board and the International Federation of Accountants.

For more information, please visit http://www.unctad.org/Templates/Meeting.asp?intItemID=3863〈=1

October 25 – 27FAO/World Bank Congress on Communication for Development, Rome

The focus of the Congress is to effectively promote the mainstreaming of communication intodevelopment policies and programs and to promote strategic partnerships and alliances in thisfield. Its ultimate objective is to demonstrate that communication for development is essential formeeting today’s most pressing development challenges and, as such, should be more fullyintegrated in development policy and practice.This 3-day Congress will bring together communication professionals engaged in developmentinitiatives, policymakers, development practitioners, donor and NGO representatives, communityrepresentatives, and academics from around the world to share experiences and best practices inthis growing field for a common understanding of what works, what doesn’t, and how best tomeasure impact. Congress participation will be by invitation, and it is expected to have about 500attendees from over the world, including policymakers, academicians and communication fordevelopment practitioners.

For more information, please visit http://www.fao.org/sd/dim_kn1/kn1_060601_en.htm


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New UN Private Sector Focal Points

Andrei Iatsenia, UN/ISDR

Andrei Iatsenia is working at present as Senior Adviser, Private-PublicPartnerships at the United Nations International Strategy for DisasterReduction in Geneva (UN ISDR). His work is based on more than 10 yearsof practical experience on the subject of Private-Public partnership andDisaster Risk Reduction. In 1996, Mr. Iatsenia designed and launched anEnvironmental Emergencies Network in the World Bank that involvedprivate sector parties (insurance companies, construction, computer andcommunication industries, etc). In 1996 he worked as the task Managerof the Bay of Bengal GEF project that focused on PPP early warning asrelated to cyclones and floods in the Bay of Bengal countries. In 1996-1997 he participated in the Andhra Pradesh Disaster Management Projectand Poland Flood project. In 1998 he moved to Latin AmericaEnvironmental Department where he established and managed a disastermanagement unit with four seconded professionals. In 1998 he was partof the team that got the first award (USD 150,000) from the President ofthe World Bank as part of the "Development Marketplace" proposal relatedto private-public partnership for disaster reduction. In 1999 he lead theWorld Bank team for the Hurricane Mitch project in Honduras andNicaragua, participated in the Caribbean Disaster Preparedness projectand task-managed the Central America Disaster Management Grant. Since1999 he was also involved in promoting international partnerships basedon the success of the "Project Impact" of FEMA and "PPP 2000", lead bythe White House (both are the USA based effort on private-publicpartnership for disaster reduction). After moving to Switzerland in 2000 under the World Bank Staff Exchangeprogramme, Mr. Iatsenia worked for three years as UNEP Coordinator ofthe Mountain Programme, itself a private-public partnership involving theAga Khan Development Network and the World Economic Forum. In 2003he developed and raised funds for the Water and Mountain Initiative,funded by the GEF and co-organized with the World Economic Forum. In2003, he was invited by the CEO of the World Economic Forum to bringthe Water Initiative to the Forum and worked there as the Director of thisInitiative under the UN staff exchange programme. During 2003-2005, he engaged several major private sector partners, suchas Alcan Inc, RWE/Thames Water, Umgeni Water, African MinisterialCouncil on Water, Coca-Cola HBC, Switcher, Nestle, Confederation ofIndian Industries, USAID, Swiss Cooperation for Development and













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arranged secondment of three professionals to the Water Initiative. In2004, he started the Water Project Exchange as the dedicated facility tomatch private sector with the public one for water related PPPs, with thefirst regional launch in Africa jointly with AMCOW and the President ofMozambique. In 2005, he started the Indian Business Alliance on Water,co financed by USAID, Switcher SA and Confederation of the IndianIndustries. In early 2006, he introduced ISDR to the World EconomicForum Disaster Management Initiative. After the end of the WorldEconomic Forum-UN Staff Exchange programme, he was invited to joinISDR and is currently working on several projects involving private-sectorpartners that are willing to collaborate with the UN on Disaster RiskReduction activities. Contact Andrei Iatsenia

Hansin Dogan, UNDP

Mr. Hansin Dogan was born on May 7, 1970 in Turkey. He received abachelor’s degree in business administration from Ankara University inTurkey in 1993. He took MBA courses at Bilkent University in Turkey in1998 and received his master’s degree in 1999 from Exeter University inEngland in the field of European studies granted by the Jean Monnetscholarship. After a short-term private sector experience at the subsidiary of CompaqInc. in Turkey between 1993 and 1994, Mr. Dogan was established on thestaff of the Political Sciences Faculty of Ankara University as an expertresearcher and, at the same time, appointed the secretary general of theHuman Rights Center at that university in 1995. During his six yearengagement with academia, he has carried out research, conductedtrainings, issued a bi-monthly Human Rights Journal, published severalarticles and books, and also provided consultancy to several institutionsincluding the Turkish Under-secretariat of Treasury, GTZ, the AmericanEmbassy in Turkey, the Fulbright Commission, and the Middle East andTurkey Public Administration Institute. Mr. Dogan started his career at the United Nations DevelopmentProgramme, Turkey Office as a Programme Associate in 2001 and hasbeen responsible for Governance, GEF/Environment and ICT forDevelopment portfolios. He has also been responsible for providingcoordination support to the UN System in Turkey during emergencyresponse operations during the aftermath of earthquakes and armedconflicts, including the war in Iraq in 2003. Having assumed his newduties as of November 2005, Mr. Hansin Dogan now serves as the PrivateSector Programme Manager of UNDP Turkey and administrates the privatesector project office based in Istanbul. The office under his management








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has established a rapidly growing portfolio of public private partnershipswith several multi-national and local companies and has been instrumentalin advancing the implementation of the UN Global Compact in Turkey. Contact Hansin Dogan


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The UN-Business Focal Point · Meet a Focal Point Meet Randy Gossen of Nexen, Inc., a Pioneer of CSR Introducing a private-sector focal point ... The Partnering Initiative Case Study