Governance structure

Governing and Organizational Principles of the Ukrainian Global Compact Network

The Ukrainian Global Compact Network

The Ukrainian Global Compact Network is an assembly of signatories of Global Compact in Ukraine, including companies, business associations, trade unions, employers’ organizations, non-governmental and civil society organizations, academic institutions, who come together to advance the Global Compact and its principles in the areas of human rights, labour standards, environment, anti-corruption and partnerships for sustainable development.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Ukrainian GC Network is to promote Global Compact, CSR concept in Ukraine and the progress of its members with respect to implementation of the ten GC principles through learning, dialogue and partnerships, while also creating opportunities for multi-stakeholder dialogue and advocacy through collective actions.

Governance Structure

The type of the governance structure of the Ukrainian GC network seeks to promote greater ownership of the initiative by GC signatories and other stakeholders, as well as to bring together corporate social responsibility activities within a coherent organizational structure to achieve sustainable social impact. The Ukrainian GC network has semi-formal organizational structure. Semi-formal structure has such characteristics: GC network is not a legal entity, the Network has its Steering Committee consisting of GC members and Secretariat to support events conducted by GC Network. The network is governed by Steering Committee, and supported by

Secretariat.

The GC network activities are funded through voluntary financial support from its members. The United Nations in Ukraine supports substantially and financially the GC network and acts as its Secretariat. There is no membership fee for the members at this stage.

Ukrainian Global Compact Steering Committee

The members of the Steering Committee are elected among the GC signatories through an on-line nomination and self-nomination process by the members of the GC network. The GC Steering Committee (SC) comprises Global Compact members. The members of the Steering Committee - companies, non governmental organizations and labour organizations - should have solid standing and be leaders in CSR policies and practices. They should also have a sound understanding of the Global Compact philosophy and work to implement the ten GC principles in a spirit of competence, respectability and without pursuing commercial interests.

The SC provides ongoing policy and strategic advice for the GC initiative in Ukraine, facilitates constructive dialogue among members and partners and represents the Ukrainian GC Network at regional and global events. The SC is the representative body of the Ukrainian GC Network to the UN Global Compact Office.

The SC has a two-year mandate and convenes on a quarterly basis. The SC has seven members, out of which three Ukrainian companies and one MNC, operating in Ukraine; one trade unions organization, one employers’ organization and one NGO.

The minimum quorum required for conducting a SC meeting is the presence of at least of half of the SC members. The SC takes its decision based on simple majority (50% + 1 vote). During its first meeting, the SC elects a Chair and Deputy Chair.

United Nations in Ukraine has a status of an observer at the GC SC committee meetings.

Steering Committee Responsibilities:

  • Provide strategic guidance in the development of the Ukrainian GC network and to present it for the review and approval by GC members;
  • Draft the annual work plan of the network to be discussed and approved by the network members;
  • Provide advice in the process of planning joint projects and initiatives of network members and partners;
  • On the proposal of network members amend the governance structure and organizational principles of the Ukrainian GC network;
  • Work to enhance the image of the network;
  • Share information with other country networks about GC-related activities;
  • Represent the Ukrainian GC network;

Elected Steering Committee Members for 2008:

  • Ukrainian companies:
    • Nadra bank
    • System Capital Management
    • KyivStar
  • Multinational company
    • Coca-Cola
  • Trade Unions:
    • Federation of Trade Unions
  • Non-Governmental organization:
    • European Business Association
  • Employers' organization:
    • Federation of Employers of Ukraine

GC Network Secretariat

The GC Network activities are supported by a network secretariat. The secretariat is located within the UN office and comprises three people: GC Coordinator/Public-Private Partnership Officer, GC Communication Officer and Administrative Assistant. The GC Coordinator acts as the Focal Point for the GC initiative in Ukraine. The Secretariat is in charge of internal and external communications of the network.

Secretariat’s Responsibilities:

  • Keep the GC network members informed about Steering Committee decisions;
  • Provide support for the implementation of the annual work plan;
  • Inform prospective new participants to the GC initiative of the process for signing on to the Global Compact;
  • Forward the letters of support of the new participants of the GC to the UN Global Compact Office;
  • Enter new participants into the Global Compact internal database and the national Global Compact website;
  • Keep the UN Global Compact Office updated on a quarterly basis of upcoming activities, events, local projects, national campaigns promoted or tools developed;
  • Make participants of the Ukrainian Network aware of any communications sent by the UN Global Compact Office;
  • Provide news items for the UN Global Compact Quarterly and the Networks News;
  • Maintain relationships with the media to help broad the local audience and increase public awareness of the Global Compact initiative;
  • Ensure that global documents, tools, guides and learning materials are translated into Ukrainian language.
  • Draft an Annual Activities Report to be approved by the Steering Committee;

The Ukrainian Global Compact Network activities include:

  • Act as a country Global Compact platform, assisting companies with the implementation of the ten GC principles;
  • Assist companies in the preparation of their annual "Communication on Progress";
  • Act as a country, regional or sector platform for dialogue on issues related to the ten GC principles, responsible corporate citizenship and the advancement of the UN Millennium Development Goals;
  • Act as a country, regional or sector platform for learning and constructive exchange of CSR practices.
  • Encourage network members to develop and share case studies; contribute to local learning by organizing country or regional events, and/or establishing discussion forums and activities organized around local priorities related to responsible business;
  • Motivate network members to develop partnership projects to contribute to the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals;
  • Serve as a Global Compact Outreach Mechanism to gain the support of additional companies by organizing outreach events;
  • Identify and Discuss emerging issues related to globalization, particularly the challenge of promoting inclusiveness and social responsibility by all participants involved
  • Serve as mediator in cases of controversial company behavior under the Global Compact’s integrity measures.

The Ukrainian GC Network will be represented on the UN Global Compact website through a dynamic page that contains basic information about the Ukrainian network, including a link to a list of network’s members from the country; a link to the Ukrainian GC Network’s website; contact information for the Ukrainian GC Network; any news items relevant to the Ukrainian GC Network, and other relevant documents.

Click here to download GC Network Working Group Terms of Reference

Following a comprehensive review of the Global Compact’s governance during 2004-2005, a new governance framework was adopted in August 2005. In keeping with the Global Compact’s voluntary and network-based character, the governance framework (download the new Global Compact Governance Framework) is light, non-bureaucratic and designed to foster greater involvement in, and ownership of, the initiative by participants and other stakeholders themselves. Governance functions are shared by six entities, each with differentiated tasks within a multi-centric framework:

  • Global Compact Leaders Summit
  • Local Networks
  • Annual Local Networks Forum
  • Global Compact Board
  • Global Compact Office
  • Inter-Agency Team

The role of each entity in the governance framework is as follows:

Global Compact Leaders Summit

The Leaders Summit is a triennial (next to be held on 27-28 June 2007) gathering of the top executives of all Global Compact participants and other stakeholders. As the largest gathering of its kind, the Leaders Summit represents a unique opportunity for Global Compact participants to discuss the Global Compact and corporate citizenship at the highest level, and to produce strategic recommendations and action imperatives related to the future evolution of the initiative.

More broadly, the Leaders Summit aims to deepen the commitment of participating leaders from business, labour and civil society to the Global Compact and its principles; to build and scale up momentum within the business sector; and to foster enabling environments and collective action.

Local Networks

Local Networks are groups of participants that come together to advance the Global Compact and its principles within a particular country or geographic region. They perform increasingly important roles in rooting the Global Compact within different national, cultural and linguistic contexts, and also in helping to manage the organisational consequences of rapid expansion. Their role is to facilitate the progress of companies (both local firms and subsidiaries of foreign corporations) engaged in the Compact with respect to implementation of the ten principles, while also creating opportunities for multi-stakeholder engagement and collective action. There are currently more than 50 Local Networks around the world.

Apart from acting in accordance with the Global Compact’s principles and objectives, Local Networks are self-governing. They have the opportunity to nominate members for election to the Global Compact Board, provide input on major activities undertaken by the GCO and convene the Annual Local Networks Forum. Their input is also sought on the agenda for the triennial Leaders Summit. Furthermore, l ocal Networks play an important role in support of the communications on progress and integrity measures. For more information about Local Networks, go to: Networks around the World.

Annual Local Networks Forum

The Annual Local Networks Forum (which meets annually in the latter part of the year) is the primary occasion for Local Networks from around the world to share experiences, review and compare progress, identify best practices, and adopt recommendations intended to enhance the effectiveness of Local Networks in achieving quality improvements. It is hosted by the Barcelona Center for the Support of the Global Compact ("Barcelona Center"). For more information about Local Networks and the Annual Local Networks Forum, go to: Networks around the World

Global Compact Board

The Global Compact Board is a multi-stakeholder advisory body that meets annually (first meeting in June 2006) to provide ongoing strategic and policy advice for the initiative as a whole and make recommendations to the Global Compact Office, participants and other stakeholders. The Board is comprised of four constituency groups - business, civil society, labour and the United Nations - with differentiated roles and responsibilities apart from their overall advisory function. While the Board as a whole holds an annual formal meeting, the constituency groups are expected to interact with the Global Compact Office on an ongoing basis. The Secretary-General, the Chair of the Foundation for the Global Compact and the Executive Director of the Global Compact Office have ex-officio seats on the Board.

The 20 Board members are champions willing and able to advance the UN Global Compact’s mission. Members of the Board act in a personal, honorary and unpaid capacity. Their Board membership does not render them UN officials.

Drawing in particular on the expertise and recommendations of its business members, the Board is also expected to play a role in the implementation of the Global Compact’s integrity measures. In addition to their overall Board responsibilities, the civil society and labour constituency groups are expected to provide close liaison to their communities and share with the Board as a whole, and the Global Compact Office and Inter-Agency Team in particular, insights into the most recent trends and best practices of corporate citizenship in their respective domains.

For a list of current Board members, click here.

Global Compact Office

The UN Global Compact Office (GCO) is the UN entity formally entrusted with the support and overall management of the Global Compact initiative. It has received the endorsement of the UN General Assembly (A/RES/60/215) and has been given UN system-wide responsibilities for promoting the sharing of best practices. The Global Compact Office also has responsibilities with regard to advocacy and issue leadership, fostering network development and maintaining the Global Compact communications infrastructure. Furthermore, t he GCO plays a central role in advancing the partnership agenda across the UN system and has overall responsibility for brand management and implementation of the integrity measures.

The Global Compact Office represents itself and the other members of the Inter-Agency Team on the Board. It also services the Leaders Summit, the Global Compact Board and, for the time being, the Annual Local Networks Forum.

Inter-Agency Team

Within the governance framework and daily operations of the initiative, the Inter-Agency Team is responsible for ensuring coherent support for the internalization of the principles within the United Nations and among all participants. The agencies most closely associated with the ten principles also have an advisory role with respect to the management of the integrity measures complaints procedure. Six UN agencies are represented in the Inter-Agency Team. They are: the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).

The Inter-Agency Team is represented on the Global Compact Board through the Global Compact Office’s Executive Director. The six core UN agencies participate in the Leaders Summit and the Annual Local Networks Forum. UN agencies, especially UNDP, also play a very important role in many Local Networks around the world.


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