A consistent theme in our elements series has been the need for governments, business and civil society to work together to tackle complex issues like water management and climate change. The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) provides a framework in which this level of cooperation can be facilitated.
The programme aims to provide practical, concrete outcomes to the ten overarching principles of the UN Global Compact. Achieving these outcomes requires collaboration between business, government and civil society, something that traditionally siloed approaches to urban management rarely address.
Participants already include the cities of San Francisco, Berlin and Melbourne; companies such as the Japanese Mitsubishi Corporation and the Levi Strauss Co; working together with organisations like Rotary.
Together groups have been working a wide variety of themes under the Global Compact umbrella including climate change, education, employment, financial hardship, health, housing, safety, sanitation, tourism and urban development.
As well as the guiding framework, participants benefit from access to global experts on their chosen theme, assistance in developing and managing their project and international branding and cooperative marketing opportunities.
Participants are expected to complete regular project updates and share information between cities. In return, they are provided with access to e-workshops and other forums for international networking.
Projects seek to foster:
- Local capacity building;
- The involvement of non-traditional stakeholders;
- Roles for the private sector; and
- A neutral, agenda-free, non-political arena for problem solving.
Current projects include a plan to make San Francisco a model city for climate change stewardship. This is being implemented through meaningful actions from business, sharing of best practice and focusing the region’s entrepreneurial spirit and ingenuity on issues that are important for the future. The project is expected to be completed this year.
China’s Jinan Traffic Safety Project seeks to develop a new set of traffic safety criteria and an evaluation system for the city. Porto Alegre in Brazil is working to improve housing conditions whilst the South African city of Tshwane is ensuring local economic growth and employment are created on a sustainable basis.
How to act
To join in, a participant letter must be signed off at the highest level of government within the city and an application fee paid. However, the fee can be paid by any - or all – of the participants and the key ongoing contact representative need not be from government.
Interested companies and other organisations can pledge their support and lobby their relevant local governments to become involved.
References:
UNGC Cities Programme
UN Global Compact website
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