Statement by
Mr. luc stevens, UN Resident Coordinator &
UNDP Resident Representative
on the occasion of
the Launch of the Global Compact in Jordan
29 October, Radisson SAS Hotel
Amman - Jordan
Your Excellency Mr. Sharif Al Zoubi, Acting Minister of Industry & Trade, Representing Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah
Your Excellency Nasser Shraideh, Secretary General of Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, on behalf of the Minister Suhair Al Ali,
Mr. Moustafa Nasseriddin, on behalf of Mr. Talal Abu Ghazaleh
Excellencies,
Distinguished guests,
It is a great pleasure for me to welcome all of you to this ceremony to officially launch the UN Global Compact in Jordan. We are also very happy that H.M. Queen Rania has honoured us with her patronage. Her Majesty has on several occasions reemphasized the importance of corporate social responsibility.
I also extend a special welcome to H.E. Nasser Shraideh, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, who is representing the Minister Suhair Al Ali.
Today’s event would not have come true without the support of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Industry and Trade, the International Labour Organization and Talal Abu Ghazaleh Group (TAGI).
UNDP Jordan has been privileged by Mr. Talal Abu Ghazaleh’s appointment in April 2007 by the UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon as the Deputy Chairman of the UN Global Compact. We highly appreciate his continuous cooperation in facilitating this process in Jordan.
Distinguished Guests,
In a country which is limited in resources, the private sector is becoming more and more of an important player in the economy and society and needs to be encouraged to increasingly play a role in the development of the country.
I am delighted to see so many business leaders and civil society organizations gather around this important initiative, which demonstrates the commitment of Jordanians in improving the place we live in and work for. This is, in fact, the essence of the Global Compact: improve our lives together and share that responsibility.
The Global Compact is a framework for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with the ten universally accepted Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption.
These ten principles should bring concrete advantages to companies by determining how the company behaves toward society. As the quality of any company’s reputation, whatever the size, is also determined by its behavior, I wish to quote Microsoft’s message in their letter to the UN Secretary General when they joined the Global Compact: “Microsoft’s mission is to enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential. It is grounded in six core values that are the foundation of our business, and expresses our conviction that it takes more than great products to make a great company, we believe that our mission, like the ten principles of the GC, while ambitious, is achievable”.
Dear guests, the signing up to the principles of the Global Compact, though very important, is not just a one time event. It opens up to opportunities that will be available to Global Compact signatories on a global level through the Global Compact policy dialogues, learning, partnerships possibilities and networking. Furthermore, the networking opportunities offered by the National Network, with the support of UNDP, will allow you to meet regularly and discuss actual issues of how to improve business strategies, exchange innovations and experiences in implementing Global Compact principles. This network will allow for training of employees, planning joint projects and partnerships. I therefore encourage you to sign and take an active part in this network as a forum for discussions, advice and concrete actions in the areas of social and environment responsibility.
By encouraging private enterprises to embrace, promote and respect the fundamental values of human rights, labour, management of the environment and the fight against corruption, we trust that businesses will be more involved in development.
The United Nations Development Programme is entrusted by the UN to bring the Global Compact to the national level. In Jordan, together with our partners, UNDP held several workshops with the aim to build awareness and showcase other countries’ initiatives. We also commissioned three researches that assess labour rights, anti-corruption and environment facing the GC principles in Jordan that will be presented to you today.
We are proud to see that, seven companies have already become signatories to the UN Global Compact. These are Talal Abu Ghazaleh Group, Nuqul, Aramex, Primus, Razorview, Schema, Taxtic and the city of Salt . Congratulations.
I trust you will extend your work as responsible business leaders to advance socio-economic development to make positive impact in communities around the Kingdom. Furthermore, I encourage you to set an example to prompt other private businesses to get involved in this effective partnership for sustainable development in Jordan.
We at UNDP work with the government of Jordan, various donors, different NGOs and now wish to partner with the private sector to improve their contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
We believe there are tremendous opportunities for the UN to mobilize the skills and resources of the private sector in support of the Millennium Development Goals.
I take this occasion to invite the Global Compact signatories for cooperation with UNDP in Jordan on a regular basis along the issues of mutual interest. We should together contribute to the further development of the Jordan private sector and economy and deliver a number of projects in the country that will be a source of hope for its citizens.
I sincerely hope the private sector of Jordan will become an active participant in social and economic development of the country. Your personal commitment as members of the Global Compact will bear fruits for your businesses, including enhancement of competitiveness, better management of risks, improvement of relations with partners and opening of new business opportunities.
Let’s work together on this.