The United Nations Global Compact,Sustainability and Responsibility:

Why Universities Must Lead Global Practice

AIEC 2013 ConferenceCanberra

October 10, 2013

Dr. Mitch LeventhalVice Chancellor for Global Affairs, SUNY System

Senior Advisor on Academic Affairs, UNGC

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The UNGC is a strategic policy initiative launched by Kofi Annan in 2000 for businesses and organizations that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of:

• Human Rights• Labor• Environment • Anti-Corruption

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UNGC Academic Working Group (AWG)

2010 – AWG first convened and charged by UNGC with adapting the UNGC process (originally designed for conventional business) to HEIs. AWG composed of institutions from around the globe.

June 2012 – Issued “A Practical Guide to The United Nations Global Compact for Higher Education Institutions: Implementing the Global Compact Principles and Communicating on Progress.”

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Scope of Responsibility for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)

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Sphere of Influence of HEIs

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A Continuous Improvement Approach – Familiar Terrain for HEIs

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Communication on Progress (COP) – A required and public processStep One: Three COP Elements

• Statement of commitment to the UNGC by the top institutional official

• Description of practical actions that haven been taken (or which are planned)

• Measurement of outcomes using, as much as possible, indicators or metrics

Step Two : Sharing the COP with the HEI’s Stakeholders Step Three: Submitting the COP to the UNGC Database A COP can be fully integrated in existing stakeholder communications (such as the annual report or the sustainability reports). HEIs must submit their first COP to the UNGC within two (2) years of the date of their official UNGC commitment, and at least once every (2) years subsequently.

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Global Corporate Engagement

UNGC participation provides a unique opportunity for HEIs to collaborate with private sector companies and other organizations from around the word, on issues of global significance in an atmosphere of partnership different from typical HEI-Corporate interactions.

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For More Information:

United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)www.unglobalcompact.org

Mitch Leventhalmitch.leventhal@suny.edu