1-Background 

At the JCI World Congress in Vienna, Austria, in 2005, JCI officers and several high-ranking political and business representatives signed the “Vienna Treaty," which set out the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a principle for conducting business. In fact, JCI officers indicated that CSR projects can help members develop leadership skills, advance business success and prosperity in their communities, and gain public recognition. Thus, JCI began worldwide efforts to promote CSR.

In 2006, JCI decided to focus on CSR at the JCI Area Conferences. As the result of the CSR Area Resolutions, JCI compiled the best ones by passing the “JCI Resolution to Advance the CSR Treaty” at the 2006 JCI World Congress in Seoul, Korea.

After developing the resolutions, JCI passed the “JCI Commitment to Action to Advance CSR Through the United Nations Global Compact” at the 2007 World Congress in Antalya, Turkey.

In January 2008, JCI signed the Memorandum of Understanding with the UN Global Compact.

In other words, JCI decided addressing CSR and the UN Global Compact because they are aligned with the JCI Mission statement, i.e., they empower young people to create positive change.

2-What is CSR?

Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept that encourages companies to integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interactions with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis.

CSR seeks to create prosperity, support social cohesion and preserve a healthy environment. It promotes economic, social and ethical responsibility, as well as the system of social market economy.

Specifically, CSR encourages voluntary actions that businesses can take, over and above compliance with minimum legal requirements, to address both their own competitive interests and the interests of wider society.

3-UN Global Compact?

What is it?

The Global Compact is a framework for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption . As the world's largest, global corporate citizenship initiative, the Global Compact is first and foremost concerned with exhibiting and building the social legitimacy of business and markets.

Business, trade and investment are essential pillars for prosperity and peace. But in many areas, business is too often linked with serious dilemmas - for example, exploitative practices, corruption, income equality, and barriers that discourage innovation and entrepreneurship. Responsible business practices can in many ways build trust and social capital, contributing to broad-based development and sustainable markets.

The Global Compact is a purely voluntary initiative with two objectives:

- Mainstream the ten principles in business activities around the world

- Catalyse actions in support of broader UN goals, such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

To achieve these objectives, the Global Compact offers facilitation and engagement through several mechanisms: Policy Dialogues, Learning, Local Networks, and Partnership Projects.

The Global Compact is not a regulatory instrument – it does not “police”, enforce or measure the behavior or actions of companies. Rather, the Global Compact relies on public accountability, transparency and the enlightened self-interest of companies, labour and civil society to initiate and share substantive action in pursuing the principles upon which the Global Compact is based.

The Global Compact involves all the relevant social actors: governments, who defined the principles on which the initiative is based; companies, whose actions it seeks to influence; labour, in whose hands the concrete process of global production takes place; civil society organizations, representing the wider community of stakeholders; and The United Nations, the world's only truly global political forum, as an authoritative convener and facilitator.

The Ten Principles

The Global Compact's ten principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption enjoy universal consensus and are derived from:

- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

- The International Labour Organization's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work

- The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development

- The United Nations Convention Against Corruption

The Global Compact asks companies to embrace, support and enact, within their sphere of influence, a set of core values in the areas of human rights, labour standards, the environment, and anti-corruption:

Human Rights

Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and

Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.

Labour Standards

Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;

Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour;

Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; and

Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.

Environment

Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;

Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and

Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.

Anti-Corruption

Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.

For more information, access www.unglobalcompact.org

To see the 2008 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between JCI and the UN Global Compact, access http://www.jci.cc/about/en/externalrelations/formalrelations
 

4-Local Projects (Best Practices)

See and/or upload your projects here (to be activated soon)

5-CSR for Companies

CSR Activities

Communication

Why - purpose

What - which CSR activities

Who - interested parties

When - reason

How - presentation

Where - media

Stakeholder

Identification & surveillance

Dialog & participation

Communication

Employee Activities

Prevention

Retention

Integration

CSR – Innovation

New processes

New products / services & business models with a CSR-profile

Management, Vision & Values

Good leadership

Politics, procedures & guidelines for CSR

Ensure that CSR is used as the normal practice

Customer Activities

Demands from customers

Customer dialog

Product labeling

Environmental Activities

Pollution prevention

Minimize waste

Reduction of material & energy consumption

Environmental management

Community Activities

Partnerships

Cooperation with educational institutions

Support of the local community

Charity & sponsoring

Supplier Activities

Risk evaluation

Guidelines

Standards for suppliers

Cooperation

6-JCI Recognition Program: JCI Socially Responsible Company (JCI SRC) of the Year Award

The JCI Socially Responsible Company (JCI SRC) of the Year Award recognizes and honors corporations that have executed highly successful and impactful CSR activities within or outside their boundaries. Their commitment to "do well" can inspire many others, serving as a living example.

The program is the result of the 2008 JCI Leadership Summit at the United Nations Resolution in which JCI should recognize small and medium enterprises that best represent the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) concept based on the UN Global Compact.

If you would like to know more about this program, please click on the JCI SRC link on the left side.

7-Contact

If you need further information on it, please, contact External Communications Manager Christine Albrecht, calbrecht@jci.cc