Launched in the year 2000, the Global Compact is the main United Nations instrument for the development, implementation and disclosure of responsible and sustainable corporate policies and practices. Today the UN Global Compact is the world’s largest voluntary corporate sustainability initiative. One of its key elements is the Global Compact Local Networks which support the implementation of the Global Compact principles at the national level.

Since 2007, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) hosted a project, Investors for Development (I4D), with support from the Governments of Sweden and the Netherlands. The project aims to support the Networks in Asia and the Pacific region to increase their capacity to advance the implementation of the Global Compact principles. In doing so, we work in close cooperation with the Global Compact Office in New York as well as other relevant UN agencies in the region.

Global Compact Local Networks (GCLNs) have so far been set up in 17 countries in the region: Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Maldives and Viet Nam.

I4D has offered both an on-line platform and face-to-face meetings for a Community of Practice of CSR practitioners in Asia and the Pacific (GCAsia) to engage members in discussions on a wide range of CSR-related topics, participate in training courses as well as collect and develop resources, tools and case studies for CSR implementation. GCAsia has become a self-sustained community and has created a lively Facebook group.