Forwarded by Joe Hillings for your information:

---------------------- Forwarded by Lora Sullivan/Corp/Enron on 04/25/2000 
04:58 PM ---------------------------


mmorrison@uscib.org on 04/25/2000 10:33:39 AM
Please respond to mmorrison@uscib.org
To: "USCIB Environment Committee, list suppressed" <agreene@uscib.org>, 
nkennedy@uscib.org
cc:  

Subject: UN Global Compact with Business


Status of the UN Global Compact with Business:

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan launched a "Global Compact"
with business at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January
31, 1999.  The Compact consists of nine principles that cover
human rights, labor, and the environment. For details on the
principles see http://www.unglobalcompact.org/

In the past 12 months, the UN Secretary-General has held
discussions with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and
other business groups (WBCSD, PWBLF) to define business' role
in the Global Compact.  A clearer understanding of what the
compact is and is not has been reached with Kofi Annan's office
(detailed below).  However, some disagreement is still evident
among the three UN agencies involved: UN Environment Program,
UN High Commission on Human Rights, and the International
Labor Organization.

Please find below communications between the ICC and the UN
that explain, in the clearest terms yet available, what would be
expected of companies under the Global Compact.  Further
discussions are planned with the UN in May and June, followed by
a CEO-level meeting on July 26 in Geneva to launch business
participation in the Global Compact.

Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.

Best regards,
Adam B. Greene
Director of Environmental Affairs
US Council for International Business
agreene@uscib.org
Tel: 212-703-5056

------- Forwarded message follows -------
From:            CATTAUI LIVANOS Maria
    ICC Secretary General
To:              ICC National Committees
Subject:         UN Global Compact
Date sent:      Tue, 25 Apr 2000 11:37:13 +0200

The UN Secretary General's call for a "Global Compact" with
business has met with a great deal of support among our
members. However, recently there have been some indications that
certain external constituencies, and even some parts of the UN,
want to set up verification, reporting, or monitoring mechanisms,
along with "guidelines" for ethical corporate behaviour.

I asked the Secretary General's office in New York when I visited
last week to clarify this, and below is the message received from
his office. We all feel it is important to keep the Global Compact
initiative on the right track.

MLC

----------
From:   Georg Kell[SMTP:kell@un.org]
Sent:   21 April 2000 00:22
To:   Sg@iccwbo.org
Subject:  Global Compact

Dear Maria,

I am pleased to inform you that we have now a clear understanding
what we expect from companies [under the Global Compact]. It
has never been intended as code and we do not ask companies to
sign on to anything. Monitoring and verification do not fall within the
mandate and the institutional capacity of the UN within the context
of the Compact. What we do expect from companies is a
commitment to action:

 1. Advocating the Compact and its principles.

 2. Sharing on our website "www.unglobalcompact.org" at least
once a year an example of progress made or lessons learned in
implementing the principles.

 3. Engage in partnership with UN organisations by undertaking
activities that further the implementation of the principles, or by
entering partnership projects in support of broad UN goals such as
investment promotion (poverty), health and education. The recent
Ericsson and WebMD initiatives or the UNCTAD/ICC project on
investment guidelines in African LDCs are perfect example for the
latter category of successful partnership projects.

The Global Compact is not an intergovernmental initiative but the
personal initiative of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. We believe
that demonstrating progress ahead of the forthcoming Millennium
Assembly in early September is crucial for the viability of the
concept of the Compact. To that end, we are aiming at a meeting
prior to the opening of the Assembly where committed business
leaders can demonstrate their engagement. We are very pleased
that the President of the ICC has already accepted to actively
participate.

Best regards,
Georg Kell
Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General
------- End of forwarded message -------