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Initiatives
Partnerships
The UN Global Compacts asks companies to:
Internalize the ten principles in their business strategy and operations; and
Take action and engage in partnerships to advance the broader UN goals, such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The Global Compact is as such both a framework for companies to align internal operations and strategies with the universal principles, and a platform for companies to engage in high-impact and effective partnerships to promote development goals. Together, these two complementary objectives constitute the comprehensive model of corporate citizenship promoted by the Global Compact.
The Business Case for Partnering
Companies are increasingly finding that advancing broader societal objectives is a necessary step to ensure the growth and stability of their own business operations. In many countries, a company’s deep commitment in areas such as infrastructure development, local capacity-building, education, health, job creation, disaster relief and more can serve as far more than philanthropy. These efforts can address aspects of the societal context which are lacking or insufficient - voids which can greatly impact a company’s ability to operate, compete and thrive.
Companies partner with their stakeholder to:
• Improve risk management
• Increase operational efficiencies
• Gain access to the knowledge and expertise
• Improve understanding of challenging issues and sustainable solutions
• Improve stakeholder relations
• Better understand the nature of business operations
• Increase the efficiency and capacity of the company's supply-chain
• Improve license to operate
• Contribute to build the markets of tomorrow
What are partnerships for development?
“Partnerships are commonly defined as voluntary and collaborative relationships between various parties, both State and non-State, in which all participants agree to work together to achieve a common purpose or undertake a specific task and to share risks, responsibilities, resources, competencies and benefits." Report of the Secretary-General, August 2003
The basic concept of partnerships is simple and straightforward - to identify common ground between the private and the public sectors and to combine the skills and expertise of the private sector with the public sector's legitimacy and knowledge of development issues. Partnerships focus on the many areas where private actors and public institutions can engage in win-win relationships, such as poverty reduction, health, education and community development.
Effective cross-sectoral partnerships can make it possible to overcome challenges that are too difficult or complex for one organization or sector to address alone. Partnerships can also make efforts more effective by combining resources and competencies in innovative ways. Collaboration can enable companies and organizations to better achieve their own individual objectives through leveraging, combining and capitalizing on complementary strengths and capabilities.
There are three broad types of partnerships:
- In advocacy and awareness raising partnerships, the private sector partners with other stakeholders to take a leadership role in championing, advocating for, and contributing to resolving different issues. Companies can partner with governments and regulatory bodies, and participate in legitimate dialogues and collective action with stakeholders from diverse sectors of the economy.
- In social investment and philantropy partnerships, the private sector provide financial support, contribute volunteers or expertise, or make in-kind contributions, including product donations.
- In core business partnerships, partners collaborate to create employment and foster entrepreneurship, contribute to economic growth, generate tax revenues, implement social, environmental or ethical standards and provide appropriate and affordable goods and services.
(Information on partnerships taken from www.unglobalcompact.org)
Signatory Examples
Parsons Brinckerhoff has recently committed to a three year partnership with Engineering Aid Australia (EAA), a philanthropic organisation that provides engineers and related services to assist Indigenous communities in Australia. The Indigenous Australian Engineering Summer School (IAESS) is its principal program held annually for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from around the country. The one-week live-in summer school aims to stimulate the students’ interest in engineering through interactive activities, hands-on workshops, site visits and mentoring. Parsons Brinckerhoff has been a supporter of IAESS since the first school was established in 1998, and sets a good example of how to align the universal principles and broader development goals with its core business. More information on the IAESS can be found in PB's Sustainability Report 2009 (p. 39) and on the EAA website.
We are currently in the process of growing these pages in order to highlight all of the actions being taken by Australian signatories. If you would like to share what your business is doing to implement the principles of the UN Global Compact contact us at the Centre.