UNGCN Italy News - UN Global Compact Network Italia

Global Compact Network Italy (GCNI) has published the 2018 Activities Report addressed to all stakeholders and mainly to: companies and organizations involved in the Italian network of the UN’s Global Compact; all Italian subjects participating in UN’s activities for sustainable development; the New York’s office of the Global Compact.

The document aims to provide an overview of the Global Compact (with a section dedicated to last year's highlights) and to describe GCNI by presenting its governance and people, methods of involvement, participants and partners, as well as the thematic foci for 2018 and the implemented work plan.

The Observatory of Non-Financial Declarations (DNF) and Sustainable Practices was born from the partnership between the Department of Business and Legal Studies of the University of Siena and the CSR Manager Network, the Italian association that brings together over 150 practitioners who are dedicated to Sustainability strategies and projects. The Observatory aims to collect, analyze and disseminate information on the 211 DNFs prepared by leading Italian companies with the ultimate aim of identifying the Best Practices implemented.

Its innovative character is given by the online platform https://www.osservatoriodnf.it accessible to all free of charge: through a continuously updated dashboard it is possible to directly access the database of over 200 DNFs collected and some preliminary analyzes presented in infographic form. Among the topics that can be analyzed are the impacts produced by production cycles on the ecosystem, the relationship with employees, respect for human rights, the principles of gender equality and social diversity, anti-corruption activities and much more.

On April, 11th Forum per la Finanza Sostenibile (FFS) organised in Milan “ESG integration in China”, its third SRI Breakfast in 2019, in collaboration with Comgest.

Speakers in the panel included: Francesco Agnes, Senior Investment Director at Cambridge Associates, Alessia Amighini, Co-Head Asia Centre at ISPI and Eric Voravong, ESG Analyst Asia ex Japan at Comgest.

The seminar analysed the Chinese market based on environmental, social and governance (ESG) sustainability criteria. As the main international indexes usually assess low sustainability performances for Chinese companies, the speakers talked about the necessity to approach the Chinese market taking into account the peculiarities of the cultural, social, political and economic local context, which is so different from the West “way of thinking”.

The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) has launched the campaign “Global Goals in Action”, which aims to enhance the commitment of its member companies to implementing the Global Goals promoted by the 2030 UN Agenda.

In particular, the campaign is divided into Video-Series focused on the experience of 5 multinational companies – Safaricom, Colgate-Palmolive, Iberdrola, Hilton, Natura & Co – that have effectively aligned their business strategies with the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact and have taken concrete action on SDGs. The story highlights the benefits to be derived from joining the UN Global Compact in terms of business opportunities, international visibility and thematic insight.

The Giro d’Italia CSR, the Italian tour within the 7th edition of the Salone CSR and social innovation,opened in Turin on January 30, 2019. The event – promoted by Bocconi University, CSR Manager Network, Global Compact Network Italy, ASviS, Fondazione Sodalitas, Unioncamere, Koinètica – is an awaited appointment for those working on sustainability, social innovation and CSR, and is considered the most important event dedicated to these topics in Italy. Thanks to a comprehensive cultural program, characterized by an interdisciplinary approach, the event provides in-depth information and updates on strategies and sustainability tools for businesses and other organizations. This year, the focus is on the “areas of sustainability”.

In 2018, Global Compact Network Italy (GCNI) launched the Italian Business & SDGs Web Gallery, an online platform aiming to collect, share and promote business and non-business experiences in the advancement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In particular, the practices shared in the Gallery underline and analyze motivations, processes, strategies as well as outcomes and lessons related to the implementation of the SDGs by the private sector and by non-profit organizations.

The platform is an open and evolving tool to which companies and organizations can contribute by submitting their practices.

Since 2015, launch year of the Global Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) has integrated the 17 Global Goals (SDGs) into its mission and vision. The Making Global Goals Local Business campaign of the Global Compact aims to promote SDGs on a global scale through in-depth activities, release of information and support carried out at the local level and addressed to UNGC member companies and organizations.

In this context and with the aim of enhancing its commitment to sustainable development, each year the UNGC identifies and celebrates a group of SDGs Pioneers – individuals employed in the private sector who are distinguished by exceptional commitment and leadership shown to the advancement of the Global Goals.
» DISCOVER THE SDG PIONEERS 2018

This year, Global Compact has decided to do more, promoting the SDGs Pioneers Local Round for the first time, which will precede the SDGs Pioneers Global Round and will be managed in collaboration with the Global Compact Local Networks.

The objective of the Local Round | Italy will be to recognize one Young Professional (35 and under) employed at any level in a company participating (directly or as Subsidiary) in the UN Global Compact and engaged daily in the advancement of the 2030 Global Goals.

More specifically, candidates for the title of SDGs Pioneer | Italy must work in companies which:

Have already defined their UN Global Compact Engagement Tier - Signatory or Participant
Have submitted at least one COP – Communication on Progress to the UNGC
Have joined the UN Global Compact before September 30, 2018 (Subsidiary companies will be accepted if their Parent Company complies with this requirement)

SDG PIONEERS LOCAL ROUND | ITALY - TIMELINE

» February 1, 2019: launch of the initiative
» February 1 – April 15: collection of nominations
» May 17, 2019: The celebration event of the SDGs Pioneer | Italy will be held in Milan and hosted by FEEM - Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.

Each national SDGs Pioneer will directly access the Global Round (June–September).
The SDGs Pioneers 2019 will be announced and celebrated during the UNGC’s Leaders’ Summit 2019 (New York, September 2019).

Taking part in the SDGs Pioneers 2019 campaign is an opportunity to:

» recognize the professionalism and the work done in support of the 2030 Agenda by a Young Professional inside their company, showing outside how an under-35 resource can decisively contribute to steer business models towards sensitivity and rationale for environmental, social, as well as economic challenges;
» increase the visibility of the company’s and its leaders’ commitment regarding sustainable development issues, understood as enabling condition for the Young Professional to operate as an “agent of change”.
» meet the international community active in the advancement of Global Goals and access – with a leading role – one of the most important flagship events promoted by UN Global Compact: the Leaders’ Summit 2019.

NOMINATE YOURSELF AS “SDGs PIONEER | ITALY” » NOMINATE SOMEONE YOU KNOW » SDGs PIONEERS LOCAL ROUND - FAQ »

CONTACTS

For further information on the initiative, please contact:
Margherita Macellari - Project Manager, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Laura Capolongo - Admin, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

2018 was a year full of changes and innovations for the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), in terms of both governance aspects and the new way of involving companies and organizations that are part of this great global movement for sustainable development.

The new “One Global Compact” model, active since last January, has led to greater integration and a significant reduction in the distance between the international dimension – coordinated by the Global Compact Office in New York (GCO) – and the various local realities in which the project is articulated, all animated by the Local Networks of the Global Compact (GCLN: more than 80 are currently active).

The “Italian Business & SDGs Web-Gallery” Project is aimed to collect and share organizations’ experiences and practices contributing to implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to the achievement of its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The specific purpose of the Collection is to investigate and analyze motivations, processes, procedures, results, lessons learnt related to experiences and practices that showcase how, by doing business, the private sector can contribute to the implementation of the SDGs.

The Web Gallery should be considered as a practical, evolving and growing tool, providing a space for companies to learn and peer review from other partners on the strategies and concrete actions put in place to implement SDGs and promote sustainability at all organizational levels.

In this view, it remains an open platform, to which companies can contribute by sending their cases and best practices.

The town of Matera - upcoming European Capital of Culture - will host the third edition of the "Italian Business & SDGs Annual Forum", promoted by the Global Compact Network Italy (GCNI) in collaboration with FEEM – the Eni Enrico Mattei Foundation on Thursday 11th and Friday 12th October 2018. The proceedings of the Forum will begin at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, and close with lunch the following day.

The event is organized with the support of Edison SpA, Ergo Srl, Leonardo SpA, Reale Mutua and Terna SpA, and with the Patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), City of Matera, Confindustria Basilicata and Matera-Basilicata 2019 Foundation.

The event will bring together Italian firms and organizations that are members of the United Nations Global Compact, and will also be open to business and non-business participants who are external to the U.N. initiative - committed to pursuing the objectives set by the United Nations Global Agenda for Sustainable Development.

- Mr. Starace is the only member of the UN Global Compact Board to come from the global Power Utility sector, as well as the only member from Italy

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has re-appointed Francesco Starace, Enel Group’s CEO and General Manager, to the Board of the United Nations Global Compact (UN Global Compact) for the next three years (2018-2021). Mr. Starace was appointed for his first three-year mandate in May 2015. Of the new Board’s 21 members, Mr. Starace is the only representative of the global Power Utility sector, as well as the only member from Italy.

“Today as a society we face several very urgent issues and challenges. I am very proud to belong to the Board of the UN Global Compact which, through its vision and reach, not only sets out a clear roadmap for the sustainable development of the planet, but also empowers companies and communities to help address these challenges. As a global community we possess the resources and the know-how to meet all 17 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, but we have to work collaboratively and quickly to forge the way ahead. I am grateful to the UN Secretary-General for the opportunity to continue to serve in support of this important objective,” said Enel CEO Francesco Starace.

In January 2018 the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) launched a new governance model called "One Global Compact". The UNGC’s aim is to strengthen its commitment to supporting companies all over the world in their integration of the Ten Principles into their strategies and operations and in their implementation of the 17 Goals envisaged by the 2030 Agenda.

In an uncertain international geopolitical context and in a world where extreme poverty and inequality persist and climate change has become an increasingly urgent emergency, the Global Compact is one of the real guiding lights for a more sustainable and secure world. The Ten Principles have never been more important, providing an ethical and corporate framework to help the private sector generate value, strengthening fundamental rights and principles.

The Global Compact Network Italy currently has 40 members with "Founding Member" status. Of these, just over 30% are non-profit organizations, confirming the strongly multistakeholder nature of the UN’s Global Compact initiative.

The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) was set up as an initiative to spread corporate citizenship on a global scale, mainly aimed at companies. However, in order to stimulate comparison and interaction, participation in the UNGC is open to organizations of various kinds, such as, for example, civil society organizations, universities and research institutions, public institutions, as well as business associations.

From the activation of a multi-stakeholder dialogue to the implementation of profit/non-profit partnerships for sustainable development, there are numerous opportunities for synergy between the various actors participating in the Global Compact.

Currently, over 3,000 non-profit organizations support the initiative, working alongside companies to disseminate the 10 Principles of the Global Compact and the United Nations' Global Goals 2030. All stakeholder organizations participating in the UNGC are invited to take part in the work plans implemented by the Global Compact Local Networks in their respective national contexts.

The event was organized by the United Nations Global Compact in collaboration with the Global Compact Network Argentina and brought together local and global leaders representing firms, civil society, governments, and the UN Global Compact local networks, with the aim of catalysing the action and impact on the 10 Principles and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In view of the next global meeting - which will be held during the second half of the year and will be dedicated to a discussion on the progress made at national level on the implementation of the SDGs - Making Global Goals Local Business – Argentina represented an opportunity for firms all over the world to take an active part in sharing the current status recorded throughout Latin America with regard to the pursuit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Argentina, in particular, is a good example of multi-stakeholder collaboration in support of the Global Goals, from which all those present were able to take insights and inspiration.

The 6th edition of the “Salone CSR IS” is being organised. The event - promoted by the Global Compact Network Italy together with Bocconi University, the CSR Manager Network, Unioncamere, the Sodalitas Foundation, and Koinètica - is the most highly anticipated event for those involved in sustainability and social innovation.

For the 2018 edition, the fair has expanded its presence in Italy taking place in 10 cities in its tour of Italy (Giro d’Italia della CSR): after Salerno, Turin, Udine, Rome, Perugia, Genoa and Florence, the “Salone” will be in Bologna, Cosenza and Verona until the end of May.

Two Collective Actions aimed at promoting the United Nations Global Goals at national level are being launched by the Global Compact Network Italy this year.

While meeting in Lucca last September for the SDG Forum 2017 the actors and promoters of Italian sustainable development confirmed the importance of a synergistic and multi-stakeholder approach to the 2030 Agenda, and identified two priorities for action in:

the promotion of sustainable supply chain management; and
in the development of communication and innovation with reference to a circular approach to the economy.

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INFO & CONTACTS

Subscriptions to the Working Groups on Collective Actions will be limited. Therefore, we invite any interested persons to inform us as soon as possible and no later than February 23, 2018.

All applications for membership will be evaluated by the Board of Directors of GCNI.

For further information on the activities and to respond to the Call, please write to: Margherita Macellari (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

The second edition of the Italian Business & SDGs Annual Forum, promoted by the Global Compact Network Italy (here after GCNI), was held on 26th-27th September 2017 in the splendid medieval-Renaissance town of Lucca. The event was hosted by the Sofidel Group and organized with the support of A2A and Edison.

The activities began on the evening of 26th September, with a Networking Dinner reserved for participants in the Forum at the "San Colombano" restaurant, built in an old rampart of the old town walls. Before the dinner there was a cultural tour of the city and a visit to the "Giacomo Puccini Museum".

On 4th October 2017 the third of four Business & SDGs Workshops promoted by the Global Compact Network Italy (GCNI) was held in Milan to support the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Global Goals in Italy.

This third event, dedicated to the theme of "SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS", was organized on the occasion of one of the main national events in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility, the CSR and Social Innovation Exhibition, hosted at the Bocconi University of Milan.

The inclusion of sustainability issues in supply chain management activities implies a willingness on the part of organizations to measure, monitor and evaluate their performance taking into consideration the trade-off that exists between the economic, social and environmental dimensions, from the triple bottom line perspective. This approach allows firms to have an overall and strategic vision of the supply chain, which is capable of going beyond mere risk management.

On 25th October 2017, the Global Compact Network Italy, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), organized a Conference called “The Sustainable Development Goals: Experiences and Progresses on Their Implementation in Europe” held at Palazzo della Farnesina in Rome.

The main objective of this event was to hold a debate, among the members of the mixed panel of speakers and between them and the public present, on the policies and trends registered so far in the support of the 2030 Agenda in various sectors and at various levels, as well as on future opportunities in terms of launching new multi-stakeholder partnerships for the Global Goals.

In December 2016, the Global Compact Network Italy (here in after GCNI) started working on a new collection of business practices focusing on the implementation of strategies, policies and projects to support the achievement of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

Since then, an intense and ongoing dialogue and research has been carried out involving 11 organizations belonging to the GCNI and has culminated in the publication of the Report “ITALIAN BUSINESSES: PRACTICES TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. Following the path defined by the Sustainable Development Goals”.

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