The Global Compact: Shifting the Politics of International Development?
![handle is hein.journals/glogo12 and id is 65 raw text is: Global Governance 12 (2006), 55-75
The Global Compact:
Shifting the Politics of
International Development?
Jean-Philippe Th rien and Vincent Pouliot
The UN Global Compact epitomizes the current state of the politics of
international development in three distinct ways. First, the Compact
illustrates a major turn in development thinking. After decades of hos-
tile relations, the UN and business now acknowledge their common
interest in the promotion of sustainable development. Second, the
Compact brings to light the gradual emergence of more inclusive
forms of global governance, in response to the failure of traditional
mechanisms of development cooperation. Third, ongoing discussions
about the Global Compact attest to the competing worldviews that
structure today's development debate. Overall, the Compact demon-
strates that, beyond its ever changing dynamics, international develop-
ment ultimately remains a political, rather than a technical, process.
KEYWORDS: Global Compact, development, United Nations, multi-
lateralism, public-private partnerships.
hen he introduced the idea of the Global Compact at the 1999
World Economic Forum in Davos, UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan opened a new chapter in the history of the United
Nations. Never before had the organization expressed such a willing-
ness to join with business in promoting international development. Cen-
tered on the ambitious objective of [giving] global markets a more
human face,' the Global Compact has since become, thanks to the
direct leadership of the secretary-general, a key instrument in the UN's
overall strategy to foster a more inclusive and sustainable world economy.
The mission of the Global Compact is framed on the basis of two
primary objectives. First, the Compact is a corporate citizenship initia-
tive that invites the private sector to embrace, support and enact ... a
set of core values in the areas of human rights, labour standards, the
environment, and anti-corruption.2 The 2,400 companies that had joined
the Global Compact as of the end of 2005 were committed to voluntarily
applying, within their sphere of influence, ten principles drawn from four
major international agreements: the Universal Declaration of Human](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/glogo12&div=13&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
What Is HeinOnline?
Contact us for annual subscription options:
Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?
profiles profiles most
The Global Compact: Shifting the Politics of International Development?
Contact us for annual subscription options:
Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?
profiles profiles most