UN Secretary-General calls on Chinese companies to engage with the Global Compact over Sudan
At a meeting with the Global Compact China in Beijing, on July 2, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked Chinese companies to engage with the Global Compact to "discuss ways that business can contribute to peace and development" in Sudan. He said: "In the realm of peace and conflict, […] business leaders are called on to play in important role in addressing dilemmas. […] I hope that relevant Chinese enterprises will engage in a Global Compact meeting being held in Khartoum later this month".
The Global Compact is currently undertaking a multi-stakeholder initiative in Sudan that is focused on engaging all relevant actors to help ensure that business activities there do not have a detrimental impact on sustainable development and human rights.
In May 2008, over 80 civil society organizations including human rights, corporate accountability, religious and anti-genocide groups from 17 countries signed an open letter to the United Nations Global Compact. The letter called upon the UN Global Compact to use its influence with PetroChina, a Compact participant, to help bring an end to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. The letter was also signed by members of US Congress, Canadian Parliamentarians, actor Mia Farrow, and Sudan researcher and analyst Eric Reeves.
It now appears that the UN Secretary-General is making a diplomatic yet incisive plea for a more proactive role of Chinese Compact participants, among which PetroChina, in raising human rights issues with the government of Sudan.
Ban Ki-moon’s entire speech can be found here.
At a meeting with the Global Compact China in Beijing, on July 2, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked Chinese companies to engage with the Global Compact to "discuss ways that business can contribute to peace and development" in Sudan. He said: "In the realm of peace and conflict, […] business leaders are called on to play in important role in addressing dilemmas. […] I hope that relevant Chinese enterprises will engage in a Global Compact meeting being held in Khartoum later this month".
The Global Compact is currently undertaking a multi-stakeholder initiative in Sudan that is focused on engaging all relevant actors to help ensure that business activities there do not have a detrimental impact on sustainable development and human rights.
In May 2008, over 80 civil society organizations including human rights, corporate accountability, religious and anti-genocide groups from 17 countries signed an open letter to the United Nations Global Compact. The letter called upon the UN Global Compact to use its influence with PetroChina, a Compact participant, to help bring an end to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. The letter was also signed by members of US Congress, Canadian Parliamentarians, actor Mia Farrow, and Sudan researcher and analyst Eric Reeves.
It now appears that the UN Secretary-General is making a diplomatic yet incisive plea for a more proactive role of Chinese Compact participants, among which PetroChina, in raising human rights issues with the government of Sudan.
Ban Ki-moon’s entire speech can be found here.