Events

Mon, 29th December, 2014 @ Dhaka, Bangladesh

Global Compact Network India launched its Asia Collaboration Project titled ‘Regional Leadership Through UNGC Principles: Cases and Practices of Nine Local Networks in Asia’ during the Asia/Oceania Local Network Regional Meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh on December 10, 2014. The project was launched in the presence of Dr. Gowher Rizvi, International Affairs Adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Dr. Atiur Rahman, Governor of Bangladesh Bank, H. E. Hanne Fugl Eskjær, Ambassador, Embassy of Denmark, Bangladesh, Mr. Farooq Sobhan, Former Deputy Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations and Representative, Global Compact Network Bangladesh, Mr. Walid Nagi, Head – Local Networks, UNGC, New York, Ms. Shahamin Zaman, Contact Person of Global Compact Network Bangladesh and Mr. Pooran Chandra Pandey, Executive Director, GCNI.

Asia cooperation is the first such unique exercise involving nine Local Networks of Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Korea, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Asia capturing past, present and future of their leadership through UNGC principles.

Expressing his views on the regional project, Mr. Dinesh K Sarraf, President GCNI and Chairman & Managing Director, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited said ‘The cases from the regional Local Networks are unique and diverse and yet bring out a common approach to their work at their country levels. Each of the participating Networks in the regional cooperation project has focused its work on a broad range of issues including sustainability, CSR, human rights, CoP and good governance. Therefore the deeper engagement of the regional peers would not only strengthen them by multiplying their mutual strengths but would also bring in a greater synergy of purpose and common understanding of UNGC principles at the entire Asia Pacific level’.

The Asia cooperation has been implemented under GCNI’s latest initiative ‘Asia Pacific Resource Centre on Responsible Business Practices’ and further efforts are currently underway to work at the Asia Pacific level, leveraging interface between businesses and Local Networks in the region of strategic importance.
The meeting also discussed on various issues including governance structure, challenges and opportunities faced by the regional networks and exploring how the Global Compact HQ and Local Networks can better collaborate in their efforts to engage companies for taking forward the ten universal principles.