Sustainable Circular Economy

A circular economy is a systemic approach to economic development designed to benefit businesses, society, and the environment.

Compendium: 3rd Innovative Practices Award

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 ambitious goals developed to address social, economic and environmental challenges to drive growth within limits of the carrying capacity of Earth.

Energy and Climate Change Workstream Whitepaper

Some policy recommendations through a systemic perspective to strengthen India's Net-Zero transitions

Compendium: Best Practices Challenge on Water Management and WASH in India (COMING SOON)

White paper on Water and WASH (COMING SOON)

Outcome Report: 6th Gender Equality

Sustainable Development Goal 5, Gender equality is one of the most important goals aimed at empowering women and girls across the world

Outcome Report: 5th Gender Equality Summit

Gender roles in society determine how men & women interact with surrounding environment and use natural resources, leading to different levels...

Outcome Report: 2nd Gender Equality Summit 2019

The UN believes “Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, sustainable world,..

Policy Paper on Inclusive GVCs for Resilient Global Trade and Investment

A contribution of UN Global Compact Network India in the development of Policy Paper as a Task Force Member on Inclusive GVCs for Resilient Global Trade and Investment B20 INDIA 2023 R.A.I.S.E. Responsible Accelerated Innovative Sustainable Equitable (B20 India under G20 India Presidency 2022-23)

Dr. Somnath Singh
Deputy Director
UN Global Compact Network India (UN GCNI)

National Conclave on Good Governance in Healthcare for Global Welfare

UN Global Compact Network India (UN GCNI) recognizes the grave impact that unclean businesses have on the company and every stakeholder associated with it. Keeping this in mind, we focus on collective action by mobilizing businesses to put a united voice against corruption and lack of business integrity as stated in UNGC’s tenth principle “Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery”, UN GCNI organized a national conclave on Good Governance in Healthcare for Global Welfare in collaboration with Prashanthi Balamandira Trust and the Sri Madhusudan Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (Medical College) on 4th August 2023 in Bengaluru/India. The event was guided by the theme of Promoting Good Governance, Transparency, and Ethical Practices in the Healthcare Ecosystem.

Participant Meet: Strengthening Collective Action

The United Nations Global Compact Network India (UN GCNI) organized a “Participant Meet to Strengthen Collective Action” on August 3, 2023. The meeting was hosted by Novozymes, a noted signatory of UNGC. The meeting provided a crucial platform for an engaging dialogue on the role of collective action in advancing sustainable development. It brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including business leaders, sustainability experts, government representatives, and civil society members, to exchange insights and best practices in driving positive change. This report summarizes the key takeaways and highlights from the discussion.

Anti-Corruption Collective Action (AC CA Playbook)

This publication was developed as part of the UN Global Compact multi-year project Scaling up Anti-Corruption Collective Action within Global Compact Local Networks.

With the six-step approach and deep dives on key roles throughout the Collective Action process, the Playbook enables readers to make a clear diagnosis of their local corruption landscape, identify and engage stakeholders and apply the Collective Action methodology to address identified corruption challenges and mitigate potential business risks.

Multi-Stakeholders Workshop on Collective Action

Corruption is a major impediment to development, peace, and security. From health to employment, education to the environment, business to sports, gender equality to access to justice, and more – corruption undermines all areas of society’s development.
Corruption, conflict, and instability are meanwhile profoundly intertwined. Corruption not only follows conflict but is also frequently one of its root causes. It fuels conflict and inhibits peace processes by undermining the rule of law, worsening poverty, and facilitating the illicit use of resources. Promoting transparency and strengthening institutions are therefore critical for sustaining peace.

Event Report: Second Ideation Meeting

GCNI hosted the Second Ideation Meeting with Anti-Corruption Collective Action (ACCA) stakeholders on May 4, 2023, which intended to review and identify corruption challenges, assess the Collective Action methodology to address it and to move in the direction of developing a structured strategy and roadmap to promote transparency and accountability in MSME Sector. Over 30 nominated officials from diverse relevant sectors participated and shared their ideas, expertise and insights to support the ACCA project of UN GCNI.
The meeting was moderated by Mr. Arya Dev, Project Lead for the Golden Stretch Round. He welcomed all the participants and the Chief Guest, Mr. Dev Kumar, Director, Public Sector Consulting (PSC), Grant Thornton Bharat LLP; and set the tone of the meeting by establishing the agenda and laying down the objectives of the Ideation Meeting.

Working Together: Uniting the voices for Equitable Cancer Care

The 2023 theme for World Cancer Day was ‘Close the Care Gap” and the call to unite our voices and take action. It is a day to promote awareness on cancer as a public health issue and to strengthen actions towards improving access to quality care, screening, early detection, treatment and palliative care. According to WHO report, almost 734 000 individuals are diagnosed with cancer every year and in 2040 it is predicted that the number of people being diagnosed will be about 50% higher.

International Anti-Corruption Day-2022

The 2022 International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD) seeks to highlight the crucial link between anti-corruption and peace, security and development. At its core is the notion that tackling this crime is the right and responsibility of everyone and that only through cooperation and the involvement of people from all walks of life and institutions can together help in overcoming the negative impact of corruption. Therefore, the government, PSU, Corporate, Civil society organizations, Law enforcement agencies, Media, Academia sectors, and youth alike all have a role to play in the Anti-Corruption drive.

Universal Health Coverage Day 2022
Build the World We Want- A Healthy Future for All

In the world we want, all people should access quality health services without financial hardships. Universal health coverage lifts people out of poverty, promotes the wellbeing of families and communities, provides protection against public health crises and moves us toward achieving #HealthForAll and this is the key to coping with the interlocking health, humanitarian and climate crises that our world is facing.

Vigilance Awareness Week 2022

Vigilance awareness is one of the tools of the CEGET-UNGCNI for increasing public awareness about the perils of corruption and therefore the organization observed Vigilance Awareness Campaign 2022 by conducting “Vigilance Awareness Campaign: Leaders Commitment Against Corruption” and a Roundtable Discussion on “Cultivating a culture of Integrity in business leadership practices: Recipe for fast development”

Anti-Corruption Collective Action Playbook Training

‘Uniting against Corruption: A Playbook on Anti-Corruption Collective Action’ was developed as part of the UN Global Compact multi-year project Scaling up Anti-Corruption Collective Action within Global Compact Local Networks, under the Third Funding Round of the Siemens Integrity Initiative.
It was conceived, developed and finally launched at the UNGC Leaders’ Summit in June 2021, in an International high-level session moderated by the former Executive Director, UNGCNI Late Ms. Shabnam Siddiqui. It is a practical and flexible roadmap for Anti-Corruption Collective Action, that can be easily adopted, adapted and implemented locally — driven by the Global Compact Local Networks.

Observance of World Health Day-2022
Call to Action: Promoting Transparency and Value Based Healthcare Through Collective Action

April 7 is celebrated and observed as World Health Day. The day is celebrated annually in accordance with the World Health Organization’s aim to discuss health-related issues and to draw attention to specific health issues concerning people across the world.
The theme for this year’s World Health Day is “Our Planet - Our Health". Amid the ongoing pandemic and pollution growing on the planet, diseases like cancer, asthma, and heart diseases including rare diseases are increasing rapidly. World Health Organizations aim to focus global attention on the urgent actions needed to “keep humans and the planet healthy.”

4th International Collective Action Conference 2022

Dr. Somnath Singh, Programme Manager, represented UN Global Compact Network, India (UN GCNI) at the 4th International Collective Action Conference titled “Mainstreaming Collective Action for Fair and Sustainable Business” hosted by the Basel Institute on Governance on 30 June and 1 July 2022 at the University of Basel, Switzerland. The Basel Institute is an international and independent not-for-profit organization working worldwide with the public and private sectors to counter corruption and other financial crimes and to improve the quality of governance.

Responsible Business Conduct in International Supply Chain & Symposium on Responsible Business Practices: Opportunity and Challenges

Dr. Somnath Singh, Programme Manager represented Global Compact Network India (GCNI) at the Focus Group Discussion Workshop on 'Responsible Business Conduct in International Supply Chains' as well as Symposium on 'Responsible Business Practices: Opportunity and Challenges', organized jointly by University of Applied Sciences, Chur, Switzerland, Mohan Lal Sukhadia University, Udaipur/India and Atmiya University, Rajkot/India on 22nd March 2022.
Prof. Christian Hauser, University of Applied Sciences, Chur, Switzerland moderated the session and to begin with he shared the outcomes of his research focusing “The Approaches ensuring Responsible Business Conduct in International Supply Chain.

GCNI-AfIN: Promoting business integrity in Public and Private Sectors

Standing committed to the fight against corruption and enhancing transparency and integrity across the sectors, Centre of Excellence for Governance, Ethics and Transparency (CEGET) at UN Global Compact Network India (GCNI) got into the knowledge sharing partnership with Alliance for Integrity (AfIN) in 2019 and since then they have been jointly taking diverse initiatives to promote integrity in Public and Private sectors.

Observance of International Anti-Corruption Day-2021 Say No to Corruption

The theme for the International Anti-Corruption Day 2021was: “Your right, your role: Say no to Corruption.” Reeling under the impact of Covid-19, when the efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals have suffered a major blow, it is important that the rights and responsibilities of every individual stakeholder in tackling corruption, is highlighted - including Public & Private Sectors, Law enforcement agencies, Civil society organizations, Academia, Media and Youth as well.
Centre of Excellence for Governance, Ethics and Transparency (CEGET) at UN Global Compact Network India (GCNI) observes the International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD) every year to promote the cause of collective action in preventing corruption and the theme of IACD-2021 was ideally suited for GCNI mandates.

Urban Lab 3 – ‘Fostering Engagements and Making Partnerships Sustainable’

The breakout session was held on September 25th 2019 at Indian Habitat Center, New Delhi with a purpose to involve representatives from cities comprising thought leaders, innovators, businesses focusing on social impact and corporates interested in resilience, and policymakers & investors from different regions and sectors and portfolio managers and other stakeholders, in a Focused Group Discussion to deliberate on what role they can play in co-development of the cities.

Business Biodiversity Alliance, India: Partnerships, Communities and SDGs

The Biodiversity Alliance was created through collaboration between The Centre of Excellence for Governance, Ethics and Transparency (CEGET), Keystone Foundation and VNV Advisory Services.The Alliance is being set up as a collaborative to support businesses to innovate and sustain programs which mitigate the impacts on the biodiversity in the country, while pursuing business goals. The Alliance will work towards achieving SDG 15 (Life on Land) by leveraging greater collective investments and partnerships to create seamless linkages between businesses and implementation partners.

Business Round-Table Towards Collective Action For Smart Cities

Centre of Excellence for Governance, Ethics and Transparency (CEGET) organized its 1st Business Roundtable for Smart Cities in New Delhi on 19th September with Phillips Lighting Pvt. Ltd. as a Corporate Partner.
The purpose of the Business Roundtable was to explore the opportunities and create a platform that can develop a strong network between cities challenges and business solutions and through the deliberations done at the round-table, the team initiated its first step to establish this network.

Project Progress Report: Sustaianble Development Goals (SDGs) Assessment & Advisory For Thane Smart City Limited

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an ambitious commitment by world leaders which set out a universal and an unprecedented agenda which embraces economic, environmental and social aspects of the wellbeing of societies. The progress of the world to meet the SDGs, largely depends on India’s progress. India played a prominent role in the formulation of SDGs and much of the country’s National Development Agenda is mirrored in the SDGs. Each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals are mapped with a set of 169 targets to be achieved by 2030.

Accelerating Deliberation Workshop : Accelerating Social Impact Through Collective Action Between Industry And Start-Ups

Technological change in the digital era is transformational, but it does not always advance sustainable development. Today, technological change is driven largely by private sector and therefore it has become the core responsibility of social scientists, policymakers, governments and legislators to guide and support private sectors and keep these changes up. The better understanding and implementation of new technologies will help the people as well as the government in ensuring sustainable development of the nation. Not only in India but also across the world private sector including startups are contributing a lot to achieve sustainable development Goals (SDGs).

Deliberation Workshop: Accelerating Social Impact Solutions Through Collective Action Between Industry And Start-Ups

India’s private sector, including start-ups, are well positioned to support the centre and state governments in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There have been several strategic developments related to the UN system recently. The United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) has entrusted the Local Networks with a greater responsibility to increase SDGs impact and UN business partnerships at the country-level.
A key focus area that has been added to the UNGC mandate is inclusion and promotion of innovators in respective countries. The Local Networks are being encouraged to play a significant role in both guiding and supporting start-ups as responsible business locally in collaboration with Government, the UN, and other stakeholders.

City Need Assessment For Transforming City Through Co – Development

A smart city is a designation given to a city that incorporates information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance the quality and performance of urban services such as energy, transportation and utilities in order to reduce resource consumption, wastage and overall costs. Smart Cities Mission is an urban renewal and retrofitting program by the Government of India with the mission to develop 100 cities across the country making them citizen friendly and sustainable. In the approach to the Smart Cities Mission, the objective is to promote cities that provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and application of 'Smart' Solutions.

City Need Assessment for transforming city through Co-Development

A smart city is a designation given to a city that inA smart city is a designation given to a city that incorporates information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance the quality and performance of urban services such as energy, transportation and utilities in order to reduce resource consumption, wastage and overall costs. Smart Cities Mission is an urban renewal and retrofitting program by the Government of India with the mission to develop 100 cities across the country making them citizen friendly and sustainable.corporates information and communication technologies

Business Roundtable : Developing Collective Action To Strengthen Smart Cities Of India

The world is rapidly becoming more urban and so is India. More than half of world’s people live in cities. It is projected that six out of ten people will be urban dwellers by 2030 and two out of three will be urban/city dwellers by 2050. The scale and pace of India’s urbanization has the potential to define the 21st century. India is one of the biggest urban systems in the world with about 377 million people, 31% of which reside in urban areas.

Business Roundtable : Devloping Collective Action To Strengthen Smart City Of India

The world is rapidly becoming more urban and so is India. More than half of world’s people live in cities. It is projected that six out of ten people will be urban dwellers by 2030 and two out of three will be urban/city dwellers by 2050. The scale and pace of India’s urbanization has the potential to define the 21st century. India is one of the biggest urban systems in the world with about 377 million people. 31 percent of all Indians reside in urban areas.

A Workshop on Framing the National Challenge Framework on Climate Smart Cities and Air Pollution Mitigation

Rapid urbanization is posing a challenge for sustainable development of our cities. Urban areas are responsible for considerable energy consumption and GHG emissions which attributes to climate change. It is observed that nearly 44% of India's rapidly growing carbon emissions have urban origins, emanating from transport, industry, buildings and waste. This imposes huge risks towards increased water stress, heat island effect, increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events such as urban floods. This unprecedent growth is leading to negative consequences for environment and wellbeing of its citizens. Rapidly growing carbon emissions are making our cities vulnerable and imposing huge risks for environment and human beings.

A Workshop On Farming The National Challenge Framework On Climate Smart Cities And Air Polluation Mitigation

Rapid urbanization is posing a challenge for sustainable development of our cities. Urban areas are responsible for considerable energy consumption and GHG emissions which attributes to climate change. It is observed that nearly 44% of India's rapidly growing carbon emissions have urban origins, emanating from transport, industry, buildings and waste. This imposes huge risks towards increased water stress, heat island effect, increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events such as urban floods. This unprecedent growth is leading to negative consequences for environment and wellbeing of its citizens. Rapidly growing carbon emissions are making our cities vulnerable and imposing huge risks for environment and human beings

Need Assessment Regional Smart City Workshop : Transforming Cities Through Co-Development

The workshop was chaired by Shri Anurag Yadav, Secretary & Mission Director, Smart Cities, Government of Uttar Pradesh; Dr. Nishith Rai, Director RCUES Lucknow; Mr. A. K. Gupta, Additional Director, RCUES; Dr Alka Singh, Deputy Director, RCUES; Mr. Somnath Singh, Programme Manager, GCNI and Mr. Arya Dev, Programme Analyst (Legal), GCNI were present during the day long workshop.

Need Assessment Regional Smart City Workshop : Transforming Cities Through Co-Development

A smart city is a designation given to a city that incorporates information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance the quality and performance of urban services such as energy, transportation and utilities in order to reduce resource consumption, wastage and overall costs.
Smart Cities Mission is an urban renewal and retrofitting program by the Government of India with the mission to develop 100 cities across the country making them citizen friendly and sustainable.

GCNI – CEGET Framework for Governance of Smart Cities

Smart Cities Mission was launched by the Government of India in June 2015 with a vision to develop 100 cities all over the country making them citizen friendly and sustainable. The strategic components of area-based development in the Smart Cities Mission are City Improvement (Retrofitting), City Renewal (Redevelopment) and City Extension (Greenfield development) plus a pan-city initiative in which smart solutions are applied covering larger parts of the city. The Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) is the nodal agency responsible for implementing the mission, in collaboration with the state governments of the respective cities. A total of `98,000 crores (US$15 billion) has been approved by the Indian Cabinet for development of these 100 smart cities.

Risk Assessment and Mitigation Toolkits for Infrastructure Sector in India

There are enormous opportunities for businesses in the Infrastructure Sector in India. However, undertaking infrastructure business in the country involves many risks and teething problems that arise from a number of factors including the market conditions . Infrastructure projects usually suffer from significant under management of risk throughout the life cycle of a project, as the management of risk is not properly accounted for in the planning. It is crucial for businesses to undertake Risk Analysis and manage the critical risks associated with investments. Risk analysis incorporates three components: risk assessment, risk management and risk communication.

White Paper – Business Recommendations for Public Procurement Policy in India

Procurement is an activity of finding, acquiring, buying goods, services or works from an external source, through tendering or competitive bidding process. It is an integral part of governance and financial management system of any country and it accounts for a substantial amount of global and national expenditure. In India, estimates of public procurement vary between 20 percent of GDP (WTO estimates) to 30 percent of GDP (OECD estimates). Its importance can be highlighted by the fact that some of the important ministries of the Government of India such as the Railways, Defense and Telecom devote almost 50 percent of their budget to procurement. As a result, a properly designed and implemented procurement law is long overdue that could improve the financial management and bring large financial and governance benefits in the short and long run.

Understanding the Demand and Supply Equations of Corruption and Fraud

Global Compact Network India partnered with the International Business Leaders Forum for the successful execution of the Stakeholder Consultations in Bhubaneswar, Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad. ‘The chapter on stakeholder consultation in the report, has been compiled by Ms. Shabnam Siddiqui of Global ‘Compact Network India & Mr. Joe Phelan of International Business Leaders Forum with assistance from Ms. Jot Prakash Kaur & Ms. Chitra Nair.
We are grateful for the support of Xavier Institute ‘of Management in Business, Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry ‘and National Mineral Development Corporation for {aciltating the Consultations around this report.

Raising the Bar Through Collective Action: Anti-Corruption Efforts in Action in India

The UN Global Compact is the largest voluntary corporate citizenship initiative in the world and offers a unique platform to engage companies in responsible business behaviour in the world, through the Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour standards, environment and anti-corruption. It provides access to the United Nations’ broad knowledge base in development issues as well as in mobilizing governments, businesses, civil society, labour organizations and academic institutions to take collective action. Today there are more than 90 Global Compact Local Networks in key markets across the world. The Networks provide an opportunity for members to share experiences, innovative practices and to collaborate for furtherance of responsible business values within country specific contexts.

Business case for Anti- Corruption in India

The Anticorruption Collective Action Project (CAP) was launched by UNGC in five countries, (Brazil, Egypt, India, Nigeria and South Africa), in December 2010, with support from Siemens Integrity Initiative. The Project aims at devising business integrity measures on the basis of the 10” UNGC Principle, to facilitate companies to operate with UNCAC recommended standards. The project also aims to foster a high- impact collective action platform on anti-corruption by facilitating on-going dialogue between private and public sectors.

INTEGRITY PACT IN INDIA : Glancing Back and Looking Forward

The British High Commission is pleased to be associated with UN Global Compact Network India and Transparency International India in promoting the Integrity Pact. The United Kingdom chaired the Open Government Summit in 2013. There, Prime Minister David Cameron set out the 'golden thread of conditions' which create a thriving country: the rule of law, the absence of conflict, strong property rights and institutions, and, of course, freedom from corruption. And the evidence is clear: corruption is bad for social and economic development, bad for business and bad for a country's reputation.

Policy Paper on Inclusive GVCs for Resilient Global Trade and Investment

A contribution of UN Global Compact Network India in the development of Policy Paper as a Task Force Member on Inclusive GVCs for Resilient Global Trade and Investment B20 INDIA 2023 R.A.I.S.E. Responsible Accelerated Innovative Sustainable Equitable (B20 India under G20 India Presidency 2022-23)

Dr. Somnath Singh
Deputy Director
UN Global Compact Network India (UN GCNI)

GCNI-Accenture India CEO Study 2022

Agenda 2030 is a plan of action to achieve the goals by transforming our world to improve lives of people, protect the planet and enhance prosperity, and the years from 2020–2030 are widely recognized as the Decade of Action.

India is the emerging voice of Global South, substantiated by its bold actions at international forums like Conference of Parties (COP) and assumption of G20 presidency.

Outcome Report: 17th National Convention

The National Convention is a flagship event of the Global Compact Network India (GCNI), first organized in 2004. It is the largest platform conceptualized by the GCNI to bring forth diverse companies and dignitaries on one platform to critically discuss the themes of Corporate Leadership and Sustainable Development in India.

The 17th GCNI National Convention was held in Hyatt Regency, New Delhi on Dec 15, 2022. The theme of the convention was “Sustainable Development Goals: Collaboration to Close the Commitment Action Gap to achieve Agenda 2030".