NEW YORK – “The Labour Principles of the United Nations Global Compact. A Guide for Business” was launched at a meeting of the Labour Working Group of the UN Global Compact here today, in the presence of leading representatives of the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and business leaders.

In a question and answer format, the Guide provides a brief description of each of the four Global Compact labour principles: freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour; the effective abolition of child labour; and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. It also contains an inventory of key ILO resources concerning these principles.

The Guide is the first publication produced by the UN Global Compact Labour Working Group, with the assistance of the ILO. The Labour Working Group was established earlier this year at the initiative of the IOE and ITUC to give more visibility to the labour principles, promote a common understanding and help ensure a consistent approach to their implementation.

The UN Global Compact is an initiative asking companies to embrace, support, and enact, within their sphere of influence, a set of ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. It is the largest global corporate citizenship network and involves UN agencies, companies, governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, NGOs, and academic institutions.

For further details on this new publication, please contact the ILO Multinational Enterprises Programme: multi@ilo.org.

The Labour Principles of the United Nations Global Compact. A Guide for Business, International Labour Office, Geneva, 2008.