UN Global Compact

At the core of the UN Global Compact lie ten principles in the areas of human rights, labor standards, the environment and anti-corruption – these principles draw on the decisions and declarations made by the United Nations and their organization.

Should a company be engaged in the UN Global Compact, it affirms its intention to realize these ten principles as far as possible.

The UN Global Compact is a voluntary initiative with two objectives:

• Mainstream the ten principles in business activities around the world
• Catalyze actions in support of UN goals

The Global Compact aims to achieve these objectives by supporting various instruments and learning platforms. It endeavors to promote responsible corporate citizenship so that business can be considered part of the solution rather than the cause.

The Global Compact expects companies which have signed up to the compact to support and share substantive action in realizing the set of principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. Novartis accepts a broad role in society and in many cases exceeds legal provisions.

In its role as “Help Desk”, the Novartis Foundation supports Novartis in conceptual matters and issues regarding the principles and their realization. It adopts an advisory role in all issues concerning the UN Global Compact by dealing with all the relevant documents and declarations, etc. and, for example, by examining the question of what the issue of human rights could mean to the private sector.