The Japanese city of Kawasaki has become a member of the UN Global Compact (GC). Kawasaki Mayor Takao Abe sent the membership application to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on January 13, 2006 and the GC Office in New York added Kawasaki City to the GC membership list on February 8. As of May 1, the GC has 3,124 participant corporations or organizations from 97 countries. Although 44 organizations from Japan are currently members, Kawasaki is the first Japanese municipality to participate.

The GC is a voluntary program that was proposed by Annan and adopted at UN Headquarters in July 2000. Its participants are expected to support and seek to advance 10 globally accepted principles in four fields: Human Rights, Labor, the Environment, and Anti-Corruption. The participants at present include businesses, industrial organizations, NGOs and municipalities.

Kawasaki City has pledged to incorporate the GC concepts into its policy strategies, culture and daily services. Using the GC as a model, the city hopes to prepare and spread the Kawasaki Compact so that various organizations and individuals may contribute to building sustainable communities through voluntary environmentally friendly activities. To promote the concept among its citizens, the city held the "Global Compact Forum 2006" on February 27, 2006.

http://www.city.kawasaki.jp/30/30kokuse/home/english/index.htm
http://www.unglobalcompact.org/

Posted: 2006/05/07 10:26:11 PM
Japanese version

TAG Local government , System/Law