Co-hosts Consultation Workshop on Best Practice Toolkit for Land, Construction, Real Estate
The National Institute of Building Sciences recently joined the world’s largest corporate responsibility initiative—the United Nations (UN) Global Compact—with nearly 12,000 business and non-business participants in 160 countries. The UN Global Compact is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with 10 universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. By doing so, business, as a primary driver of globalization, can help ensure that markets, commerce, technology and finance advance in ways that benefit economies and societies everywhere.
The Institute, as part of its participation in the UN Global Compact, co-hosted a U.S. Consultation Workshop on March 11 for the UN Global Compact and RICS Responsible Business Best Practice Toolkit for Land, Construction and Real Estate. During the gathering, representatives from the U.S. Land, Construction and Real Estate Sectors provided feedback on the Consultative Draft of the Toolkit and shared their perspectives on this Project.
The 10 UN Global Compact Principles are as follows:
Human Rights
Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and
Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.
Labor
Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;
Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labor;
Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labor; and
Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
Environment
Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;
Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and
Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.
Anti-Corruption
Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.
Global Compact Local Networks can be found in 85 countries across the globe. Within a local context, these networks provide opportunities for participants to improve understanding and share experiences on the 10 Principles and partnerships, as well as how to report on progress in these areas.
The National Institute of Building Sciences has also pledged to participate with the UN Global Compact in the following ways:
- Engage the U.S. Land, Construction and Real Estate Sectors in supporting the principles and development of best practices to advance their implementation.
- Advance codes, policies, regulations and other guidance in furtherance of a sustainable and resilient high-performing built environment.
- Share best practices in line with the Guiding Principles through dissemination tools such as the WBDG Whole Building Design Guide® and the Journal of the National Institute of Building Sciences.
View the Institute’s Letter of Commitment. Learn more about the UN Global Compact.