Message from the Australian Network Representative

The United Nations Global Compact is not just a programme where organisations can come together and embed the Principles within strategy or various business initiatives. Indeed, the UNGC represents more than just the ability to be a part of something, it provides the ability to be a part of a global movement, led primarily by business and industry, to enact change wherever it may be needed. Spanning both developed and developing nations, it is a programme through which we can be local, but also act globally. 

In Australia the Network has grown from a working group, into a steering committee and now into a fully constituted Board of Directors. Our Secretariat has evolved, and will continue to evolve, over the course of these next few years as we deliver more value added services from tools and templates to learning and education events. 

Through hard work initiated in establishing the UNGC in Australia by Rosemary Sainty, to its continued development and growth supported by the Board and the Secretariat, the next few years ahead will allow us to firm our position as thought leaders in the four thematic issues areas of the UNGC.

From 2011 through to 2012 we also expect to increase our focus on establishing partnerships with other stakeholder groups, increase our visibility to Government in addition to supporting the aspirations of our members and Signatories to grow, change, develop, nurture, share and learn. 

That said, in order to get to where we are going we need to take stock of our past. From 2009 through to 2011 the Local Area Network has received an immense amount of support from our Founding members (Accenture, Allens Arthur Robinson, Australia Post, KPMG, Nestle, St James Ethics Centre, Westpac and Woolworths) who have not only provided financial investment, they have also provided a significant amount of time, materials, space and knowledge. 

Of course, all of this cannot be achieved unless you have a Board that is dedicated and supportive. In the case of the UNGCNA we are proud and thankful of the commitment our Board has given and I am sure will continue to give – most notably, Graham Patterson, the Board Chairman. Each of our Board Directors not only represent some of the nation’s largest and most respected brands, they also come from a diverse industry, business and academic background. This in itself backs the central tenant that sits at the heart of the UNGC - diversity of membership.

The challenges business, industry and the community are facing over the course of the next few years are complex indeed. Our response to climate change, how we operate sustainably as organisations both at home and offshore, the way we treat our own people and the people we engage with – these are challenges that, through the Principles of the UNGC and membership of the UNGCNA we can face together as a team. 

Matthew Tukaki, Australian Network Representative UNGC, CEO & Executive Chairman of The Sustain Group