About Us

UN Global Compact Cities Programme

The UN Global Compact Cities Programme (the Cities Programme) is an urban-focused component of the UN Global Compact. The programme provides a unique model for cities across the globe to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to long-term and intractable challenges based on the ten principles of the Global Compact in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption.

Based on the premise that any city, anywhere, contains the capacity to resolve the issues it faces, the Cities Programme offers a framework for building constructive, all-sector taskforces between business, government and civil society, to produce practical responses in areas where single-sector initiatives have previously failed.

The development of new, progressive methodologies such as the Cities Programme has become increasingly critical in the twenty-first century as urban populations outnumber rural growth for the first time and new, complex challenges emerge.

Combining the ideas, knowledge, experience and resources inherent within all three sectors offers a powerful, unique and unlimited capacity to effect change and address these challenges in areas such as waste management, water and sanitation, poverty alleviation, traffic safety and housing redevelopments.

The Cities Programme exists to offer metropolises the opportunity to implement the ten principles at a city-wide level, translating these standards into concrete and positive outcomes in everyday urban environments. Working within the Global Compact framework, the Cities Programme makes a clear statement of a metropolis’ civic, cultural and corporate character as well as motivating real and measurable change and encouraging participation in international dialogue.

Values

The Values of the Cities Programme includes the terms: Sustainability; Resilience; Leadership; Commitment; Governance; Diversity and Adaptability.
To find out about how these terms apply to the programme read more…

Benefits

The Cities Programme (Cities Programme) benefits the city and it’s leaders.
The benefits of the Cities Programme are diverse, read more…

Requirements

The Cities Programme focuses on on-the-ground action. Read more…

Commitments

In summary, a city commits to undertaking a specific project that demonstrates their commitment to the ten principles of the Global Compact and the Cities Programme. Read more…

Cities Programme within the UN Global Compact

The United Nations Global Compact and associated Cities Programme are complementary organisations that, together, offer business, government and civil society options for proactively supporting corporate social justice principles and initiatives.

The UN Global Compact

The Global Compact is a business-focused initiative that seeks to bring companies together with UN agencies, labour and civil society in support of ten core principles focusing on the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption. The Global Compact recognises the growing influence of the private sector and the subsequent opportunity that exists for corporations to adopt, internalise and apply these key overarching principles in their sectors of activity for the benefit of their companies and the communities in which they operate.

International Secretariat

Paul James

is Director of the Cities Programme.  He is also Director of the Global Cities Institute at RMIT University and Academic Director of the Globalism Institute at RMIT.

He is on the Council of the Institute of Postcolonial Studies and an editor of Arena Journal, as well as an editor/board-member of eight other international journals, including Globalizations and Global Governance.

He has delivered invited addresses in over twenty countries and is author or editor of nineteen books including most importantly, Nation Formation (Sage, 1996) and Globalism, Nationalism, Tribalism (Sage, 2006). His recent books include the first eight volumes of a projected sixteen-volume series mapping the field of globalization (Sage, 2006, 2007).

Paul has been an advisor to a number of agencies and governments including the Helsinki Process, the Canadian Prime Minister G20 Forum (2004), the National Economic Advisory Council of Malaysia, and the Commission on Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor. His work for the Papua New Guinea Minister for Community Development became the basis for their Integrated Community Development Policy (2007).

Caroline Bayliss

is Deputy Director of the Cities Programme.  She is also Director of the Global Sustainability Institute at RMIT University in Melbourne.

In this role, Caroline works across a broad constituency, both within and outside RMIT.  Internally, Caroline works across portfolios and schools, facilitating opportunities for collaborative, multi-disciplinary research, curriculum development and consultancy around sustainability issues.  She also provides strategic research and evaluation, advice and information around sustainability issues relevant to particular organisations and sectors.  She has particular expertise in relation to organisational sustainability assessments, sustainability indicators, sustainability and Triple Bottom Line reporting and the development of corporate training programs. 

Caroline has been instrumental in the development of third party scrutiny of the voluntary offsets market in Australia and has collaborated with the Victorian EPA to develop the Carbon Offset Guide, Australia’s first independent online resource that allows consumers to compare the offerings of current offset providers.

With a background in law and corporate affairs, Caroline is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is involved in a number of boards and advisory groups with a sustainability focus; including:
• Board member of Eco-Buy Limited, a not-for-profit company dedicated to influencing the uptake of environmentally preferable products and services in local and state government and business;
• Member of the Lake Condah Sustainable Development Project Leadership Group in far south-west Victoria, which advises on a number of environmental, sustainable tourism and indigenous reconciliation projects involving broad stakeholder engagement; and
• Member of the Committee for Melbourne Climate Change Adaptation Taskforce, which is currently preparing a report on the particular impacts of climate change on Melbourne across a range of sectors/areas, in addition to opportunities for Melbourne to best position itself in addressing climate change challenges.

Stephanie McCarthy

is Manager of the Cities Programme.

She has worked extensively throughout the Asia-Pacific region in a project-management capacity for the Canadian Government, the Australian Agency for International Development, and the Australian Department of Health and Ageing.

In 2004-05, she was instrumental in the establishment of the National legislative planning framework in Samoa, where she worked for the Government of Samoa, within the Planning and Urban Management Agency.

In 2005-06 she co-ordinated the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, and successfully dispersed the available funding to over 60 community-based projects throughout Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. More recently, she led collaborative research for the Australian Department of Health and Ageing to develop Healthy Spaces and Places National Planning Guidelines.

She was integral to the ‘Putting Planning at the Centre of Health’ Call to Action, as part of the Planning for Health and Wellbeing Project (Australia), a partnership project she managed between the Planning Institute of Australia and Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth).

Carrie Hall

is a communications and public affairs advisor for the United Nations Global Compact based in New York. Carrie joined the Global Compact in 2004. She has served as Editor of the Compact Quarterly since its launch in January 2005 and manages a broad range of communications including speeches, papers and publications. Additionally, Carrie serves as the liaison for numerous Global Compact Local Networks in Europe, as well as the Global Compact Cities Programme based in Melbourne. Prior to joining the United Nations, Carrie was a Vice President at Hill & Knowlton, an international public relations agency, where she specialized in crisis communications. She holds a Masters in Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Administrative Support Team

The Administrative Support team assist the day-to-day operations of the International Secretariat.  Tasks include coordinating meetings, key events, travel, website maintenance and general administrative assistance.

Advisory Council

Advisory Council members are appointed by the Executive and provide ongoing strategic advice for the Cities Programme. They are active advocates of the UNGCCP in their own spheres of influence; facilitate access to national and international networks and providing specific expertise in technical and subject matter areas.

Advisory Council members comprise senior representatives from the government, business and civil sector within local, state and international contexts. All members commit to a twelve-month term upon joining the Advisory Council. The Executive reviews membership of the Advisory Council on a yearly basis.

In-Country teams

In-Country City Convenor

The In-Country Convenor (based in member cities) are responsible for the effective development and implementation of projects in his/her home city. He/she is charged with the responsibility of leading the Local Secretariat and his/her tasks include the formation and management of the Local Secretariat, the International Advisor to their city,  and co-ordination of project development, including achieving specific desired outcomes. The In-Country Convenor is the key project contact and is responsible for regular communications and reporting to the Cities Programme Manager.

Local Secretariat

The Local Secretariat is appointed by the In-Country City Convenor and is responsible for effective project delivery. It comprises a cross-representation of government, private and civil society (including NGO and academic) sectors, each with their individual roles and responsibilities, as specified in the Project Plan. Members of the Local Secretariat works together in collaboration with other key stakeholders within the relevant city to deliver the project outcomes and reports regularly to the In-Country Convenor.

Key Decision-making responsibilities include:
• Secure Local Government support and financial resources to engage in the Cities Programme
• Identify key stakeholders to be involved in the development and implementation
• Co-ordinate project implementation
• Regularly report to the International Secretariat
• Manage risks and opportunities as they occur in-country (change of Government, different staff).
• Ensure project is delivered within the set timeframes

Critical Reference Group

The Critical Reference Group is appointed by the Local Secretariat and responsible for advising on project design, implementation of a city project and monitoring and evaluation. It is represented by the government, private and civil sectors and convened by the In-Country Convenor. They are consulted on a regular basis to refine the approach of the project and provide strategic advice to the Local Secretariat, as required. A Critical Reference Group typically consists of 3-10 people.