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South African companies are taking the lead globally in voluntarily committing to the United Nations Global Compact, with twelve companies becoming signatories in the current 2013 financial year. This comes as the UNGC Local Network in South Africa, managed by the National Business Initiative (NBI) appointed Elias Masilela, CEO of the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) as chairperson. He replaces long serving chairperson Futhi Mtoba, Chairperson - Africa Board of Deloitte.
 
The UNGC is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their strategies and operations with 10 universally accepted principles. These are in the areas of human rights, labour, environmental protection and anti-corruption.
 
The twelve signatories are Transnet, Allegiance Air, Oceana Group, Millennium Management, South African Express, South African Airways, Initio Earth Sciences, MTN Group, Investec Group, Netcare Limited, South African Post Office and Inala Technologies.
 
Mtoba served concurrently at the global board of the UNGC in New York until early last year. This linked the Local Network in South Africa strongly with the processes, tools, opportunities and thinking at the global board level. The NBI, as the focal point of the UNGC in South Africa is happy to announce that the country still has a seat at the global board through Masilela, who already began his tenure by representing South Africa in New York last December.
 
Joanne Yawitch, CEO of the NBI, believes Mtoba laid a solid platform for the future work of the Local Network. “We thank Futhi Mtoba for her commitment and support since the re-launch of South Africa’s Global Compact in 2007 under the umbrella of the NBI.”
 
Government too has given significant support to the initiative with Minister of Public Enterprises, Malusi Gigaba committing six state owned enterprises to sign to the UNGC during July 2012. They join Eskom who was one of the first global signatories of the UNGC in 2000.
 
“If we look at the current challenges we face as a country, we can clearly see many of them are addressed through the UNGC 10 Principles. The UNGC framework offers coherence in understanding the social, economic and environmental impacts of business. The adopting of these principles in our legislation, such as the New Companies Act is further proof of the need to work towards more sustainable outcomes in South Africa,” Yawitch explains.
 
Mtoba is particularly pleased about the progress made with the UNGC project on Anti-Corruption Collective Action funded under the Siemens Integrity Initiative which began in January 2011. “The aim is to implement Integrity Pacts to inject more transparency and to build trust in public procurement processes.”
 
According to new chairperson Masilela, the Local Network intends to establish a UNGC CEO Forum this year, bringing together business leaders for sustainability championing in South Africa and for positioning the UNGC 10 Principles at the core of corporate strategies.
 
“I am not a believer in forcing behaviour through regulation. I am a believer in entities and individuals that take it upon themselves, in a voluntary fashion, to do the right things, to do things for the good of the economy”, says Masilela.
 
The UNGC with the NBI as the national partner, offers a platform for collaboration. In South Africa, the network is growing and currently has 72 entities who have signed their commitment to the UNGC principles. This is against a global backdrop of over 8000 signatories.