Five of Ghana's leading companies, along with several other organizations, have signed on to the UN Global Compact, adding their support to efforts to make globalization work for all the world's people.

Ghana's Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama, speaking at the signing ceremony in Accra recently, said: "We live in a globalized world, and though the anti-globalization movement may seem far away, it symbolizes the potential danger for companies and other partners ignoring social responsibilities." This awareness calls for a new way of doing business and developing partnerships, he noted.

"The Government's concern for the common good makes the Global Compact an ally," said the Vice President. He exhorted other businesses to pursue their enlightened self-interest by signing the compact, since social responsibility is emerging as a major criterion in investment and purchasing decisions.

James Anaman, Managing Director of Ashanti Goldfields Company and President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, said that beyond creating wealth, the company's corporate citizenship activities develop values for all stakeholders, including workers, management, host communities and governments in Ghana, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, where the company operates. Examples include microcredit schemes, taking account of environmental considerations and HIV/AIDS programmes for workers, he said.

Sam Jonah, CEO of Ashanti Goldfields, is a member of the UN Global Compact Advisory Council.

Other companies joining the compact were: Barclays Bank Ghana, Domod Aluminium, Interplast, and Standard Chartered Bank Ghana. Three business groups joined, including the Association of Ghana Industries, Ghana Chamber of Mines, and the Private Enterprise Foundation. The Trades Union Congress and the Corporate Social Responsibility Movement, a civil society group, also signed on.

Alfred Sallia Fawundu, UNDP Resident Representative and UN Resident Coordinator, called the signing a ground-breaking initiative for pursuing strategic partnerships and creating an enabling environment for all partners to promote business growth.

Globalization should include support for workers rights and job security, as well as universal education and health care, said Kofi Asamoah, Deputy Secretary- General of the Trades Union Congress. "It must be not only for the rich, but also for the poor, and support justice and equality," he insisted.

B?rang?re Margarinos and Andreas Bluethner from the United Nations Staff College in Turin, Italy, described the Global Compact as a new challenge for the United Nations, saying it is "about openness, risk taking and exploring new ground."

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan launched the compact in 1999, challenging businesses and other groups to embrace its nine principles upholding universal human rights, labour rights and environmental standards to help build a social and environmental framework to sustain the new global economy.

The UN country team has held a workshop on the compact to discuss ways to involve businesses in its activities. A workshop for business executives will familiarize them with the compact and discuss ways to work in partnerships for common goals.

UNDP Ghana has set up an advisory council to promote the compact with a coordinating committee and sub-committees comprising business executives representing local and multinational companies; representatives from government, trade unions, civil society groups; and the emerging corporate social responsibility movement in Ghana.