By joining the initiative, companies are bound to adopt and permanently implement the basic principles of corporate responsibility in the area of human rights, basic labour principles, environmental protection and anti-corruption efforts.
The initiative will be officially launched on Tuesday, March 20, the manager of the project, Heidi Eterovic, said.
The Global Compact is a 2000 UN initiative based on the promotion of ethical business. It is a voluntary network with more than 3,800 members, of which 2,900 are companies from all over the world.
The companies participating in the initiative are obligated to adopt 10 basic principles, such as freedom of association and recognition of the right to collective bargaining, removal of all forms of forced labour and child labour, responsibility towards environmental issues, the promotion of environment-friendly technologies, and the fight against all forms of corruption.
Membership of the Global Compact means that a company is obligated to permanently make progress in the implementation of the ten principles of corporate responsibility, Eterovic said.
The companies which join the initiative have to submit annual reports and inform the public about progress in the application of the initiative's principles, Eterovic said, underlining the importance of public supervision.
The Croatian companies that have joined the initiative are adriatica.net, Atlantic Grupa, Coca Cola Beverages Croatia, Dalekovod, Ericsson Nikola Tesla, Fima Grupa, INA, Janaf, the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Koncar Elektroindustrija, Podravka, Privredna Banka Zagreb, SAP, SMS, Tele2, T-HT, VIPnet, Vindija, etc.