New Web-based Tool Aims to Simplify and Improve UN Global Compact “Communication on Progress” Reporting

(New York, 9 October 2006)—Today, the UN Global Compact launched a comprehensive, web-based tool – OneReport^® Communication on Progress (COP) Publisher – to help Global Compact participants prepare and publish progress reports on integrating the ten principles into day-to-day business operations and practices. Developed jointly by the Global Compact and SRI World Group, Inc., the COP Publisher is based on the guidelines outlined in the Global Compact’s COP Policy and is available free of charge to participants of the initiative.

“Each and every time a Global Compact participant communicates on implementing universal principles into their practices, the responsible business agenda is furthered and the legitimacy of our initiative is bolstered,” stated Georg Kell, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact. “The OneReport COP Publisher makes reporting more manageable and efficient for companies, and is an important component of the Global Compact’s efforts to ensure that participants of all sizes, industries and regions are widely sharing their corporate citizenship experiences through COP reporting.”

“The OneReport^® COP Publisher is designed to guide companies step-by-step through the elements considered vital for producing a comprehensive, web-based COP,” said Jay Falk, President of SRI World Group. “The tool provides a convenient structure for both large and small companies to report on concrete actions taken in support of the Global Compact, as well as corresponding performance information.”

Reporting can be time and resource consuming and may inhibit many – particularly smaller – companies from communicating their sustainability performance. The OneReport COP Publisher is especially useful for companies that have little previous experience in reporting on their efforts to implement the principles, but the tool also has the flexibility and capacity to address the needs of the most sophisticated reporters.

The COP Publisher has recently been tested by a number of companies. Dawn Rittenhouse, Director of Sustainable Development at DuPont de Nemours & Co., said, “The COP Publisher provides an easy and systematic way for DuPont to assure that we are reporting on our actions associated with the UN Global Compact.”

Dr. Mark Chatelain, Director of EHS and IFM government services at Johnson Controls, Inc., said “The COP Publisher allows us to leverage our Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) information by providing an efficient means to incorporate this data within the COP framework. As a result, we can produce a more robust, useful report for our stakeholders, while simplifying the reporting process.”

For companies that are already communicating, the new system offers assistance for improving the quality and efficiency of the communication processes and reporting practices. Companies interested in a more customized and sophisticated report may upgrade to a fee-based version of the OneReport COP Publisher.

The OneReport^® COP Publisher is only available in English. Based on demand, the tool may be translated into other languages.

For more information on the OneReport COP Publisher, please visit: www.one-report.com/cop or www.unglobalcompact.org/CommunicatingProgress/COP_Tools_Publications.html.

About UN Global Compact
Launched in 2000, the UN Global Compact brings business together with UN agencies, labour, civil society and governments to advance ten universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Through the power of collective action, the Global Compact seeks to mainstream these ten principles in business activities around the world and to catalyze actions in support of broader UN goals. With over 3000 participating companies from 100 countries, it is the world’s largest voluntary corporate citizenship initiative. For more information, please visit www.unglobalcompact.org.

About SRI World Group
SRI World Group is a leading provider of online corporate sustainability reporting solutions that serve multinational companies across North America and Europe. Through its OneReport™ suite of reporting tools, companies can efficiently collect and manage their environmental, social, and governance information and communicate it to their stakeholders. OneReport enables companies to distribute their sustainability information to the financial community through a global network of social investment research and rating agencies. OneReport also includes publishing tools that allow companies to generate sustainability reports on their websites. For more information, please visit www.one-report.com.

For more information please contact:

Ms. Cecilie Hultmann
Communications Manager
UN Global Compact Office
Email: hultmann@un.org
+1 917 367-5767

Mr. Jay Falk
President
SRI World Group
Email: jfalk@sriworld.com
+1 802 251-0500