I am very pleased to welcome so many of you to this Global Compact Summit. This is the largest and highest-level gathering of leaders from business, labor and civil society ever held at. the United Nations. Indeed, far more of you were determined to attend than we anticipated in our wildest estimations. Our apologies go to those we could accommodate only in an overflow room, and to others whom, I regret, the limitations of space made it impossible for us to accommodate at all. //
Dear friends, we are travelers on a common, historic journey. We meet as stakeholders of the Global Compact, which has become by far the world's largest initiative promoting global corporate citizenship. Of all such efforts, the Global Compact alone is based on universal principles that have been accepted by all the world's leaders. And more than any other, it engages the developing countries, which are home to haft its participating fro, as, two thirds of its national networks—and four fifths of humanity. //
We come together in a spirit of cooperation and dialogue. We want to share experiences in implementing the Compact, building on lessons learned, and generate new ideas for its future directions. What is our ultimate destination？ A world held together by strong bonds of community, where today there are only tenuous market transactions. A world in which the gaps between the rich and poor countries grow narrower, not wider, and where globalization provides opportunities for all people, not only the few. A world in which economic activities coexist in harmony with, and reinforce, human rights, decent working conditions, environmental sustainability and good governance. //
There is much good news to report about the journey so far. Four years ago, fewer than fifty companies met here at the United Nations to launch the Global Compact. Today, nearly 1,500 firms participate, from 70 countries. So, too, do the major international labor federations, representing more than 150 million workers worldwide. Fifty leaders of transnational non-governmental organizations, North and South, are also with us today, as are senior officials from some 20 countries. The number of core United Nations agencies involved in the Compact has also grown from three to five, and their executive heads are here as well. //