Advancing transformational governance with the UN Global Compact

About the United Nations Global Compact and Sustainable Development Goal 16

With over 20,000 participant companies and the support of all 193 participant countries of the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) remains the single, global normative authority and reference point for action and leadership within a growing global corporate sustainability movement. The UNGC provides a principle-based framework, best practices, resources, and networking events that have revolutionized how companies do business responsibly and keep commitments to society.  

With the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, 193 member states of the United Nations made a commitment to create a world we all want over the next 15 years. SDG 16 is dedicated to the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development; the provision of justice for all; and the building of effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels. Goal 16 is the foundation and key to upholding the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact — across human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption — and implementing all the SDGs.

SDG 16 is arguably the most ambitious, broad-ranging, and politically sensitive of the 17 SDGs and the most abstract in terms of its relevance to businesses. In June 2021, the UNGC released the SDG 16 Business Framework: Inspiring Transformational Governance, a reference tool that translates the targets of SDG 16 for businesses as it relates to their internal and external activities. It is a tool for businesses — developed by businesses — to inspire transformational governance (TG).

The framework demonstrates why and how businesses can support and strengthen peace, justice, and strong institutions as essential pillars of governance. As part of the TG portfolio and building on the release of the SDG 16 Business Framework, a group of 20 leading UNGC participants from across global regions, including Thomson Reuters, were invited to join a “TG Think Lab” to deliver a corporate toolkit for businesses to socialize, mobilize, and contextualize transformational governance within their respective organizations.

Thomson Reuters has been a long-term supporter of this initiative, from the beginning of the SDG 16 Business Framework in 2019 to the development of the Transformational Governance toolkit this past year. We convene regularly with our UNGC and corporate partners, united to create a better world.

Pro bono support to launch the Transformational Governance Toolkit

Thomson Reuters extended its support of the UNGC and our commitment to SDG 16 by raising our hands to ensure a successful launch of the TG Toolkit. In an incredibly quick turnaround, we recruited a team of stellar, cross-functional, pro bono consultants with expertise in product marketing, communications, corporate affairs, client relations, and content design. Discovery entailed several client-facing and internal meetings culminating in two four-hour-long pro bono sprints. At the end of the project, the UNGC team left with robust, tangible deliverables, including a set of key messages to use during the launch campaign, the outcomes of a landscape research analysis, and detailed personas for targeting the right audiences.