What is the UN Global Compact, and should a small business join?

The Communication on Progress has two parts — a statement of continued support signed by your chief executive, and a questionnaire covering governance, human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Both go through the UN Global Compact’s own digital platform, and the submission window runs annually.

It is worth being clear about what it is not. It is not certification, it is not assurance, and it is not a substitute for a GRI or ISSB-aligned report. Participants that fail to communicate are eventually delisted, so it is a commitment with an ongoing cost.

For a small business the honest calculus is whether the ten principles describe something you are actually doing. If your interest in ESG is a customer asking for emissions, the Global Compact does not answer that request — a carbon figure does.