September 26, 2002
SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced that the United Nations' Global Compact Office has launched a powerful Website portal using SAP(R) technology that is designed to promote online learning, dialogue, and collaboration among global partners dedicated to advancing good corporate citizenship and responsible globalization.
The Global Compact portal (www.unglobalcompact.org) is built on mySAP(TM) Enterprise Portal, a Web-based framework for managing all types of information, including applications, databases, stored documents, and Internet information. The catalyst for the United Nations' deployment of mySAP Enterprise Portal was the U.N.'s need for a more flexible and dynamic technology infrastructure that will accelerate the flow of information among Global Compact stakeholders -- including companies, civil society and labor groups, governments, and U.N. agencies. With the new technology, Global Compact participants can openly share experiences and case studies while inviting comment and feedback in the spirit of continuous improvement. The technology will also give national and local networks of Global Compact participants, in the developed and developing world, a tool to showcase their actions, initiatives, and learnings.
The Global Compact, launched by Secretary-General Kofi Annan in July 2002, is a corporate-citizenship initiative that brings companies together with UN agencies, governments, and labor and civil society to foster action and partnerships in support of nine principles in the areas of human rights, labor, and the environment.
"This is the first portal of its kind for the United Nations," said Georg Kell, executive head of the Global Compact Office. "This establishes a powerful technology infrastructure to encourage the creation and sharing of critical content and information that is decentralized, thereby offering Global Compact participants from all over the world an opportunity to share activities and learn from others. For the national and local Global Compact networks that are springing up around the globe, the technology will give them a window on the world."
mySAP Enterprise Portal provides a common user interface and easily navigable framework for organizing, publishing, and quickly locating relevant information. The portal can also channel content users according to their specific roles and interests. For companies, which are required as Global Compact participants to submit annual examples of good practices, the portal provides a single, password-protected interface to post their examples and invite comment from other Global Compact participants as well as the general public.
"We expect this new portal to foster more efficient communication among business leaders and other global stakeholders, in both developed and developing countries, in the promotion of responsible business practices and sustainable development," said Mokhethi Moshoeshoe, director of the African Institute of Corporate Citizenship, based in South Africa, an active participant in the Global Compact. "This sort of communication is critical to encourage collaboration, dialogue, and the dissemination of good practices."
mySAP Enterprise Portal is expected to significantly reduce information search and retrieval time and to automate previously time-consuming content management processes. The Global Compact portal is expected to attract thousands of visitors each month.
"As the world becomes increasingly networked, it is more important than ever that public and private sectors work together to create a sustainable global society for future generations," said Shai Agassi, executive member of the board, SAP AG. "As a participant in the Global Compact, we realize the power of global dialogue and expect our enterprise portal technology to contribute to the effectiveness of the initiative."
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