Communicating on Progress

All companies-participants in the Global Compact are required to submit an annual Communication on Progress (COP).
This COP seeks to inform a company's stakeholders about its progress in implementing the Global Compact's 10 principles.
The purpose of the COP is to ensure and deepen the commitment of Global Compact participants, to provide a means for communication with stakeholders and to safeguard the integrity of the initiative.

⇒ Follow this link for the COP policy.

Peer review by the Netherlands' network

The Netherlands' Network also will start undertaking a peer review, that seeks to review a significant percentage of the network's COPs each year.
The review is conducted by fellow network members and seeks to ensure that COPs meet the Global Compact's requirements.
The reviewers look at issues such as

  • if it has a statement of support from the CEO
  • if practical actions are taken in pursuit of each of the ten principles
  • if the outcomes have been measured where possible
  • how the COP is communicated to stakeholders

We will conduct our Peer Review system in correspondence with the Global Compact's newly-released ⇒ Differentiation Framework, in which a company's level of progress can be categorised as: Learner Platform, GC Active, GC Advanced and Leadership.

For this peer review formats for (self)assessment and assessments by peers are used.

Guidance for COP's, guidelines of GRI

Global Compact adopted a differentation program which makes reporting possible at two levels:

  • active level
  • advanced level

    • A participant whose submitted COP which does not meet all requirements, will get a one-time 12 month 'Learner' grace period to submit a new COP that meets all requirements.

    Global Compact provides much guidance for making a COP.

    Global Compact and the Global Reporting Initiative have agreed upon a mutual Memorandum of Understanding in 2010.
    Members of Global Compact are recommended to use the GRI guidelines for their COP's.
    For this see the guiding document ⇒ Making the connection here.

    Global Compact Netherlands cooperates with GRI in developing new guidance for COP's.

    See also ⇒ GRI guidelines for reporting | ⇒ Dutch language page