Some 50 multinational corporations and 12 labor and watchdog groups signed a U.N.-sponsored “Global Compact” yesterday intended to promote labor, human rights, and environmental standards. The companies — which include Royal Dutch/Shell, Nike, and DaimlerChrysler — agreed to incorporate nine loosely worded principles into their missions and each year note progress toward meeting the principles on a U.N. website. The non-corporate partners in the compact, including the World Wildlife Fund and Amnesty International, will be able to respond to the companies claims on the same website. But Greenpeace and other enviro and human rights groups criticized the compact because it does not include any monitoring or enforcement, and it could help corporations appear more socially responsible than they really are.
