The urban component of the United Nations Global Compact (GC), the world’s largest corporate responsibility initiative. The program aims to provide a framework for cities to advance the GC’s Ten Principles (regarding human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption), and the translation of the principles into day-to-day urban governance and management. They combine the Ten Principles with the realization of the SDGs by linking targets and aspirations to those laid out goals.
Much of their work is based on the so-called “Melbourne Model” of cross-sectoral collaboration that continues to be the central platform of the Cities Programme and is promoted to all participant cities as an effective mechanism to tackle complex urban challenge.
The Cities Programme recognizes three levels of engagement:
- Signatory Cities: Committed to the ten Principles and encouraging local business to join the GC
- Leading Cities: Drivers of positive urban change with a dedicated sustainability plan
- Innovating Cities: activities beyond the commitment of Levels 1 & 2: projects of a city or region with “a transformational quality” that are managed cross-sectorally, engaging government, business, and civil society; learning from the project is shared across the Cities Programme network.
Overall 112 cities and regions have joined the program resulting in 24 local projects under the GCCP framework.