United Nations Global Compact
Communication on Progress 2015-2016
In 2015, the Chambers Federation joined the United Nations Global Compact. The UN Global Compact is a strategic policy initiative for businesses committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. The table below shows how we are communicating on progress for the Ten Principles.
For further information on the Chambers Federations sustainability principles and practices please visit http://www.chambersfederation.com/sustainability/ or https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/participants/64881 to view our participation with the UN Global Compact.
Global Compact Principles
Human Rights
Principle 1 Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights.
Principle 2 Business should make sure they are not complicit in human rights abuses.
The Chambers Federation works in collaboration with several development agencies, primarily the UN, and NGOs that focus, in part, on both the protection of human rights but also to ensure the Company is not directly or indirectly involved in human rights violations in any way. Due to the Company’s investments into former conflict zones, this is one of the most important due diligence standards the Company focuses on. This requires constant internal monitoring and audit of our partners and suppliers.
Labor Standards
Principle 3 Business should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
Principle 4 Business should uphold the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labor.
Through a combination of detailed contractual obligations to consistent site monitoring, the Company does everything possible to ensure any groups, typically cooperatives, that the Company invests into/works with are compliant with both local and international forced labor, child labor, discrimination and collective
Principle 5 Business should uphold the effective abolition of child labor.
Principle 6 Business should uphold the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
bargaining laws. This is further monitored by yearly audits to ensure the Company’s efforts are effective. The Company further invests into rural communities to provide women and youth empowerment opportunities to further the Company’s investment focus on social impact.
Environment
Principle 7 Business should support a precautionary approach to environmental responsibility.
Principle 8 Business should undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility.
Principle 9 Business should encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.
The Chambers Federation incorporates environmental protection into its supplier contracts, monitors environmental impact of its investments and actively invests in new technologies to reduce the ‘footprint’ of its projects. The Company finds many opportunities, specifically in the ASM community, to substantially reduce, even eliminate the usage of Mercury(Hg), Cyanide(NaCN) and Nitric Acid(HNO3).
Anti-Corruption
Principle 10 Business should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.
The Chambers Federation is a US company, subject to FCPA regulations. All of the Company’s accounts are restricted in use to limit the possibilities of corruption and all accounts are audited in countries where corruption is widely prevalent.
Measurement of Outcomes
For the 2015-2016 reporting period, the Chambers Federation has invested into a woman owned Kenyan social enterprise, Recycle Tribe, training women to be carpenters, how to recycle wood from the shipping and construction industries to make furniture and other household items. To date, this enterprise has, within a very short period of time, impacted over 70 people. Additionally, the Company has renewed its investment into the woman owned construction company, Empowerment Lighthouse Ltd, impacting over 200 women every year and operating in 3 African countries. The Company’s most significant investments, made between 2013 to 2016, into projects in the former conflict zones of eastern Congo, are expected to commence before year’s end, 2016. The impact from these investments are expected to reach nearly 1.5 million people, removing thousands from abject poverty by increasing ASM incomes by 80%, improving health and safety standards in ASM communities, collecting over $1.8 million in additional taxes and nearly $2 million in profit reinvestment into the local communities.