Today The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. announced it has joined the United Nations Global Compact. The announcement was made at the Global Compact's 3rdLEAD Symposium being hosted at the NASDAQ MarketSite in Times Square, New York City.
Launched in 2000, the United Nations Global Compact is both a policy platform and a practical framework for companies committed to sustainability and responsible business practices. As a multi-stakeholder leadership initiative, it seeks to align business operations and strategies with 10 universally-accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption, and to catalyze actions in support of broader UN goals. With 7,000 corporate signatories in 135 countries, it is the world's largest voluntary corporate sustainability initiative. NASDAQ OMX is the first North American exchange to join the Global Compact.
Global Compact LEAD engages leading companies in reaching higher levels of corporate sustainability performance. Participants collaborate with fellow champions, investors, business schools and the UN System, and share related lessons and best practices with the broader Global Compact network. The symposium will focus on aligning efforts to communicate corporate sustainability through reporting and disclosure.
"It is becoming increasingly important for businesses of all sizes to set sustainability goals and work towards fulfilling obligations to the larger global community," says Sandy Frucher, Vice Chairman of NASDAQ OMX. "There is no rulebook on how companies should do this. But at NASDAQ, we aim to provide guidance to our listed companies on how they can begin to decrease their environmental footprint and increase their impact as responsible global leaders."
The NASDAQ OMX Group is committed to advocating for issues impacting companies and markets worldwide. Through its products and solutions included in the NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions suite, NASDAQ OMX provides companies with the tools necessary to operate more efficiently and effectively every day. Similarly, NASDAQ OMX is committed to providing the same leadership and guidance towards more sustainable, responsible and transparent business practices worldwide.