Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator

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19 Jan- 8:00 am Check Against Delivery

Welcome remarks by UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident

Representative Mr. Alvaro Rodriguez at the Launch of the Global
Compact Local Networks Tanzania
Your Excellency, Hon. Samia Hassan Suluhu, Vice -President of the
United Republic of Tanzania,
Senior Government Officials,
Ambassador Florence Tinguely-Mattli, Ambassador of Switzerland,
Ambassadors and members of the diplomatic and development
communities,
UN Colleagues,
UNGC Signatories,
Mr. Patrick Ngowi, Chairman of the Global Compact Network in
Tanzania,
Distinguished guests and friends,
As Salaam Aleikhum na habari za asubuhi,
On behalf of the United Nations, it is a pleasure to welcome you to this
soft Launch of the Global Compact Local Network in Tanzania and to
make a few brief remarks.
Let me start by thanking our host, the Global Compact Network Tanzania
team, for organizing this important event and bringing together businesses
and associations, development partners, the UN family and Government
representatives.
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Worldwide, the UN Global Compact consists of more than 12,000

members in 162 countries, and is the worlds largest network for
responsible business practices.
Excellency Vice President, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Tanzania is gearing towards becoming a middle income economy. While
oil and gas and new economic sectors offer huge potential, some real
development challenges make this road more difficult. Significant among
these are topics the new government is addressing forcefully and for
which we congratulate you Madame Vice President and of course H.E.
President. These include corruption and environmental degradation.
Supporting sustainable corporate governance through the Global Compact
principles will contribute towards the achievement of anti-corruption
efforts and protection of the environment. Indeed, it is the right time for
the business and international community, government and other
stakeholders to engage in the UN Global Compact process.
On behalf of UNDP Tanzania, and in collaboration with the Swiss
Embassy, we are pleased to have been associated with supporting the
establishment of the Global Compact Network Tanzania. The Network is
expected to be a viable, self-sustained, business-led local network. Having
an initial commitment of the business community and the various business
associations has been vital and encouraging. In this regard, let me
congratulate the Global Compact Network Tanzania for the milestones
already achieved. These include the legal registration of the Network, the
four-year strategic plan, a functional website and a governing structure.
This shows how committed you are and your eagerness to support
Tanzania embrace the UN global compacts 10 principles.
It is now becoming evident that responsible business principles as being
advocated by the UN Global Compact are no longer optional. Increasingly
businesses have come to realize that the principles are in fact essential for
sustainable development and for their own growth and wellbeing. The ten
principles behind the UN Global Compact, embracing human rights, labor
standards, the environment, and the fight against corruption, offer a
measure of how far the concept of being a good corporate citizen has
evolved in the past couple decades.

As UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has put it, Principles and Profits

are two sides of the same coin. Let me share just one example.
Companies (and countries) that invest in energy efficiency see reductions
in air pollution and greenhouse gases while lowering costs, increasing
competitiveness and ensuring higher company returns. This is a win-win
for all.
Excellency Vice President, Ladies and gentlemen,
Let me end by highlighting another important topic which should help
incentivize our interest in the Global Compact. As you all know, the
worlds nations have recently adopted the Sustainable Development Goals
or SDGs. Businesses often ask how they can play a role. I would like to
share with you my personal view that joining the UN Global Compact is
one way you can all help. As the UN Secretary-General once said, The
challenges of Sustainable Development are too complex for any one
nation or institution to solve alone. Indeed, we must all be involved. As
part of this work, the Ministry of Finance and Planning and Development
Partners will undertake a review of the aid architecture for Tanzania and
dialogue with the business sector would be most desirable.
So here in Tanzania, across Africa and around the world, we in the UN
family look forward to working with you through this initiative to make
the world a better place.
Thank you for your attention.
Asanteni sana kwa kunisikiliza.