On 7 August the Global Compact Office, in partnership with UNEP Finance Initiatives, convened a forum in New York City on the topic of “Regulatory Trends and Voluntary Initiatives” in the context of corporate governance and corporate responsibility. The forum, which was held at the NASDAQ MarketSite and included approximately 35 individuals drawn largely from the investment community, explored the complementary nature of regulatory structures and voluntary initiatives that promote corporate responsibility, such as the Global Compact.

Alan G. Hevesi, the New York State Comptroller, delivered the keynote presentation in which he encouraged the Global Compact in advancing universal principles and good corporate citizenship. Mr. Hevesi, the sole trustee of a public pension fund valued at over $100 billion, is a leading advocate of corporate governance reform.

For a summary of the discussion and overviews of the keynotes by Mr. Hevesi and

see the summary in pdf format at http://www.unglobalcompact.org/irj/servlet/prt/portal/prtroot/com.sapportals.km.docs/uncontent/NewsDocs/forum_sum.pdf