Komatsu participates in UN's Global Compact

Komatsu has signed up to the United Nations' Global Compact, a voluntary corporate citizenship initiative comprising ten principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.

The initiative was first proposed in 1999 by Kofi Annan, then seventh UN Secretary General, in an address to The World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland.

Under the idea that businesses must work together as "global citizens" to provide solutions to issues such as environmental destruction and poverty in an increasingly globalizing market, more than 6200 participants worldwide have joined the Global Compact.

The ten principals are:

Human Rights

Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights.

Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.

Labour Standards

Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining.

Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour

Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour.

Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.

Environment

Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges.

Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility.

Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.

Anti-Corruption

Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.

The above Ten Principles overlap with the contents of Komatsu's Code of Conduct under which management and employees of the Komatsu Group already function.

Komatsu will continue to operate under Komatsu's Code of Conduct, as well as implement The Ten Principles of The Global Compact in its business and operations.