28 April 2009

To the Editors of Foreign Policy:

We take issue with statements made by Matthew Russell Lee in his article titled “Some
Disassembly Required”, published in April 2009 on the Foreign Policy website.

Likewise, we are surprised that Foreign Policy, as it appears, did not exercise due
diligence when fact-checking the claims made in Mr. Lee’s contribution.

To begin, Dr. Cheick Modibo Diarra, Microsoft’s Chairman for Africa has never attended
an event organized or hosted by the United Nations Global Compact. Neither has the
Global Compact provided any platform for Mr. Diarra to meet with “African heads of
state”, as Mr. Lee claims.

The "VIP luncheon" Mr. Lee refers to was the UN Private Sector Forum on Food
Security and the Millennium Development Goals held on 24 September 2008 in
conjunction with the annual General Assembly debate. Mr. Lee, who attended parts of
the Forum, should have remembered that it produced several concrete corporate
commitments, as outlined in a comprehensive final report issued by the Global Compact
Office.

As far as Mr. Lee’s troubled relationship with facts is concerned, his rant against the
United Nations is par for the course. Far more troubling is that he fails to understand the
fundamental nature of the Global Compact as a platform for critical, yet constructive
dialogue and learning. The Global Compact is not a regulatory body. And our doors stay
open, even (or especially) for those that face serious challenges. To some, this may not
be a popular approach, but the vast majority of our stakeholders, including civil society
and governments, agree that it helps lead companies on a path of continuous
performance improvement. Nevertheless, it should not go unnoticed that the Global
Compact has delisted close to 1,000 companies for repeated failure to meet its annual
disclosure requirement.

Finally, we wish to clarify the appointment of Mr. Chey Tae-Won of Korea’s SK Group to
the Global Compact Board. Mr. Chey and other new Board members were
recommended by Global Compact country networks, which form a crucial component of
the Global Compact’s multi-stakeholder governance. These networks were invited to
propose nominees to better reflect the Global Compact’s geographic reach. A selection
committee of the Global Compact Board (Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman of Anglo-
American plc; Mary Robinson, Chair of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization
Initiative; and Georg Kell) reviewed all prospective candidates.

In Mr. Chey’s case, the selection committee was well aware of his conviction and
subsequent presidential pardon (which is not mentioned by Mr. Lee) in connection with
violation of corporate governance laws. The fact that Mr. Chey and the SK Group had
demonstrated much willingness to learn from past transgressions was a key factor in the
decision-making process. By all accounts, the SK Group, under Mr. Chey's leadership,
has emerged as a frontrunner in corporate governance in Korea.

To the Global Compact, this is highly relevant and a sign of positive change in the spirit
of the Global Compact principles. It also reinforces the notion of continuous performance
improvement. Consequently, the selection committee recommended his appointment.

Sincerely

Georg Kell
Executive Director
United Nations Global Compact
 28 April 2009

To the Editors of Foreign Policy:

We take issue with statements made by Matthew Russell Lee in his article titled “Some
Disassembly Required”, published in April 2009 on the Foreign Policy website.

Likewise, we are surprised that Foreign Policy, as it appears, did not exercise due
diligence when fact-checking the claims made in Mr. Lee’s contribution.

To begin, Dr. Cheick Modibo Diarra, Microsoft’s Chairman for Africa has never attended
an event organized or hosted by the United Nations Global Compact. Neither has the
Global Compact provided any platform for Mr. Diarra to meet with “African heads of
state”, as Mr. Lee claims.

The "VIP luncheon" Mr. Lee refers to was the UN Private Sector Forum on Food
Security and the Millennium Development Goals held on 24 September 2008 in
conjunction with the annual General Assembly debate. Mr. Lee, who attended parts of
the Forum, should have remembered that it produced several concrete corporate
commitments, as outlined in a comprehensive final report issued by the Global Compact
Office.

As far as Mr. Lee’s troubled relationship with facts is concerned, his rant against the
United Nations is par for the course. Far more troubling is that he fails to understand the
fundamental nature of the Global Compact as a platform for critical, yet constructive
dialogue and learning. The Global Compact is not a regulatory body. And our doors stay
open, even (or especially) for those that face serious challenges. To some, this may not
be a popular approach, but the vast majority of our stakeholders, including civil society
and governments, agree that it helps lead companies on a path of continuous
performance improvement. Nevertheless, it should not go unnoticed that the Global
Compact has delisted close to 1,000 companies for repeated failure to meet its annual
disclosure requirement.

Finally, we wish to clarify the appointment of Mr. Chey Tae-Won of Korea’s SK Group to
the Global Compact Board. Mr. Chey and other new Board members were
recommended by Global Compact country networks, which form a crucial component of
the Global Compact’s multi-stakeholder governance. These networks were invited to
propose nominees to better reflect the Global Compact’s geographic reach. A selection
committee of the Global Compact Board (Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman of Anglo-
American plc; Mary Robinson, Chair of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization
Initiative; and Georg Kell) reviewed all prospective candidates.

In Mr. Chey’s case, the selection committee was well aware of his conviction and
subsequent presidential pardon (which is not mentioned by Mr. Lee) in connection with
violation of corporate governance laws. The fact that Mr. Chey and the SK Group had
demonstrated much willingness to learn from past transgressions was a key factor in the
decision-making process. By all accounts, the SK Group, under Mr. Chey's leadership,
has emerged as a frontrunner in corporate governance in Korea.

To the Global Compact, this is highly relevant and a sign of positive change in the spirit
of the Global Compact principles. It also reinforces the notion of continuous performance
improvement. Consequently, the selection committee recommended his appointment.

Sincerely

Georg Kell
Executive Director
United Nations Global Compact
 28 April 2009

To the Editors of Foreign Policy:

We take issue with statements made by Matthew Russell Lee in his article titled “Some
Disassembly Required”, published in April 2009 on the Foreign Policy website.

Likewise, we are surprised that Foreign Policy, as it appears, did not exercise due
diligence when fact-checking the claims made in Mr. Lee’s contribution.

To begin, Dr. Cheick Modibo Diarra, Microsoft’s Chairman for Africa has never attended
an event organized or hosted by the United Nations Global Compact. Neither has the
Global Compact provided any platform for Mr. Diarra to meet with “African heads of
state”, as Mr. Lee claims.

The "VIP luncheon" Mr. Lee refers to was the UN Private Sector Forum on Food
Security and the Millennium Development Goals held on 24 September 2008 in
conjunction with the annual General Assembly debate. Mr. Lee, who attended parts of
the Forum, should have remembered that it produced several concrete corporate
commitments, as outlined in a comprehensive final report issued by the Global Compact
Office.

As far as Mr. Lee’s troubled relationship with facts is concerned, his rant against the
United Nations is par for the course. Far more troubling is that he fails to understand the
fundamental nature of the Global Compact as a platform for critical, yet constructive
dialogue and learning. The Global Compact is not a regulatory body. And our doors stay
open, even (or especially) for those that face serious challenges. To some, this may not
be a popular approach, but the vast majority of our stakeholders, including civil society
and governments, agree that it helps lead companies on a path of continuous
performance improvement. Nevertheless, it should not go unnoticed that the Global
Compact has delisted close to 1,000 companies for repeated failure to meet its annual
disclosure requirement.

Finally, we wish to clarify the appointment of Mr. Chey Tae-Won of Korea’s SK Group to
the Global Compact Board. Mr. Chey and other new Board members were
recommended by Global Compact country networks, which form a crucial component of
the Global Compact’s multi-stakeholder governance. These networks were invited to
propose nominees to better reflect the Global Compact’s geographic reach. A selection
committee of the Global Compact Board (Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman of Anglo-
American plc; Mary Robinson, Chair of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization
Initiative; and Georg Kell) reviewed all prospective candidates.

In Mr. Chey’s case, the selection committee was well aware of his conviction and
subsequent presidential pardon (which is not mentioned by Mr. Lee) in connection with
violation of corporate governance laws. The fact that Mr. Chey and the SK Group had
demonstrated much willingness to learn from past transgressions was a key factor in the
decision-making process. By all accounts, the SK Group, under Mr. Chey's leadership,
has emerged as a frontrunner in corporate governance in Korea.

To the Global Compact, this is highly relevant and a sign of positive change in the spirit
of the Global Compact principles. It also reinforces the notion of continuous performance
improvement. Consequently, the selection committee recommended his appointment.

Sincerely

Georg Kell
Executive Director
United Nations Global Compact