Committed to Complying with International Norms
Incheon Port Authority (IPA) announced on July 7 that it has joined the U.N. Global Compact (UNGC), a U.N.-affiliated corporate sustainability initiative, to promote the sustainable development of IPA through compliance with international norms in the fields of the environment, labor, human rights and anti-corruption.
Launched in July 2000, the UNGC is the world's largest voluntary corporate citizen initiative under the U.N. It provides support for member companies to internalize its10 principles concerning the environment, labor, human rights and anti-corruption in their management strategies. Currently, about 14,000 members (10,000 corporate members) in 157 countries around the world have joined the UNGC.
The 10 principles originated from the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (1998), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (1992), and the United Nations Convention on the Prevention of Corruption (2003).
IPA plans to launch a pledge program to encourage its employees to practice the "Ten Commandments of Respected Leaders." It will select the “Ten Virtues of Respected Leaders” and conduct satisfaction surveys on employees to create a clean organizational culture.
In the environmental sector, IPA has been pushing for a project to change the fuel of old tugboats at Incheon Port to LNG since 2019. In 2020, it is making efforts to improve the air environment at the port by attaching diesel particulate filters (DPFs) to yard tractors.
Regarding IPA’s participation in the UNGC, IPA President Choi Jun-wook said, "We will abide by the 10 principles on the environment, labor, human rights, and anti-corruption, and internalize them in our corporate operations and management strategies. We will take the lead in complying with international norms in the port sector and strive to spread this initiative to port-related agencies and private industries."
Meanwhile, IPA plans to register with the UNGC every year its implementation report (communication on progress or COP) in the four major areas (environment, labor, human rights, and anti-corruption), which are related to IPA's social responsibilities and sustainable development goals.