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“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

FELDSTED: Dictators and tyrants, who govern most of the worlds people, ignore the United Nations -- except as a vehicle by which to gain more foreign aid from free democracies


Let me start by stating, “Few Canadians know that the United Nations Global Compact even exists ... more however are beginning too”. 

This group includes nearly ten thousand academic institutions, non-government organizations (NGOs) and corporations from 161 countries. There are about 78 Canadian entities involved – 8 of which are academic institutions, 10 Non-Government Organizations, and finally 60 corporations.

The Global Compact bills itself as the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative.  Its goals are to have members align strategies and operations with universal principles on ...human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and take actions that advance societal goals.

“At the UN Global Compact, we aim to mobilize a global movement of sustainable companies and stakeholders to create the world we want. That’s our vision. To make this happen, the UN Global Compact supports companies to:

  • Do business responsibly by aligning their strategies and operations with ten principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption; and 
  • Take strategic actions to advance broader societal goals, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with an emphasis on collaboration and innovation.


The Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact, which follow below, are derived from ... the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption.


  1. Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and 
  2. make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses 
  3. Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining 
  4. the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour 
  5. the effective abolition of child labour 
  6. the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation 
  7. Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges 
  8. undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility 
  9. encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies
  10. Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.


Those are all protections that the people living in free
democracies expect from their elected governments


That appears to be something that right-thinking people could rally behind. However, the Global Compact wants to mobilize a global movement to create the world it wants.

Ultimately, the Global Compact is a lobby group of corporations that wants to create a world that caters to its vision rather than a world run by elected representatives of the people governed.

It is another United Nations scam.

Re-read those ten principles and you will see they are all protections that the people living in free democracies expect from their elected governments. We do not need interference from or oversight by unelected and unaccountable bodies or their agencies.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (1998), the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (1992), and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (2003) are not new ... and the fundamentals of all have been adopted by all free democracies.

No member of the Global Compact is elected, or accountable, to anyone except their shareholders.  Furthermore, despite the United Nations and Global Compact claims that various United Nations declarations are ‘legally binding’ and ‘universal’, they are only recognized in the 88 free democracies listed by Freedom House.  The Economist, which is more discerning, states bluntly:

Less than 5% of the world's population lives in a "full democracy," according to a new report ranking countries by how functional their political systems are.

And further:

The US was downgraded from a "full democracy" to a "flawed democracy" in the same study last year, which cited the "low esteem in which US voters hold their government, elected representatives, and political parties."

According to the Economist, the top 21 democracies in the world, in order, are:

  1. Norway
  2. Iceland
  3. Sweden
  4. New Zealand
  5. Denmark
  6. Ireland
  7. Canada
  8. Australia
  9. Finland
  10. Switzerland
  11. The Netherlands
  12. Luxembourg
  13. Germany
  14. United Kingdom
  15. Austria
  16. Mauritius
  17. Malta
  18. Uruguay
  19. Spain
  20. South Korea, and
  21. United States


The United Nations has little control over free democracies; they don’t need the UN or its agencies.  Additionally, the UN is incapable of bringing its high ideals to people dominated by restrictive regimes. Dictators and tyrants who govern most of the world’s people ignore the UN except as a vehicle by which to gain more foreign aid from free democracies.

UN agencies that provide $$ billions in relief to third world nation are working against the freedoms and rights of third world nations. If the UN had the backbone to kick out member nations who sign on to international treaties, and then ignore them.  By doing so, it would gain some credibility; unfortunately, it will not. Instead it continues the charade of declaring that its various declarations are ‘universal’ when they are not.

The Global Compact is dangerous to democracy. It is a UN attempt to influence or override the sovereignty of free democratic nations by unelected corporate executives. We do not need the interference of the UN, or the enormous costs of membership and support. 

Canada must withdraw from the United Nations cesspool of dictatorships and tyrannies, and realign with the 88 free nations that are now carrying almost all of the financial weight of the UN.

We do not need to have UN agencies questioning our ethics while it fails to meet its mandates. The UN elitist sneering and snobbery must be ended without further delay. 
  
John Feldsted
Political Consultant & Strategist
Winnipeg, Manitoba
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