General Assembly 2025 & Global Compact Dialogue
- melanieferreira8
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
On 3 June 2025, we had the pleasure of welcoming over 100 participants, business leaders, as well as government and civil society representatives, to our General Assembly and Global Compact Dialogue in Lausanne. We look back on an insightful day on the topic of collaboration, commemorating the UN Global Compact's 25th anniversary.
More than 100 participants from over 90 companies gathered together for the Annual General Assembly of the UN Global Compact Network Switzerland & Liechtenstein (GCNSL) and the Global Compact Dialogue. This year's event was generously hosted by SICPA on their beautiful unlimitrust campus close to Lausanne.
General Assembly
GCNSL Executive Director Antonio Hautle and Vice-President Dr. Jérôme Barra guided the participants through the assembly, which began with the presentation of the Annual Report. They gave an overview of the past year’s activities, events, key highlights and provided insights into upcoming initiatives at both local and global levels. These include Accelerator Programmes, new Academy e-learnings, upcoming peer learning groups, and various other training and engagement opportunities. For details on all upcoming events, please visit our event page.
Like in previous years, the GCNSL also presented their 2024 financial statements and 2025 budget, which was approved by the present participants. As the GCNSL values transparency and accountability, an additional financial audit conducted by PwC Switzerland was also presented. Other important votes on the agenda included the re-election of the GCNSL's current board of directors and appointing RSM Switzerland as the new auditor for 2026.
The General Assembly concluded with a video featuring a speech by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, marking the moment 25 years ago when he called for the creation of the UN Global Compact. Kofi Annan’s words remain as relevant as ever.
Global Compact Dialogue
Like in previous years, following our General Assembly, we hosted our Global Compact Dialogue - an interactive event open to the public featuring a mix of inputs, discussions and workshops. This year's event celebrates the 25th anniversary of the UN Global Compact, marking a quarter-century in which companies have been inspired to embed the Ten Principles and to embrace sustainability as a core driver of strategy and innovation. We aim to inspire greater ambition, unity, and collaboration.
To commemorate this significant milestone, the GCNSL hosted a panel and workshops to explore strategies that empower businesses of all sizes to collaborate more effectively, clarify evolving legal landscapes, and drive collective climate action. At a time of geopolitical uncertainty – and only 17% of SDG targets being on track – creating a space where different stakeholders can share their expertise to shape and collaborate for a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future is more important than ever.
The Global Compact Dialogue was kicked off by Ms Ajar Kahlown, Head of Human Resources at SICPA, who provided interesting insights into SICPA's sustainability approach and the unlimitrust campus.
A highlight of the event was the engaging panel discussion with industry experts on the topic 'Strengthening collaboration for a sustainable future'. A big thank you to the outstanding and insightful panellists:
Alissa Monk, Sustainability Lead at ten23health
Auret Van Heerden, Founder & CEO at Equiception
Clémence Coquet, Corporate Sustainability Manager & Controller at Sika
Moderation: Vanessa Hans, Director, Private Sector at Basel Institute on Governance
The panel was followed by three practical, parallel workshops, each exploring different aspects of collaboration in greater depth. These focused on Climate Action, the EU Omnibus Package, and SME Partnerships Along the Value Chain.
Leveraging Collaboration for Impactful Climate Action
The workshop was facilitated by Anna Eiperle, Programme Manager Environment & SDGs at GCNSL, and brought together engaged minds from diverse sectors to explore how partnerships can drive real progress in the fight against climate change. The highlight was an insightful input by Hildevig Svaizer from ABB, who provided two examples on supplier collaboration for primary data collection and industry peer collaboration when it comes to decarbonization.
The input was followed by breakout groups, where participants exchanged ideas, challenges, and practical approaches to effective climate collaboration focused on cross-sector or supplier collaboration. An exciting outcome was the launch of a new Climate Exchange Group for which GCNSL participants can now sign up for.
Navigating Legal Uncertainty: EU Omnibus Package
This workshop was facilitated by Tabea Böglin, Programme Manager Social & ESG Regulations & Reporting at GCNSL, featuring guest speaker Taras Piterskikh from Hero AG.
The session brought together participants to spark deeper internal conversations and broaden the ESG agenda. Our guest speaker shared how Hero AG is using sustainability reporting as a catalyst for transformation by going beyond “ticking the box” and instead triggering the right questions and driving changes across the business.
While challenges persist, especially resource allocation and maintaining a strong sustainability culture, the consensus was clear: now is the time to turn uncertainty into progress. Through the conversations with participants, it was great to see that a growing number of organizations are shifting the ESG narrative from a compliance mindset to recognising sustainability as a business opportunity.
The workshop concluded with the launch of a new ESG Regulations Exchange Group - a platform for GCNSL participants to learn and exchange with peers on regulatory developments.
Collaborating for Change: SME Partnerships Along the Value Chain
Facilitated by Fabio Gfeller, Sustainability Advisor at GCNSL, this interactive workshop explored how SMEs can be powerful drivers of change through collaboration across value chains. The workshop included a compelling input from Patrick Dümmler from the Schweizer Gewerbeverband, who outlined both the challenges and the untapped potential of SMEs in Switzerland.
Participants then dove into focused group discussions, exchanging ideas and experiences around building effective partnerships. Key topics included:
Strengthening SME knowledge and capacity
Developing smart, collaborative strategies
Simplifying legal processes through accessible tools and support
As a concrete outcome, the workshop sparked the launch of the SME Peer Exchange Group. This new community is designed to foster ongoing learning, support, and collaboration. More information on the SME Exchange Group will be available soon.
We would like to thank everyone who attended the GCNSL General Assembly and Global Compact Dialogue! Once again, a special thank you to our host SICPA for sponsoring the venue, lunch and apéro as well as for their invaluable logistical support.
A big shout-out to the GCNSL team, board and all participants for their ongoing support and valuable contributions. We look forward to witnessing how the insights, connections, and discussions gained from this event will contribute to the collective effort to create a sustainable future.
All photo credits: UN Global Compact Network Switzerland & Liechtenstein
