Business sustainability and the UN Global Compact: A “public interest” analysis for Muslim majority countries

Abstract

Since 2000, different types of organisations have registered for the UN Global Compact (UNGC), an essential guide for undertaking socially and environmentally responsible business. As revealed by the UNGC data, enthusiasm in Muslim majority countries (MMCs) for subscribing to the Compact is comparatively much less than in any other parts of the world. Analysing the phenomenon and the possible reasons thereof, this article examines individuals’ economic responsibility in these MMCs in adhering to the principles of the UN Global Compact. The work shows that regime types, economic conditions, economic structures (with agriculture sector primacy informally employing the largest percentage of the labour force), and civil society conditions seem to have contributed significantly in the UN Global Compact participation by organisations in MMCs. The paper argues that Muslims should fulfil their individual religious obligation by valuing, upholding, and applying the principles of “public interest” (maṣāliḥ al-mursalah) in all commercial dealings not awaiting national consent or the organisations’ conformity to the Global Compact.