On June 24, eBay Inc. President and CEO John Donahoe sent a letter to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to communicate progress the company has made on key initiatives pursued by the U.N.’s Global Compact, which focuses on human rights, labor, environmental and anti-corruption issues around the world. The letter frames eBay’s commitment to creating positive social change through the framework of its three core beliefs, as articulated by Donahoe: “We create opportunities for people; we care, because we know people depend on us; and we make a difference in the world.” The letter was sent in conjunction with the release of eBay Inc.’s first U.N. Global Compact Communication on Progress focused on the compact’s 10 principles, which is now available as a download.
“Fifteen years into our journey as a values-driven business, we are proud to be submitting our first Communication on Progress to the U.N. Global Compact,” Said Robert Chatwani, Director of eBay Global Citizenship. “The report documents the ways in which eBay has been a catalyst for positive social change since its inception and highlights the ways in which we have extended that impact through innovative, disruptive programs that create economic opportunity, promote a more sustainable approach to commerce, and support and empower communities.”
The complete text of Donahoe’s letter is below:
Dear Mr. Secretary General:
Fifteen years ago, eBay was founded with the purpose of connecting buyers and sellers to one another, around a fundamental belief in the inherent goodness of people. Our unique and disruptive marketplace model created a new paradigm for commerce and opened a window of opportunity for millions of people around the world. As members of the United Nations Global Compact, we intuitively understand the role that business plays in advancing markets, commerce, and technology in ways that benefit communities and individuals around the world – it is, in fact, our very reason for being.
Our business is organized around three core beliefs that not only guide our decision-making; they provide the rationale and framework for the work that we do to drive social and environmental change. These core beliefs include:
We create opportunities for people. We foster the success of entrepreneurs throughout the world by providing open access to new markets, capital, and platforms for trusted global trade. In a time of economic uncertainty, this inspires us to make sure that we continue to support them as best we can, and grow to support others like them. This report details our efforts to create meaningful and lasting opportunity through not only our core business, but through disruptive new initiatives that have extended this commitment to some of the most underserved communities around the world.
We care, because we know people depend on us. We maintain a deep understanding that the health and success of our business affects not only our employees and shareholders, but the hundreds of thousands of people whose livelihoods depend on eBay. This report seeks to demonstrate that the way we run our business is a direct reflection of this, and details the ways in which we have extended our commitment to our community of users by creating systems that allow them to contribute to the causes they care about, and enable NGOs to leverage our business assets to achieve scale.
We make a difference in the world. We enable people to do more with less and make smarter decisions about the way they consume, sell, and pay. As the largest engine for reuse on the planet, our marketplace extends the useful life of millions of products, keeping items out of landfills and reducing the need for new manufacturing. PayPal balance-funded payments generate fewer emissions than similar transactions made through traditional banking infrastructure. For us, those intrinsically greener aspects of our businesses are not an end game, but a terrific starting point, and this report includes information on the initiatives we have undertaken in the last 18 months to extend our commitment to environmental responsibility through more sustainable commerce experiences.
Today, we are proud to submit our first Communication on Progress to the Secretariat, highlighting our purpose-driven business models and the impact they have on the Compact’s four key areas of focus (Human Rights, Labor, Environment, and Anti-Corruption), as well as our efforts to extend that positive social impact through innovative new programs and initiatives.
Sincerely,
John Donahoe
President and CEO, eBay Inc.