CoP Page | UN Global Compact
The Communication on Progress
The Communication on Progress (CoP) is the main reporting mechanism of the UN Global Compact. It is an annual and mandatory requirement for all business participants of the UN Global Compact.
The submission period for the mandatory 2026 CoP opens on 1 April 2026 and closes on 31 July 2026.
For additional information, please refer to the
2026 CoP Policy
the online FAQ Tool
, and resources at the bottom of the page and on the
Academy CoP webpage
. Supporting 2026 CoP materials will be made available throughout Q1 and early Q2 2026.
Quickly find the information you are searching for
Understand your requirements
Know your deadlines
Prepare your report
Complete and submit your CoP
Visualize aggregated CoP Data
The Flagship 2024 CoP Insights Report
Read the Report
Benefits of the Communication on Progress
The CoP enables participating companies of the UN Global Compact to:
Strengthen credibility and brand value
by showing commitment to the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Measure and demonstrate progress
to stakeholders and the public on the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact and the SDGs in a consistent and harmonized way
Facilitate self-evaluation, set effective targets and continuously improve
sustainability performance year over year through gap analysis
Benchmark progress relative to peer
cohorts
by taking advantage of one of the largest sources of free, public and comparable corporate sustainability data
Prepare for the Communication on Progress
Understand your requirements
The Communication on Progress (CoP) is an annual, mandatory requirement for all business participants of the UN Global Compact.
New UN Global Compact joiners do not need to submit a CoP until the year following their joining date. For example, if a participant joins the UN Global Compact in 2026, their first CoP submission will be due in 2027.
The CoP consists of two elements* that must be submitted through the CoP digital platform:
CEO Statement of Continued Support
, publicly expressing your company’s ongoing commitment to the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact at the highest level. The statement is a
standardized template
that is signed electronically.
CoP Questionnaire
reporting
on corporate action and performance related to the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
For the 2026 reporting year, a sustainability report uploaded through the digital platform can be submitted in lieu of the CoP Questionnaire. Please reference the
2026 CoP Policy
for more information.
Know your deadlines
The 2026 CoP submission period is from 1 April 2026 at 9 AM (ET) to 31 July 2026 at 5 PM (ET).
Participants, excluding 2026 joiners, that fail to submit a 2026 CoP within the submission period will be listed as ‘Non-communicating’ on their participant profile.
Non-communicating
’ participants that do not submit a late CoP by 31 December 2026 will be
delisted
from the Global Compact on 1 January 2027.
Prepare your report
Confirm your CEO’s continued support of the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact. The statement is a
standardized template
that is signed electronically.
Review the
CoP Questionnaire
to understand the questions asked and data collection needs.
Use the
CoP
Guidebook
for support in answering the questionnaire, such as question rationales, calculation guidance and a glossary of key terms.
Begin your data collection process using CoP support materials on the
Academy CoP page
Ensure that you have access to the
UN Global Compact dashboard
. Refer to the
User's Guide
to learn how to request credentials.
For any additional questions, please refer to the
Online FAQ Tool
Complete and submit your CoP
Participants must submit the annual CoP through the CoP digital platform, accessible from the participant dashboard.
Following the instructions on the digital platform, participants must submit a signed CEO Statement of Continued Support and the CoP Questionnaire and/or a sustainability report.
Participants are welcome to include supplementary materials in their CoP submission. Please note that such materials, along with the rest of the CoP, will be publicly available for viewing on each Global Compact participant's profile.
Once submitted, the CoP will be available to download as a PDF file by the participant through the digital platform.
Should a participant require an amendment to be made to their CoP, there may be an opportunity to amend the CoP after submission through the digital platform. Please refer to the
CoP Amendment Policy
for more information.
Please note that all data, including supplemental documentation that was submitted by a participating company through the CoP digital platform, will be made publicly available on the UN Global Compact website. This data may be used by the UN Global Compact in aggregate form to present trends or included in reports about the status of corporate sustainability. The UN Global Compact does not have any responsibility on the accuracy of the data submitted by its participating companies nor on how this public data will be used by other stakeholders.
Visualize aggregated CoP data
Launched in 2024, the
Communication on Progress (CoP) Data Visualization Tools
offer UN Global Compact business participants insights into progress being made in advancing the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact. Currently, the UN Global Compact’s data visualization offerings are comprised of the 2025, 2024, and 2023 Tools, as well as the 2023 to 2024 Year-over-Year (YoY) Tool, which is undergoing significant enhancements and will soon include 2025 data. The Tools were built to display the results from the 2023, 2024, and/or 2025 CoP Digital Questionnaires.
explore data
150+
Countries
20,000+
Companies
This data is based on information reported by participating companies of the UN Global Compact through its Communication on Progress questionnaire. This data may be used freely without prior permission, provided that content is not used for commercial purposes and that clear reference is made to its source. The UN Global Compact does not have any responsibility on the accuracy of the data submitted by its participating companies nor on how this public data will be used by other stakeholders.
Resources
CoP Guidebook
CoP Questionnaire
CEO Statement
Online FAQ Tool
Academy CoP Hub
Find your Country Network
CoP Policy
CoP Amendment Policy
Need support?
Reach us at
cop-support@unglobalcompact.org