[WSIS CS-Plenary] Joint research collaboration

Fri Oct 3 10:13:44 BST 2008

Interested to participate
chris

--- On Thu, 10/2/08, Ezendu Ariwa <e.ariwa at londonmet.ac.uk> wrote:

> From: Ezendu Ariwa <e.ariwa at londonmet.ac.uk>
> Subject: Re: [WSIS CS-Plenary] Joint research collaboration
> To: "Virtual WSIS CS Plenary Group Space" <plenary at wsis-cs.org>
> Cc: e.ariwa at londonmet.ac.uk
> Date: Thursday, October 2, 2008, 7:12 PM
> [Please note that by using 'REPLY', your response
> goes to the entire list. Kindly use individual addresses for
> responses intended for specific people]
> 
> Click http://wsis.funredes.org/plenary/ to access automatic
> translation of this message!
> _______________________________________
> 
> Dear Nnenna
> 
> I am interested in collaborating with you and your team o0n
> a research
> project in Africa using practice based or evidence based
> approach in terms
> of maximaxing ICT application and competencies for public
> sectors
> 
> 
> 
> We can write a joiint bid for the grant
> 
> 
> Kindly let me know if yoiur are interested for such
> collaboration
> 
> Ezendu
> > [Please note that by using 'REPLY', your
> response goes to the entire list.
> > Kindly use individual addresses for responses intended
> for specific
> > people]
> >
> > Click http://wsis.funredes.org/plenary/ to access
> automatic translation of
> > this message!
> > _______________________________________
> >
> > Subject: <incom> Standards: ISO steps towards
> social responsibility
> >
> >
> > After the OOXML debacle, many countries (Brazil and
> South Africa,
> > among others) question the neutrality of the ISO,
> unclear whether this
> > will affect one of their latest projects as well,
> interesting
> > regardless imo esp. in relationship to fair it
> projects, which could
> > certainly use another lever, Soenke
> >
> >
> <http://www.ethicalcorp.com/content.asp?ContentID=6094&newsletter=24>
> >
> > Standards: ISO steps towards social responsibility
> >
> > The International Organization for Standardization
> (ISO) is one step
> > closer to launching a global standard for "social
> responsibility"
> > The ISO Social Responsibility Working Group took a
> small – but
> > potentially historic – step forward at its recent
> meeting in Santiago
> > de Chile on September 1-5, 2008.
> >
> > Nearly 400 experts and observers from around the world
> agreed that
> > sufficient progress had been made in developing the
> draft
> > international standard on social responsibility for
> the "working
> > draft" to be taken to "committee draft"
> level.
> >
> > In the process of ISO standards' development, this
> takes the draft
> > standard one stage closer to the wider consultation
> and voting phases
> > that could see it available for public use globally in
> 2010.
> >
> > For readers unfamiliar with these negotiations, a
> short history of a
> > long story is in order.
> >
> > Long road
> >
> > Best known for its widely used technical and
> management standards, ISO
> > embarked in 2005 on its first "soft"
> standard - on social
> > responsibility.
> >
> > As a new and controversial subject area for ISO, the
> mandate given to
> > the working group was to develop a standard by late
> 2008 that would
> > provide voluntary guidance to all organisations,
> public and private.
> >
> > While there were proponents (especially from
> developing countries) who
> > wanted a standard that could be used for certification
> purposes – to
> > demonstrate their world class performance to
> increasingly picky
> > northern consumers and investors – others argued
> that ethical issues
> > were too soft and culture-defined for certification.
> >
> > As a result, it was agreed that the standard would not
> be a management
> > system standard (like the popular ISO 14001 standard),
> and could not
> > be used for certification.
> >
> > Since March 2005, there have been six negotiating
> sessions of the
> > Working Group on Social Responsibility. Experts and
> observers from six
> > groups – government, industry, labour, consumer
> organisations, NGOs,
> > and a group of academic, consultant, standards and
> other bodies – have
> > been working intensively on reaching consensus on what
> "social
> > responsibility" means, and what should go in the
> world's first
> > standard on the subject.
> >
> > Arriving in Santiago, it was not clear to many
> negotiators whether
> > their Carmenera was half empty or half full. To many,
> the working
> > draft before them (known as WD4.2) was over due, over
> long, and over
> > done.
> >
> > Kitchen sink
> >
> > Difficulties in getting agreement on scope and content
> issues had
> > already meant that the original 2008 deadline would
> not be met. Coming
> > in at over 80 pages, excluding annexes, there was also
> hand-wringing
> > about whether all but the largest organisations would
> be inclined to
> > read the standard. Moreover, there was a sense that
> apart from not
> > mentioning the kitchen sink, the draft seemed
> dauntingly
> > comprehensive.
> >
> > On the other hand, there was a sense that important
> and hard-won
> > consensus had been achieved on a number of fronts. For
> all its length,
> > the draft contained valuable and well-written guidance
> on core social
> > responsibility subjects. These included organisational
> governance,
> > human rights, labour practices, the environment, fair
> operating
> > practices, consumer issues and community involvement.
> >
> > Moreover, it was common ground that the definition of
> social
> > responsibility – embracing such notions as the
> importance of
> > sustainable development, stakeholder expectations,
> compliance with
> > national and international law, and the need for
> organisation-wide
> > integration – provided a much needed level of
> clarity.
> >
> > While everyone could point to weaknesses in the text,
> there was a
> > general sense that real progress had been made, and
> that it was time
> > to take the draft to a wider audience. By agreeing to
> move the draft
> > to "committee draft" status, following
> further amendments recommended
> > at the Santiago meeting, the draft standard will now
> be opened to
> > comments from ISO's 84 participating (and thus
> voting) national
> > standards bodies for comment.
> >
> > How quickly ISO can complete this process remains to
> be seen. However,
> > as the recent release of a (certifiable) Portuguese
> social
> > responsibility management system has shown, there are
> some at the
> > national level who cannot wait any longer.
> >
> > Amsterdam-based, Paul Hohnen consults, speaks and
> writes on
> > sustainability and CSR issues. www.hohnen.net. He is a
> member of
> > Ethical Corporation's editorial advisory board.
> > _______________________________________________
> > Nnenna Nwakanma
> > Director, nnenna.org
> > Consultants on Information, Communications, Technology
> and Events for
> > Development
> > Tel: +225 225 271 44
> > Fax: +225 224 264 71
> > Cel: +225 07 416 820
> > nnenna at nnenna.org
> > http://www.nnenna.org
> > http://nnennaorg.blogspot.com
> >
> >
> >       _______________________________________________
> > Plenary mailing list
> > Plenary at wsis-cs.org
> >
> http://mailman-new.greennet.org.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/plenary
> >
> 
> 
> Ezendu Ariwa
> BITM Programme and Pathway Leader
> Senior Lecturer - Strategic Information Systems
> Business Analysis, Information Systems, Transport and
> Logistics Subject Group
> London Metropolitan Business School
> London Metropolitan University
> 277-281 Holloway Road
> London N7 8HN
> United Kingdom
> 
> Tel: 02071333945
> Fax: 02071333899
> Email: e.ariwa at londonmet.ac.uk
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Plenary mailing list
> Plenary at wsis-cs.org
> http://mailman-new.greennet.org.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/plenary