[WSIS CS-Plenary] Joint research collaboration

Fri Oct 3 10:36:24 BST 2008

Dear Chris

Thanks

How do we take this forward

Ezendu

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> _______________________________________
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>
> 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
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>> _______________________________________
>>
>> 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
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>> > 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 â€“ but
>> > potentially historic â€“ 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 â€“ to
>> > demonstrate their world class performance to
>> increasingly picky
>> > northern consumers and investors â€“ 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 â€“ government, industry, labour, consumer
>> organisations, NGOs,
>> > and a group of academic, consultant, standards and
>> other bodies â€“ 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 â€“ embracing such notions as the
>> importance of
>> > sustainable development, stakeholder expectations,
>> compliance with
>> > national and international law, and the need for
>> organisation-wide
>> > integration â€“ 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
>> >
>> >
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>> >
>>
>>
>> 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
>>
>>
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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