The balancing act between business and society
We can all agree that a sustainable future without economic progress is impossible. One important mechanism to achieve sustainable growth is the development and implementation of international standards.
We can all agree that a sustainable future without economic progress is impossible. One important mechanism to achieve sustainable growth is the development and implementation of international standards.
For years standardisation work was centered on product standards. We have many successful examples of industry-developed standards, which have been adopted internationally. For example: how could container shipping have succeeded in contributing to global trade without the development of the standard size container box?
We can say that the adoption of international standards introduce a global synchronisation of products.
Former Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Annan, spoke at the 2004 annual meeting of the International Standards Organisation, ISO, on the importance of international standards. He said: “International standards are essential for sustainable development. They represent the most important source of technical know-how – especially for developing countries. Standards are of great help to countries which need development and to prepare these countries for global competition.”
Kofi Annan points at two fundamental effects from international standards, which both favor sustainable development: They stimulate global trade by removing trade barriers, and they are an important means of transferring technological know-how to developing countries.
Today, standards go well beyond product standards, such as the ILO standards, SA 8000, and the Environmental Management System Standard ISO 14001. The most fundamental standard, however, remains the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
This declaration defines the basic rules of any interaction, both for governments, businesses and for civil society. It is also included in the UN Global Compact.
By signing the UN Global Compact more than 3,800 governmental bodies, civil society organisations, and businesses have now committed themselves to follow its 10 Principles.
Representatives from government, civil society and businesses are also actively engaged in the exciting development of a new set of ISO standards – the ISO 26000 series – on Social Responsibility.
It is vital that international standards are perceived as relevant. We also need mechanisms to ensure credibility and trust in the way companies and governments live by them. Independent verification by third-party organisations can be an important means to build trust and confidence between the civil society, business, and governments. DNV is an organisation that performs this balancing act between business and society.
日付: 07 June 2007