	10/29/2003

Connecting the ISO Dots

ALL these quotes and links are from ISO and UN websites as of 11-1-03. If you are working to get or maintain your ISO certification at your place of employment you are activly complying with UN initiatives. There is nothing hidden about these programs. As the Secretary-General of the UN Kofi Annan has said,

“The United Nations deals with the world’s major problems. That much is common knowledge. Perhaps less well known is the fact that this Organization is also part of your daily life. In fact, you probably wouldn’t want to live without it.”

ISO - together with IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and ITU (International Telecommunication Union) has built a strategic partnership with WTO. The political agreements reached within the framework of WTO require underpinning by technical agreements. more here

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a "related organization" to the UN's General Assembly. more here

" Think globally, act locally " – the well known credo for addressing environmental issues – also expresses the objective of ISO’s many environmental standards....To spearhead this strategic approach, ISO established a new technical committee, ISO/TC 207 (precursor to ISO 14000) in 1993, Environmental management. This move was a concrete manifestation of ISO’s commitment to respond to the complex challenge of " sustainable development " articulated at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. more here

The Kids' ISO 14000 Programme, which draws on the organizing principle of the ISO 14000 environmental management system standards, was created and is operated by the Japanese non-profit, non-governmental organization ArTech. More than 50,000 Japanese schoolchildren have participated in the programme, launched in 2000, which is now on its way to becoming an international one. The United Nations University (UNU) is co-operating on the programme and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) also supports it. more here

"The representative of Honduras said he agreed with all those who had spoken of ethical instruments that could be used as a basis for action for sustainable development. He advocated wording that would express the personal commitment of every individual on earth to work for sustainable development." more here

In an address to The World Economic Forum on 31 January 1999, United Nation Secretary-General Kofi Annan challenged business leaders to join an international initiative – the Global Compact – that would bring companies together with UN agencies, labour and civil society to support nine priciples in the areas of human rights, labour and the environment. The Global Compact’s operational phase was launched at UN Headquarters in New York on 26 July 2000.

"ISO standards related to corporate social responsibility would be acceptable worldwide. They would be developed with the participation of all interests, including consumers. Such standards could be linked to ISO 9000 management standards and this should facilitate implementation." more here

Through the power of collective action, the Global Compact seeks to advance responsible corporate citizenship so that business can be part of the solution to the challenges of globalisation. In this way, the private sector – in partnership with other social actors – can help realize the Secretary-General’s vision: a more sustainable and inclusive global economy. more here

The Global Compact's nine principles in the areas of human rights, labour and the environment enjoy universal consensus being derived from:

"In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law...These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations." --- Article 29 of the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. more here

Does any of this look like the work of those who believe in the principles of free markets and free men?

11:58:26 PM

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Press Release from ISO

Ref.: 877
28 October 2003

'Kids' ISO 14000 Programme' aims to promote environmental awareness among children worldwide

The entire short press release is here. It is a must read. This is an exerpt that should encourage you to click the link and get the rest of the story:

"The three principal aims of the Kids' ISO 14000 Programme are:

firstly, to stimulate environmental awareness among children;
secondly, to teach children to implement a simplified form of the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle at the heart of ISO 14001 and use it to monitor and reduce energy and water consumption in their homes, and,
thirdly, to encourage the formation of networks of these children, both locally and worldwide, in order for them to work together on global environmental issues.

11:07:42 PM

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International Organization of Standards (ISO) - My Personal Perspective

Having to pay money/tribute for 3rd party ISO auditors to come into my private business and conduct "surveillance" audits every six months to assure that we maintain all our management and quality procedures in line with international ISO standards was the primary reason I left behind my company of 17 years to my partners so that I could become a field coordinator for The John Birch Society. These ISO people are not at all bashful about promoting themselves as essentially the global OSHA and EPA of the planet...except rather than issuing fines to pay for random compliance visits, their registered agents offer 2-3 year contracts to their clients to conduct regularly scheduled surveillance visits. None of the auditors at the ISO registration companies I have meet have been named Guido, but they certainly have taken a page from Guido's insurance scheme.

When the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG - a trade cartel of Ford GM and Daimler-Chrysler) moved last year to notifiy all US automotive OEM suppliers that they could no longer buy from non ISO9000/QS9000 certified vendors, these "voluntary" ISO certifications acquired the same definition of "voluntary" as it is used in reference to our federal income tax.

After the -9000 level quality and management standard, the environmental standard ISO 14000 is usually the next voluntary step. The voluntary ISO 14000 standard became a requirement for all direct suppliers to Ford Motor Company on December 31st, 2002.

The article posted above provides a great explanation in the ISO people's own words why I have chosen to come on staff to the world's foremost opponent of global government...global government built on the "best practices" of what the UN calls, "social capitalism)" *

* I think the former but discredited discription for this economic system would be fascism, (check the definition on that link). But, to be gracious to supporters of such a system we might also call it "reformed communism," "corporate-fuedalism" or "oligarchy under the guise of rule by 'stakeholders'."

10:52:49 PM

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