High Level Conference on Governmental Use of Voluntary Standards

	Conference Programme and Speakers' Presentations
	Governmental Use of Voluntary Standards Project Report and Case Studies
	Logistical Information for Participants
	Governmental  Use of Voluntary Standards Project

Around the world, a growing number of governments use voluntary standards to deliver on their own public policy objectives. This two day high-level conference will be a space for governmental bodies and voluntary standards initiatives to discuss these practices, and start to identify how to work together more effectively.

Ten best practice case studies have been developed in collaboration with governmental and voluntary standards representatives.  Depicting a spectrum of institutional arrangements, these case studies will set the framework for the discussions. We will have the opportunity to dialogue with governmental representatives from around the world, from countries as diverse as Rwanda, Israel, the United Kingdom and Bolivia who are engaging today with voluntary standards systems to deliver on their own public policy objectives.  We will explore their motivations, the institutional arrangements between the public authority and voluntary standards system, as well as the impacts expected and delivered through this collaborative approach.

Keynote Speakers Include:

• Dr. Kenneth W. Abbott – Professor of Law and Global Studies, Arizona State University
• Dr. Simon Zadek – Chief Executive AccountAbility and Senior Fellow Harvard Kennedy School of Governance
• Dr Kernaghan Webb – Associate Professor of Law and Business, Ryerson University, Canada

Please use the links below to view further information about the conference, the case studies and the  project.

Please note, that due to space limitations, this event is strictly by invitation only, and places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. The registration form and conference programme will sent to invited guests only towards the end of August 2008.

Email: conference @isealalliance.org
Website: www.isealalliance.org/governments

The project and conference are made possible with the financial support of:

	SECO – State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Switzerland SECO is the Competence Centre of the Swiss Federal Government for all core issues relating to economic policy. www.seco-cooperation.admin.ch
	The World Bank (WB) The WB is a multilateral organization, whose work focuses on achievement of the Millennium Development Goals that call for the elimination of poverty and sustained development. www.worldbank.org