UN/CEFACT ANNOUNCES SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF ebXML
TECHNICAL STANDARDS WORK PROGRAMME WITH OASIS
UN/CEFACT continues development of technology- and
implementation-
neutral e-business standards
Geneva, 21 August 2003
The United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT)
announces the successful completion of the ebXML technical standards work
with the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards
(OASIS). UN/CEFACT continues to capitalize on the gains made from ebXML in
the further development of technology-neutral and implementation-neutral global
e-Business standards for government, industry and commerce.
UN/CEFACT and OASIS have since 1999 been working on a joint
initiative to expand the use and growth of the Internet by developing the
next generation of electronic business standards based on XML (eXtensible
Markup Language). The ebXML (electronic Business with XML) initiative called
for an 18-month worldwide open development project to create a technical framework
enabling the use of XML as a consistent means for the exchange of electronic
business data. The original ebXML initiative concluded in May 2001 with full
community approval of a framework of technical specifications.
For the past two years, UN/CEFACT and OASIS have enjoyed
a close working relationship to finalize the set of ebXML specifications,
and in May 2003 the UN/CEFACT Plenary adopted these as UN/CEFACT Technical
Specifications.
“Working closely with our colleagues at OASIS has been a
unique opportunity for UN/CEFACT to lead the development of global technology
standards and help drive awareness of how XML and Internet technology support
government, industry and commerce” says Ray Walker, Chair of the UN/CEFACT
Steering Group. “We are extremely proud of our OASIS working relationship
and we remain open to working with OASIS in the future.”
UN/CEFACT, which is based at the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE) in Geneva and has a global remit, has led the
development of international standards for electronic transactions. Its experience
and its ability to bring together world-class experts and match trends in
information technology with business requirements, in an open and transparent
way, gives it a unique viewpoint.
“Recognition that the next technology trend is just around
the corner resulted in the recent UN/CEFACT Plenary meeting directing a new
work programme to move UN/CEFACT closer to web services” said Dr Christian
Fruhwald, Chair of UN/CEFACT. “This new work, known as UN/CEFACT Business
Collaboration Framework (BCF), will allow UN/CEFACT to identify the growing
needs of government, commercial and industrial organizations as they approach
their global information exchange requirements.”
“Going forward we expect to make use of much of our ebXML
technical work as we continue to develop UN/CEFACT’s technology neutral and
implementation neutral global e-framework. We hope to use the newly established
liaisons with the OASIS Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) Technical
Committee (TC), plus the Web Services Interoperability Organization (WS-I)
and our UN/CEFACT Techniques and Methodologies Business Process Working Group
to align our efforts, and eliminate duplication of work”, says Klaus-Dieter
Naujok, Chair of UN/CEFACT Techniques and Methodologies Group and former Chair
of the ebXML Project.
For more information, please contact:
Santiago Garcia-Mila
Chair, UN/CEFACT Communications and Promotions Group
+34 933 306 88 00
[email protected]
Klaus-Dieter Naujok
Chair, UN/CEFACT Techniques and Methodologies Group
+ 1 925 706 2954
[email protected]
Ray Walker
Chair, UN/CEFACT Steering Group
+44 208 297 1836
[email protected]
Hans A. Hansell
Deputy Director, Trade Development and Timber Division, UNECE
+41 (0) 22 917 2457
[email protected]
Ref: ECE/TRADE/03/P07