GeSI an inclusive global multi-stakeholder sustainability organization with Digital at its core

June 2018 at Verizon, NYC, at its 20th General Assembly, GeSI members undertook a bold, visionary and historic strategic step in transforming GeSI from a traditional driven Telco organization into a Global Multi-stakeholder Digital Sustainability Industry business initiative. Under the Leadership of a new recently elected Board, the decision was taken on transforming GeSI into a Digital Business Platform, bringing together different stakeholders such as companies from diverse industry sectors, other industry associations, academia, NGO’s, cities, UN organizations, policy makers, and investors. Together, GeSI’s existing members set the objective to partner with these stakeholders to achieve a more sustainable world in 2030 through visionary business leaders and corporate engagement with DIGITAL at the core. This landmark decision builds on the outcomes of the “Enabling the Global Goals Report” and the GeSI #DigitalAccessIndex, launched in NYC at the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and on the strategic approach that GeSI has been developing through its SMART series of reports.

The decision required major constitutional changes to GeSI’s articles of incorporation and governance. Those have been concluded beginning of this year.

The Board also decided to conduct a materiality analysis to better prepare the organization and its member companies and partners to focus its future activities. The new GeSI materiality report, completed earlier this year, identified the following new issues and trends, and made the following recommendations:

Apply SMARTer-type analysis to Disruptive Forces technologies;
Apply SMARTer-type analysis to the Social Impact of Products and Services and focus on ICT in addressing global human rights challenges such as human trafficking, refugees, privacy and cyber-security;
Review 5G and Bitcoin energy consumption and use of blockchain for sustainability gains, e.g. supply chain tracking, peer-to-peer energy transactions, sustainability reporting;
Develop guidance for GeSI Members and appropriate tools on implementing recommendations made by the Financial Stability Board’s Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure
Advance the ICT sector’s response to the circular economy with particular reference to device maintenance, repair, obsolescence, re-use and the sharing economy;
Support public policy advocacy beyond climate change.
 

GeSI is taking action on these recommendations. Fueled by the landmark research report, #EnablingRights - The Transformative Potential of Digital to Enable People's Rights, GeSI has launched the Innovators’ Network to Enable Human Rights (INHR). The mission of the INHR is to apply the power of digital to protect against grievous human rights threats and abuses. The INHR is building multi-stakeholder partnerships to advance promising technology solutions to support, for example, the protection of labour rights in global supply chains. The INHR will launch an online platform that will inform and advance information regarding digital solutions for pressing human rights challenges.

With both a new organization and a clear strategic direction, supported by the materiality analysis, the GeSI Board and GeSI member companies have established solid fundaments for GeSI to consolidate and grow and to drive the global digital sustainability agenda through advocacy and transformative and credible action.

GeSI has a clear VISION - Driving the global transformation to a smarter, more sustainable world in 2030 with digital solutions at its core

GeSI has built a solid, inclusive and open multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder organization embracing a challenging Agenda, driven by leading visionary and committed global corporations with the firm belief that responsible business, with digital sustainability at its core, will make for the most successful companies in the years to come. Below how all of our partners, academia, NGO’s, individuals, policy-makers, investors, other industry associations can be part of a dynamic and transformative global sustainability Agenda.