Recent developments in BASESwiki website project on non-judicial dispute resolution between business and society
The BASESwiki project continues to grow and expand its global coverage. In recent weeks, the project has been showcased at various events and substantial entries have been created for Italy, South Africa and the UK. All are welcome to participate.
The project entitled ‘Business and Society Exploring Solutions’ (BASESwiki) comes under the mandate of the UN Special Representative Secretary General for Business and Human Rights and is lead by the IBA in partnership with the Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative of Harvard University’s John F Kennedy School of Government, the World Bank Group’s Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman and JAMS Foundation. Developed as a global, online, wiki-style, searchable database, www.BasesWiki.org is a virtual resource that will improve access to non-judicial methods of resolving disputes between business and the external communities or individuals their activities can impact.
Recent activities and achievements of the project:
- The IBA has been fortunate to able to include and adapt some of the research of Dr Magdalena Tulibacka and Dr Christopher Hodges at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Oxford University, on UK non-judicial grievance mechanisms in the project website.
- In addition, CMS Cameron McKenna, London, has created a country profile on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) for England and Wales.
- Lovells, Rome, have contributed information on ADR in Italy and Tosetto Weigmann e Associati have provided information on individual non-judicial mechanisms in Italy.
- Professor Barney Jordan of the Africa Centre for Dispute Settlement is working on information for South Africa.
- The project was outlined by John Sherman at the IBA Annual Conference in Madrid on 6 October 2009 at the IBA Legal Profession and World Organisations Committee session. John Sherman, Co-Chair of the IBA Corporate Social Responsibility Committee, remains closely involved in the development of the project.
- The BASESwiki team at the IBA have briefed the UK Committee on Business in Society at the International Chamber of Commerce about the ambitions of the project and its relevance to UK businesses. The Committee was comprised of representatives from oil and gas, tobacco, financial, pharmaceutical and consumer goods companies in the UK.
The project website is currently being revamped and from November it will have a new look and feel. The brand new project website will be a user friendly, state of the art website with all the features of a wiki tool and an on-line community. New website features will include individual case stories, tools for creating grievance mechanisms, improved user profiles and interactive networking.
The IBA is moving to a new phase of involvement in the project during which we will invite more IBA committees to participate by contributing their knowledge to the site. All members are encouraged to visit the site www.BASESwiki.org to register as users, list themselves as experts, upload articles and information on non-judicial mechanisms and ADR in their country.
Should you have any queries or require help uploading expert information directly to the BasesWiki website please e-mail Eleanor Farrow, IBA Project Administrator, at baseswiki@int-bar.org.
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