Press
Release ECE/TRADE/99/20
Geneva, 9 December 1999
UN/CEFACT ENDORSES ebXML INITIATIVE, PUTS ITS
OWN XML PROGRAMME ON HOLD
Following the
successful inaugural meeting of the ebXML initiative in San José, California, (17-19
November) the Steering Group of UN/CEFACT - the UN’s Centre for trade facilitation
and electronic business - has decided to put the formal development of XML specifications
on hold within its working groups until such time as the ebXML initiative has released its
technical specifications for electronic business.
The ebXML initiative is a joint project of
UN/CEFACT and OASIS - the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information
Standards. It includes the key developers of XML (eXtensible Markup Language), pivotal
figures in the electronic business community and major providers of XML-based business
solutions. The initiative is chaired by Klaus-Dieter Naujok of the Harbinger Corporation
and member of the UN/CEFACT Steering Group, with Robert Sutor of IBM, Chief Strategy
Officer at OASIS, as Vice Chair.
The consequence of the decision is that
none of UN/CEFACT’s working groups, including the UN/EDIFACT - UN Electronic Data
Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport- Working Group, will formally
include in its work plans the development of XML projects, including technical
infrastructure, document type definitions and schemas, until the ebXML project has been
completed. However, the groups will continue to improve their understanding of XML and be
ready to respond as soon as the ebXML results are available.
Announcing the decision, Ray Walker,
Chairman of the UN/CEFACT Steering Group said "The reason that this decision has been
taken is the agreement, at the San José meeting, for the ebXML initiative to develop
rapidly a global framework for electronic business exchanges".
Barry Keogh, Chairman of the UN/EDIFACT
Working Group, said "Following the commitments made in San José by the major
providers of XML-based business solutions, it is vitally important that the global
business community should have an unambiguous and consistent direction from UN/CEFACT. We
want to ensure that the initiative has the space to deliver".
For further information, please contact:
Rocío Cárdenas
UN/CEFACT
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Palais des Nations
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Tel: (+41 22) 917 11 78
Fax: (+41 22) 917 00 37
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.uncefact.org
Editor’s Notes
About ebXML
ebXML.org (www.ebXML.org) is an
International Initiative established by UN/CEFACT and OASIS with a mandate to undertake a
15-18 month program of work to research and identify the technical basis upon which the
global implementation of XML (Extensible Markup Language) can be standardized. The goal is
to provide an open technical specification to enable XML to be utilized in a consistent
and uniform manner for the exchange of electronic business data in
application-to-application, application-to-person and person-to-application environments.
About UN/CEFACT
UN/CEFACT (www.uncefact.org) is the
United Nations body whose mandate covers worldwide policy and technical development in the
area of trade facilitation and electronic business. Headquartered in Geneva-based United
Nations Economic Commission for Europe, it has developed and promoted many tools for the
facilitation of global business processes including UN/EDIFACT, the international EDI
standard. Its current work programme includes such topics as Simpl-edi and Object Oriented
EDI and it strongly supports the development and implementation of open, interoperable
global standards and specifications for electronic business.
About OASIS
OASIS (www.oasis-open.org) is a
non-profit, international consortium dedicated solely to product-independent data and
content interchange. Focusing on product interoperability, OASIS embraces the complete
spectrum of structured information standards including XML, SGML and CGM. OASIS operates
XML.org (www.xml.org), the first global XML industry portal featuring the XML.org Registry
and Repository that offers automated public access to XML schemas for electronic commerce,
business-to-business transactions, and tools and application interoperability. OASIS
sponsors include Adobe Systems, AND-USA, Arbortext, Bentley Systems, Boeing, Chrystal
Software, Commerce One, Corel, DataChannel, DMSi, Documentum, Dun & Bradstreet,
Enigma, Excelergy, Extricity Software, GCA, IBM, Inso, InterCAP, Interleaf, Interwoven,
ISOGEN, ITEDO, Keyfile, Larson Software, Microsoft, NextPage, NIST, Object Design, Oracle,
Reed Technology, Reuters, Sabre, Sequoia Software, SoftQuad, Software AG, STEP, Sun
Microsystems, Synthbank, System Development, Wavo, Xerox, XMLSolutions, XyEnterprise and
Zeh Graphics Systems.