Author: cnadmin

Posted on

Aid Agency: Libya Arbitrarily Detained 500 Migrants in Raid

TRIPOLI, LIBYA —

A major aid agency operating in Libya said Friday that it had reports that at least 500 migrants had been arbitrarily detained during a security operation in Tripoli announced by Libyan authorities.

“We are hearing that more than 500 migrants, including women and children, have been rounded up, arbitrarily detained and are at risk of abuse and ill-treatment,” Dax Roque, the country director of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said in a statement.

Libya’s Interior Ministry said security services had carried out a “major security operation” against what it called criminals, liquor and drug dealers, and illegal immigrants. Pictures posted by the Interior Ministry showed dozens of migrants sitting with hands cuffed behind them or being taken away in vehicles.

Hundreds of thousands of migrants live in Libya, many hoping to pass through and cross the Mediterranean to reach a better life in Europe.

Libya has had little peace or stability, however, since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled Moammar Gadhafi, and rights groups say migrants face threats of detention, extortion and abuse.

Thousands of refugees and migrants are held in official detention facilities, some controlled by armed groups. An unknown number are held in squalid centers run by traffickers.

Source: Voice of America

Posted on

Guinea Coup Leader Sworn in as Transitional President

CONAKRY, GUINEA —

Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, who led last month’s coup in Guinea, promised to respect the country’s international commitments while transitioning to civilian rule as he was sworn in as interim president on Friday.

Doumbouya, who led the overthrow of President Alpha Conde on September 5, was sworn in by Supreme Court head Mamadou Sylla for a transition period of unspecified length.

The new interim president spoke of his commitment that neither he nor any member of the junta would stand in any future elections that the military has promised to organize after the transition period.

His administration’s mission, he said, is to “re-found the state” by drafting a new constitution, fighting corruption, reforming the electoral system and then organizing “free, credible and transparent” elections.

The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Supreme Court with local personalities and foreign envoys in attendance, including the Chinese and Russian ambassadors, as well as Doumbouya’s wife and mother.

Later Friday, in a message to the nation read on television, Doumbouya said that “in the coming days a prime minister will be appointed and then a government as well as various organs of the transition.”

He also announced the creation of a body to fight corruption.

Many Western nations limited their presence at the swearing-in to lower-rank diplomats.

Doumbouya again said nothing about how long he will remain the interim leader of the impoverished West African nation. But he promised to “respect all the national and international commitments to which the country has subscribed.”

Before the swearing-in, Supreme Court president Sylla compared Doumbouya’s task to piloting a ship “loaded with many painful events, numerous demands and immense and urgent expectations”.

He urged the new leader not to let himself be diverted “by the force of the waves of demagogy and the storm of the personality cult.”

The ceremony was held on the eve of a public holiday celebrating the 1958 declaration of independence from France.

Doumbouya, 41, will serve as transitional president until the country returns to civilian rule, according to a blueprint unveiled by the junta on Monday that does not mention a timeline.

Until then he retains the right to hire, and fire, an interim prime minister.

The September 5 coup, the latest bout of turbulence in one of Africa’s most volatile countries, saw the overthrow of 83-year-old president Conde.

The deposed leader is being held at an undisclosed location.

Conde became Guinea’s first democratically elected president in 2010 and was re-elected in 2015.

But last year he pushed through a controversial new constitution that allowed him to run for a third term in October 2020.

The move sparked mass demonstrations in which dozens of protesters were killed. Conde won re-election but the political opposition maintained the poll was a sham.

The turbulence has sparked deep concern among Guinea’s neighbors.

The coup is the second to take place in the region, after Mali, in less than 13 months.

The region’s bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is demanding that elections be held within six months and that Conde be released.

Guinea is one of the poorest countries in the world, despite abundant reserves of minerals including iron ore, gold and diamonds.

Source: Voice of America

Posted on

UN Says Ethiopia Has No Legal Right to Expel its Officials

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed that Ethiopia has no legal right to expel seven U.N. humanitarian officials.

Guterres told the Ethiopian leader in a phone conversation Friday that the world body does not accept Ethiopia’s decision to expel the senior U.N. officials, according to U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.

Haq said the U.N. Office of Legal Affairs sent a note to Ethiopia’s U.N. mission in New York on Friday stating the U.N.’s “longstanding legal position” that the action of declaring someone “persona non grata” does not apply to U.N. personnel.

Ethiopia announced the expulsion on Thursday, giving the U.N. officials 72 hours to leave.

In a tweet, Ethiopia’s ministry of foreign affairs said the seven were “meddling in the internal affairs of the country.”

.@mfaethiopia declared ”persona non grata” for seven individuals who have been working for some #UN humanitarian agencies in #Ethiopia for meddling in the internal affairs of the country. They must leave the country within the next 72 hrs. 30 September 2021 pic.twitter.com/IDHv6AD145

— MFA Ethiopia???? (@mfaethiopia) September 30, 2021

The tweet came amid growing pressure on the government over its deadly blockade of the Tigray region where children are reportedly starving to death. Ethiopia’s government has accused humanitarian workers of supporting the Tigray forces who have been fighting its soldiers and allied forces since November, a charge that aid workers deny.

Spokesperson Haq said the U.N. officials remained in the country. When asked by a reporter if the U.N. officials would leave Ethiopia by the end of 72 hours, Haq did not directly answer.

The U.N. officials include the deputy chief of the U.N. Office for Humanitarian Affairs and a representative of the U.N. Children’s Fund, UNICEF.

UNICEF said Friday the Ethiopian government’s decision to expel the U.N. officials from the country is “regrettable and alarming.”

Declaring its work “is more urgent than ever,” UNICEF said in a statement that children are bearing the brunt of the country’s worsening humanitarian crisis.

“We have full confidence in the teams working on the ground to save children’s lives, guided — as always — by the principles of impartiality, humanity, neutrality and independence. Our programs will continue,” UNICEF added, noting it has been present in the African nation for more than 60 years.

Conflict-induced hunger

The Ethiopian federal government has been engaged in an armed conflict with forces in the northern Tigray region for nearly one year. The government declared a unilateral cease-fire and withdrew its forces in June, but the conflict has continued to spill into the neighboring regions of Amhara and Afar.

Of the 6 million people who live in Tigray, the U.N. says 5.2 million need some level of food assistance. More than 400,000 people are living in famine-like conditions, and another 1.8 million people are on the brink of famine.

“It is critically important that the humanitarian operation continues, and it does,” OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke said Friday at a Geneva briefing, according to Reuters. “Until now there is no indication that [Ethiopia’s decision] stops the operation.”

U.N. human rights spokesperson Rupert Colville said at the briefing that the expulsion of the head of its reporting team was a “really grave step.”

On Wednesday, U.N. Humanitarian Chief Martin Griffiths said that after 11 months of conflict and three months of a de-facto government blockade, the humanitarian crisis in Tigray is spiraling out of control.

One hundred aid trucks are needed daily in the region, but in the past week, only 79 in total were allowed in, a U.N. spokesman said.

“Trucks carrying fuel and medical supplies still cannot enter into Tigray,” U.N. Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday. “Trucks are waiting in Semera, in Afar, to travel to Mekelle.”

The federal government headed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, blames the rebels for blocking aid deliveries.

U.S. condemnation

“The U.S. government condemns in the strongest possible terms the government of Ethiopia’s unprecedented action to expel the leadership of all of the United Nations organizations involved in ongoing humanitarian operations,” White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters Thursday.

Earlier this month, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order allowing the government to impose financial sanctions on those who prolong the Tigray conflict.

“We will not hesitate to use this or any other tool at our disposal to respond quickly and decisively to those who obstruct humanitarian assistance to people of Ethiopia,” Psaki said.

The U.N. Security Council held private talks Friday about Ethiopia’s decision as well as North Korea’s recent missile launches.

Kenya’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Martin Kimani, who took over as the Security Council president for October, told reporters Friday, “A number of members expressed very strong concerns” about both situations during Friday’s talks, but said no resolutions were passed on either matter.

Diplomatic sources told Reuters news agency that any aggressive action by the council on Ethiopia’s actions was unlikely because China and Russia long have maintained the Tigrayan conflict is an internal matter.

Source: Voice of America

Posted on

Burkina Faso Suspends Aid Work by Norwegian Refugee Council

OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO —

Burkina Faso on Friday suspended the Norwegian Refugee Council from conducting humanitarian aid work in the country, citing critical interviews given to the media, including VOA.

In a letter from Helene Marie Laurence Ilboudo-Marchal, minister for humanitarian affairs, the government cited interviews that NRC representatives had carried out with Voice of America and the French newspaper Le Monde as its reason for suspending the group’s activities.

The NRC said in a statement Friday that it was “working in dialogue with the government to address any concerns they may have in order to resume respectful and collaborative relations, and our humanitarian work.”

The NRC’s earlier interviews included claims that the government has been slow to register internally displaced people, citing a group of about 500 IDPs in the city of Ouahigouya who they said had been waiting weeks for registration and had not received aid.

The NRC also made a plea to the government to allow it to step in and assist with registration.

Government’s defense

In an exclusive interview with VOA this week, Bakouan Yipene Florent, a spokesperson for the ministry of humanitarian affairs, rejected the claims that the IDPs in Ouahigouya had not received aid.

He said that going back to the point of IDP registration, as soon as they arrived at the site in Ouahigouya on June 12, a team was deployed immediately and handled the enumeration process.

Florent noted that IDPs are registered only after they have been officially counted and some initial aid is provided, including food and $100 for each family.

He said the government had put in place a two-month plan for assistance for the group of IDPs.

When there’s an influx of IDPs, Florent said, they can’t be registered because traumatized people can’t immediately answer necessary questions. When the first assistance ends and there has been psychological support, registration can proceed, he said.

Conflict with extremists, bandits

There are 1.3 million IDPs in Burkina Faso, which has been embroiled in a six-year conflict with armed groups linked to Islamic State, al-Qaida and local bandits. The U.N. has called it the world’s fastest-growing humanitarian crisis.

Refugee advocacy groups have criticized the government recently because of a ban it placed on journalists visiting official IDP sites. The government said the ban was aimed at protecting the dignity of IDPs and the safety of journalists.

Daouda Diallo, of the Collective Against Impunity and the Stigmatization of Communities, a Burkinabe human rights group, criticized the suspension of the NRC in an interview with VOA. He said the decision showed a disregard for the fate of civilian populations that benefit from the NGO’s work.

The letter from the humanitarian minister said the country was doing its best to assist IDPs under difficult circumstances.

Source: Voice of America

Posted on

Global Partners to Join Huawei’s TECH4ALL Digital Inclusion Initiative

SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — At the Huawei TECH4ALL Summit, Huawei called for global partners to join the TECH4ALL digital inclusion initiative, which aims to build a more inclusive and intelligent world that leaves no one behind.

Huawei’s TECH4ALL initiative focuses on four areas: driving equity and quality in education, conserving nature with technology, driving inclusion and accessibility in health, and using ICT to boost rural development. It focuses on digital technologies, application enablement, and digital skills, and works with global partners to promote and expand digital inclusion to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

At present, more than 60,000 teachers and students benefit from TECH4ALL projects in over 200 schools worldwide. Digital technologies have been deployed to improve resource management and biodiversity conservation efficiency in 22 natural reserves around the world. Huawei smartphones provide 15 accessibility features and are used by about 10 million users each month. Huawei’s RuralStar solution provides mobile Internet services for more than 60 countries and regions, covering more than 50 million people in remote areas.

Inclusion and equity were major talking points in the education track of the summit. In her opening remarks, Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO, discussed technology-enabled Open Schools, a three-year partnership program with Huawei that is rolling out in Ethiopia, Egypt, and Ghana.

“UNESCO and Huawei jointly launched this project in July 2020,” said Stefania Giannini. “The project explores future schooling models, thereby contributing to UNESCO’s global initiative on the future of education.”

To build a more crisis-resilient Open School system, all countries have to consider the three pillars of new infrastructure for a learning system: technology, digital content, and the digital competencies of teachers and human facilitators. UNESCO’s Dr. Fengchun Miao, Chief of Unit for Technology and Artificial Intelligence in Education, looked at how to leverage the power of technology in the education field.

Vodafone Foundation discussed its Instant Network Schools program, which aims to bring high-quality education to refugees and host communities, with plans to connect 500,000 refugee students and their communities by 2025. Huawei is one of the partners for expanding connectivity to more schools in Africa.

Vodafone Instant Network Schools Program Manager Oisín Walton said, “We believe that every boy and girl should have access to quality education, no matter where they are and whatever their nationality.”

Close the Gap’s DigiTruck Program Lead Bram Over gave an update on the DigiTruck program. DigiTrucks are green, solar-powered mobile classrooms converted from shipping containers. They are equipped with recycled ICT devices and provide training for young people in digital skills. Huawei has supported this program in Kenya and France. Later this year, Huawei and Close the Gap will implement the project in Ethiopia.

Ling Hui from the YouChange China Social Entrepreneur Foundation introduced the Green Pepper program for young teachers in rural villages in China. The program delivers a year of online training to teachers and has reached nearly 80,000 young rural teachers and 17,000 schools so far.

In her opening remarks introducing the environment track, IUCN Director General Dr. Grethel Aguilar addressed a range of environmental issues, pointing out that technology can be used to mitigate humanity’s growing impact on the planet.

Dr. Aguilar said, “Digital technology can be an important part of the solution and help us solve global challenges if used correctly and smartly.”

As facilitator of the panel discussion, Associate Director of the IUCN Protected Areas Programme James Hardcastle, pointed out that we must empower more people to use technologies for nature conservation and referenced the Tech4Nature initiative – an IUCN-Huawei partnership that aims to develop scenario-specific technologies to safeguard natural ecosystems in 300 protected sites by 2023.

Currently, the project is running in Thailand, Spain, Mauritius, Switzerland, and China. Ecomode President Nadeem Nazurally elaborated on the Mauritius project, which aims to protect and restore the African island nation’s rapidly vanishing coral reef using AI-powered real-time video monitoring, which can be transmitted to experts, both local and worldwide.

Continuing the environmental track, Rainforest Connection Director of International Expansion Chrissy Durkin introduced the Nature Guardian system, which uses acoustics technologies to monitor endangered species and alert rangers to threats like illegal logging and gunshots. Bernardo Reyes Ortíz, President of Forest Ethics in Chile, explained how the Guardian platform supported by Huawei cloud is providing a lifeline for the nation’s endangered Darwin’s fox, fewer than 1,000 of which are thought to remain in existence.

Smart and networked monitoring technologies are a crucial tool for nature conservation. Dr. Steph Wray, Chair of The Mammal Society in the UK, how acoustics solutions have been deployed in England to protect the increasingly rare red squirrel, which is threatened by the invasive and vastly more populous grey squirrel.

Tang Yanfei, Executive Director at Hainan National Park Research Institute, explained how acoustics monitoring is key to improving conservation of China’s critically endangered Hainan gibbon, with a view to doubling its population in 15 years.

Partnerships are the fuel that powers progress in TECH4ALL’s environment and education domains, as well as in the initiative’s other two domains – health and development.

“If you want to walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk far, walk together,” said Tao Jingwen in his opening remarks. “We believe that more partners will work with us to advance the TECH4ALL action plan in the future. Join us for a more inclusive, intelligent world where no one is left behind.”

Watch the full recording of the summit at https://www.huawei.com/en/tech4all/news-and-events/events/hc2021-t4a-summit

Read more about TECH4ALL projects and stories at https://www.huawei.com/en/tech4all

Posted on

SAIC Motor Expo Dubai concept car “Kun” unveiled

DUBAI, UAE, Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Today, SAIC Motor autonomous new energy concept car “Kun” – Star Exhibits of China Pavilion at 2020 Expo Dubai, was virtually unveiled at the Shanghai World Expo Museum.

Dubai Expo will officially open on October 1st; SAIC Motor latest concept car “Kun” will form the most dazzling exhibition items together with China Beidou Satellite and China High-speed Railway, demonstrating the powerful innovative strength and unique technological charm of China’s high-end manufacturing to the world. At the same time, SAIC Motor’s self-owned brands MG and MAXUS will provide latest models as the official designated vehicles for the China Pavilion during the Expo.

A vision of “Smart Mobility” for a better life

The World Expo, with a long history of more than 160 years, is known as the “Olympic event in the economic, technological and cultural circles” and has become a global stage for displaying new concepts, new ideas and new technologies. “Everything starts with the World Expo.” The trains, lights, telephones, airplanes, highways and other technologies and concepts that were first launched at the World Expo have gradually entered people’s daily lives and have strongly promoted the continuous progress of human society.

At the 2010 Expo Shanghai, SAIC Motor built an automobile enterprise pavilion, depicting a desirable picture of “Direct to 2030” with zero emissions, zero traffic accidents, stay away from dependence on oil and away from traffic jams.

At 2020 Expo Dubai, SAIC Motor will bring the “Kun” concept jointly created by the forward-looking design teams of Shanghai and London. Citing the legend of “leviathan” in Zhuangzi’s Carefree Soaring, inspired by “the world and China, the mountain and the sea”, the concept “Kun” integrates bio-intelligence interaction, photosynthetic energy, zero-gravity seat, holographic image interaction and advanced autonomous driving technologies, presents a beautiful picture of smart mobility that is not limited by space in the future and the fusion of human and vehicle environments. It will bring a unique experience of “a glance at technology, a glance at the future, and a glance at China” to the Expo’s global audience.

A “green and smart” Chinese brand image

SAIC Motor is representing China’s automobile industry and actively establishes a “green and intelligent” innovative image at the Expo Dubai. SAIC Motor has established a global automotive industry chain including R&D, marketing, logistics, parts, manufacturing, finance, second-hand cars and etc. Its products and services are welcomed by more than 70 countries and regions around the world.

Relying on the advantages of innovative technologies such as new energy vehicles and intelligent networking, SAIC Motor is actively creating differentiated international competitiveness. From January to August this year, sales in overseas markets exceeded 370,000 units, with a year-on-year increase of 106.4%, ranking No. 1 in overseas sales of Chinese auto companies. Among them, MG brand reached 182,000 units with an increase of 83.9% year-on-year. MG Sales in developed countries accounted for nearly 40% and winning the “China Single Brand Overseas Sales Champion”. The NEV sales of self-owned brands in developed European countries was nearly 19,000, a year-on-year increase of 133%, ranking in the forefront of vehicle segments in countries such as the United Kingdom, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. At the same time, the “i-Smart” intelligent networking system has been popular among consumers in Thailand, India, Indonesia and other countries. It has been used on more than 30 overseas models and has activated more than 130,000 users.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1639710/image_836135_27483761.jpg

Posted on

Despite Heightening Investor Pressure, Few Companies Publicly Report on Sustainability, Sphera’s New Survey Finds

New data from Sphera reveals that, despite promises to the contrary, companies struggle with implementing and disclosing progress on their sustainability efforts

CHICAGO, Sept. 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Though pressure is growing from all corners—from investors, to governments, to boards of directors—companies worldwide struggle to report progress on their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals. Indeed, just 38% of businesses publicly communicate their sustainability performance, according to a new survey from Sphera®, a leading global provider of ESG performance and risk management software, data and consulting services.

It’s not just a matter of disclosing progress on their objectives, however; companies are also behind the curve when it comes to clearly setting their ESG goals in the first place. Less than one-third (29%) of the respondents said they have set and communicated their sustainability targets, and even fewer—16%—have set emissions targets in accordance with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) framework.

This marked lack of ESG transparency highlights the persistently wide chasm between ESG promises and action in the private sector. In the absence of significant, enforceable regulations worldwide, companies have largely been left to voluntarily make commitments, but with no meaningful mechanisms to either measure their progress or hold themselves accountable to them. About half (51%) of companies surveyed affirm that their senior management has made sustainability commitments, but only 21% say they have a clear roadmap to implementation, and just 26% say they have fully integrated sustainability into their business strategy.

“It’s easy to ‘talk the talk’ when it comes to corporate ESG initiatives, but much harder to ‘walk the walk’,” says Paul Marushka, Sphera’s CEO. “Businesses have largely been left to their own devices to establish and measure their sustainability performance, leading to a constellation of voluntary frameworks that ultimately disincentivize meaningful action. But with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s recent report providing its strongest warning yet – indicating that half-measures will no longer cut it – and the upcoming COP26 conference promising to hold the business community to account, organizations need to start making good on their promises and show tangible progress.”

These findings are from Sphera’s Sustainability Survey 2021, a survey of 218 global business leaders evaluating their sustainability metrics, measurement and progress.

Additional findings from the survey include:

Scope 3 is missing from the menu. Though reducing emissions across the value chain is essential to meeting decarbonization targets and—for those businesses who have committed to them—achieving net zero emissions, very few companies have accounted for Scope 3 emissions in their sustainability plans. Only 13% of businesses surveyed said they have identified all relevant Scope 3 categories and completed a corresponding hotspot analysis; 29% say they consider the entire value chain when calculating their corporate emissions baseline or carbon footprint.

“Scope 3 emissions can make up the vast majority of a company’s overall carbon footprint,” Marushka added, “which means any sound sustainability strategy must involve an assessment of the supply chain and a commitment to working with suppliers who are also taking measurable steps to reduce their emissions. The end result ultimately creates a multiplier effect for both companies’ sustainability efforts.”

Poor data quality can stymie even the best efforts. Only a minority of respondents (16%) use data from established commercial databases to quantify their corporate carbon footprint; another 14% say they use high-quality, industry-based data for baseline assessment at the product level. In practice, this means many more organizations are using suboptimal datasets, such as spend-based, input-output databases, to measure their emissions. These types of top-down, nonspecific data sources can lead to inaccurate assessments, further exacerbating the gap between sustainability promises and outcomes.

The middle market struggles the most. Perhaps unsurprisingly, large organizations with more than $1 billion in revenue are more likely to be rated as optimized (34%) in terms of sustainability maturity.1 At the same time, 39% of small businesses with less than $100 million in revenue are considered optimized. Midsize businesses trail both, with an optimization rate of just 30%. In fact, midsize businesses are more likely than their larger or smaller counterparts to not exceed basic compliance requirements (25% vs.13% for smaller organizations and 6% for larger organizations).

About the Sustainability Maturity Survey 2021
Sphera partnered with the University of Esslingen in Germany to design and field a survey of companies throughout Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. Respondents represented businesses in a wide range of industries, including automotive, construction, education, health care, oil and gas, manufacturing and technology. The survey was conducted between April 7 and May 3.

About Sphera
Sphera creates a safer, more sustainable and productive world. We are a leading global provider of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance and risk management software, data and consulting services with a focus on Environment, Health, Safety & Sustainability (EHS&S), Operational Risk Management and Product Stewardship.

Press Contact
Kylie Souder
kylie.souder@aspectusgroup.com
+1 513-304-5776

__________________
1 According to Sphera’s Sustainability Maturity rubric, an “optimized” business leverages ESG software and data resources to go above and beyond meeting compliance requirements to help find efficiencies, increase productivity and innovation, reduce costs and mitigate risks. A “leader” is at the head of the competitive pack and is shaping the future of its sector through its sustainability initiatives.

Posted on

Malgré une pression accrue des investisseurs, peu d’entreprises rendent leurs rapports sur le développement durable publics, selon la nouvelle enquête de Sphera

De nouvelles données de Sphera révèlent que, malgré leurs promesses, les entreprises ont du mal à mettre en œuvre et à faire état de leurs progrès en matière de durabilité

CHICAGO, 30 sept. 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bien que la pression augmente de toutes parts, des investisseurs aux gouvernements en passant par les conseils d’administration, les entreprises du monde entier peinent à faire état de leurs progrès vers leurs objectifs environnementaux, sociaux et de gouvernance (ESG). En effet, seules 38 % des entreprises communiquent publiquement leurs performances en matière de développement durable, selon une nouvelle enquête de Sphera®, un fournisseur mondial de premier plan de services de conseil, de données et de logiciels de gestion des risques et des performances ESG.

Cependant, il ne s’agit pas seulement de révéler leurs progrès en fonction de leurs objectifs, les entreprises sont également à la traîne lorsqu’il s’agit de définir clairement leurs objectifs en matière d’ESG. Moins d’un tiers (29 %) des personnes interrogées ont déclaré avoir fixé et communiqué leurs objectifs de durabilité, et encore moins (16 %) ont fixé des objectifs d’émission conformes au cadre de l’initiative Science Based Targets (SBTi).

Ce manque flagrant de transparence à l’égard de l’ESG met en évidence l’ampleur persistante du gouffre entre les promesses et l’action en matière d’ESG dans le secteur privé. En l’absence de réglementations importantes et exécutoires à l’échelle mondiale, les entreprises ont été en grande partie laissées libres de prendre des engagements, mais sans mécanismes significatifs pour mesurer leurs progrès ou les en tenir responsables. Environ la moitié (51 %) des entreprises interrogées affirment que leur direction a pris des engagements en matière de développement durable, mais seulement 21 % déclarent avoir une feuille de route claire pour la mise en œuvre, et seulement 26 % affirment avoir pleinement intégré le développement durable dans leur stratégie commerciale.

« Il est facile de “faire de beaux discours” lorsqu’il s’agit d’initiatives d’ESG d’entreprise, mais beaucoup plus difficile de “passer du geste à la parole” », a déclaré Paul Marushka, PDG de Sphera. « Les entreprises ont largement été laissées livrées à elles-mêmes pour établir et mesurer leurs performances en matière de durabilité, conduisant à une constellation de cadres volontaires qui, en fin de compte, découragent toute action significative. Mais avec le récent rapport du Groupe d’experts intergouvernemental sur l’évolution du climat, qui adresse sa mise en garde la plus sévère à ce jour, indiquant que les demi-mesures ne suffiront plus, et la prochaine conférence COP26 promettant de demander des comptes à la communauté des entreprises, les organisations doivent commencer à tenir leurs promesses et démontrer des progrès concrets. »

Ces résultats proviennent de l’Enquête sur le développement durable 2021 de Sphera, une enquête menée auprès de 218 chefs d’entreprise mondiaux évaluant leurs indicateurs, mesures et progrès en matière de durabilité.

Les autres conclusions de l’enquête comprennent :

Le niveau 3 manque à l’appel. Bien que la réduction des émissions sur l’ensemble de la chaîne de valeur soit essentielle pour atteindre les objectifs de décarbonisation et, pour les entreprises qui s’y sont engagées, atteindre des émissions nettes nulles, très peu d’entreprises ont pris en compte les émissions de niveau 3 dans leurs plans de durabilité. Seules 13 % des entreprises interrogées ont indiqué qu’elles avaient identifié toutes les catégories de niveau 3 pertinentes et effectué une analyse des points chauds correspondants ; 29 % ont déclaré tenir compte de l’ensemble de la chaîne de valeur lors du calcul de la référence en matière d’émissions d’entreprise ou de l’empreinte carbone.

« Les émissions de niveau 3 peuvent représenter la grande majorité de l’empreinte carbone globale d’une entreprise », a ajouté M. Marushka. « Cela signifie que toute stratégie de développement durable saine doit impliquer une évaluation de la chaîne d’approvisionnement et un engagement à travailler avec des fournisseurs qui prennent également des mesures quantifiables pour réduire leurs émissions. Le résultat final crée un effet multiplicateur pour les efforts de développement durable des deux entreprises. »

Des données de mauvaise qualité peuvent contrarier les plus gros efforts. Seule une minorité de répondants (16 %) utilisent des données issues de bases de données commerciales établies pour quantifier leur empreinte carbone d’entreprise ; 14 % affirment utiliser des données de haute qualité basées sur l’industrie pour effectuer une évaluation de base au niveau des produits. Dans la pratique, cela signifie que de nombreuses autres organisations utilisent des ensembles de données sous-optimaux, tels que les bases de données entrées-sorties basées sur les dépenses, pour mesurer leurs émissions. Ces types de sources de données descendantes et non spécifiques peuvent conduire à des évaluations inexactes, aggravant davantage l’écart entre les promesses de développement durable et les résultats.

Le marché intermédiaire rencontre le plus de difficultés. Peut-être sans surprise, les grandes entreprises avec plus d’un milliard de dollars de revenus sont plus susceptibles d’être évaluées comme optimisées (34 %) en termes de maturité de la durabilité.1 Dans le même temps, 39 % des petites entreprises avec un chiffre d’affaires inférieur à 100 millions de dollars sont considérées comme optimisées. Les entreprises de taille moyenne se situent entre les deux, avec un taux d’optimisation de seulement 30 %. En fait, les entreprises de taille moyenne sont plus susceptibles que leurs homologues plus grands ou plus petits de ne pas dépasser les exigences de conformité de base (25 % contre 13 % pour les petites organisations et 6 % pour les grandes organisations).

À propos de l’Enquête sur la maturité du développement durable 2021
Sphera s’est associée à l’université d’Esslingen en Allemagne pour concevoir et mener une enquête auprès de sociétés d’Europe, d’Amérique du Nord et d’Asie-Pacifique. Les répondants représentaient des entreprises d’un large éventail d’industries, y compris l’automobile, la construction, l’éducation, les soins de santé, le pétrole et le gaz, la fabrication et la technologie. L’enquête a été menée entre le 7 avril et le 3 mai.

À propos de Sphera
Sphera crée un monde plus sûr, plus durable et plus productif. Nous sommes un fournisseur mondial de premier plan de services de conseil, de données et de logiciels de gestion des risques et des performances environnementales, sociales et de gouvernance (ESG) mettant un accent tout particulier sur l’environnement, la santé, la sécurité et la durabilité (EHS&S), la gestion des risques opérationnels et la gestion des produits.

Contact auprès de la presse
Kylie Souder
kylie.souder@aspectusgroup.com+1 513-304-5776

__________________
1 Selon la rubrique Maturité du développement durable de Sphera, une entreprise « optimisée » exploite les ressources de logiciels et de données ESG pour aller au-delà des exigences de conformité afin d’aider à trouver des gains d’efficacité, accroître la productivité et l’innovation, réduire les coûts et atténuer les risques. Un « leader » est à la tête du pack concurrentiel et façonne l’avenir de son secteur grâce à ses initiatives de développement durable.

Posted on

Phoenix Software apporte la première amélioration à la technologie JES3 en six ans avec JES3plus® V1R1

Phoenix Software a sorti des mises à jour de sa gamme de produits en septembre 2021

EL SEGUNDO, Californie, 30 sept. 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Phoenix Software International, Inc. a annoncé aujourd’hui la disponibilité générale de JES3plus V1R1, un produit dérivé basé sur z/OS® JES3 d’IBM. Cette version intègre les améliorations de performance d’E/S SPOOL mises à la disposition des clients JES3plus par le biais d’une livraison continue plus tôt cette année. Il s’agit de la première version de la technologie JES3 à contenir des améliorations depuis début 2015 et elle coïncide avec z/OS 2.5, la dernière version de z/OS à inclure JES3. Les organisations cherchant à conserver cette technologie qui adoptent JES3plus peuvent désormais profiter des avantages d’un produit amélioré avec une feuille de route pour le développement futur.

JES3plus V1R1

JES3plus V1R1 prend en charge deux nouvelles techniques de programmation de canaux pour améliorer les performances :

  • ACKD – Programmes de canaux avec un préfixe raccourci capable de traiter une piste entière au lieu d’un enregistrement à la fois. Cette amélioration bénéficie du soutien de MIDAW.
  • zHPF – programmes de canaux qui tirent parti de l’installation z/Architecture fibre-canal-extensions (FCX) pour transférer l’intégralité du programme de canal vers l’appareil pour traitement plutôt que de transférer les CCW au fur et à mesure qu’ils se présentent.

Le Customer Advisory Council (comité consultatif client) de JES3plus de Phoenix Software aide activement à prioriser la feuille de route d’amélioration du produit, de sorte que les clients peuvent s’attendre à voir d’autres améliorations en 2022 via une livraison continue.

« Nous avons rapidement su que l’amélioration de JES3plus pour utiliser les dernières techniques d’E/S serait une priorité », a déclaré Ed Jaffe, directeur technologique de Phoenix Software International. « Attendre un redémarrage global du JES3 critique peut sembler durer une éternité et être extrêmement stressant. zHPF a réduit cette attente de plus de 80 % dans notre environnement et nos clients ont bénéficié d’avantages similaires. Une grande partie du mérite du déploiement sans heurt de cette nouvelle version améliorée de JES3plus revient à nos partenaires ISV et aux premiers participants aux tests dont la participation enthousiaste et la patience incroyable ont grandement contribué à la réussite de ce lancement. »

(E)JES V6R1

(E)JES V6R1, la dernière version de l’outil de gestion JESplex moderne de Phoenix Software, comprend des améliorations de la gestion des sous-systèmes MVS, la compréhension de l’utilisation de la mémoire spatiale et la recherche de concaténations de systèmes importants.

Nouvelles versions des produits Phoenix Software : septembre 2021

Phoenix Software a mis à jour sa gamme de produits ce mois-ci. Les téléchargements de produits sont disponibles pour les clients via le portail d’assistance de Phoenix Software International. Rendez-vous sur https://phoenixsoftware.com/support.htm#downloads. Les nouvelles versions de produits comprennent :

  • (E)JES® V6R1
  • CONDOR® z/OS 26.0 z/VSE 32.0
  • CYGNET® z/OS 26.0 z/VSE 32.0
  • Entrypoint® 16.2
  • FALCON® z/OS 26.0 z/VSE 32.0
  • Falcon64® 11.1
  • ImagEntry® 4.73
  • JES3plus V1R1
  • Key/101® 9.1
  • PHX-Adders®/PHX-Guest® 7.3
  • PHX-KeyPlus® 5.3
  • PHX-ODE® 7.3
  • Viking Data Entry (VDE) ® 4.73

À propos de Phoenix Software International

Phoenix Software International, Inc. (https://www.phoenixsoftware.com) est une société de développement de logiciels de systèmes fournissant des applications logicielles avancées aux entreprises du monde entier. La société propose une large gamme de solutions aux défis professionnels modernes.

Contact auprès de la presse :
(310) 338-0400
news@phoenixsoftware.com