PRESS RELEASES

 

For Immediate Release
February 23, 2004

Contact: Ekrem Sarper
(202) 289-7460 x33
 

GE Foundation Awards Grant to CSI to Develop Transparency Web Portal and “Tool Kit”

Washington, D.C.- The Coalition of Service Industries Research and Education Foundation (CSIREF) announced today the award of a $50,000 grant from the GE Foundation to develop a transparency web portal and ‘tool kit.’ The portal will include a compendium of materials demonstrating that transparent regulatory processes lead to greater economic growth, foreign direct investment and trade.

“We are very grateful to the GE Foundation for this grant,” said Norman R. Sorensen, Chairman of CSI, and President of Principal International. “This project will show what regulatory transparency is, and what its benefits are. We hope it will help convince many governments worldwide that adopting transparency is first and foremost in their own interest and secondly attainable.”

We intend “this web portal and ‘tool kit’ to be an important, innovative resource for policymakers, government officials, members of the press, and the general public,” said Sorensen.

Transparent and fair domestic regulatory processes are absolutely vital for trade and investment in services due to their highly regulated nature.

“This portal will provide the tools to implement transparent regulatory disciplines and help build governments’ confidence that they can implement transparency procedures,” said Robert Vastine, President of CSI and President of its Research and Education Foundation. “Overall we see this as an attempt to advance the application of the rule of law” he said.

The portal will provide:

  1. A ‘toolkit’ of sample laws, regulatory models, and examples of other countries’ initiatives in applying transparency disciplines. These will help simplify the implementation of transparent rule-making and licensing practices.
  2. A Global Community offering interactive discussions and expert advice on implementing transparent regulatory processes.
  3. A comprehensive resource of journal articles, papers and related materials on transparency.
  4. Case studies highlighting the economic and social benefits of transparency and the rule of law.

The U.S. Coalition of Service Industries is the leading U.S. business association representing companies across a broad spectrum of service sectors. CSI is dedicated to reducing barriers to U.S. services exports and mobilizing support for domestic U.S. policies, including tax policies, which enhance the global competitiveness of its members. CSI was formed in 1982 to ensure that U.S. trade in services would become a central goal of U.S. trade policy and trade negotiations. It played a major role in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and in the advocacy effort leading to the 1997 World Trade Organization (WTO) Basic Telecommunications and Financial Services Agreements. CSI's knowledge of the process of services trade negotiations, its ties to the WTO and its network of relationships with governments and industry in other countries are unmatched. For a complete list of CSI members, visit our website at www.uscsi.org.

The GE Foundation (http://www.gefoundation.com), the philanthropic organization of the General Electric Company, invests in initiatives that improve educational opportunity and strengthen organizations in GE communities around the world. With a primary focus in the field of education, the GE Foundation also supports a range of programs focused on the environment, children’s development and public policy. In 2003, the GE Foundation provided more than $50 million in contributions and grants.