ISO/UNDP
Guidelines for contributing to the
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
ISO and UNDP announce partnership to enhance sustainability action
New York, United States / Geneva, Switzerland – 20 September 2023
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed a landmark Statement of Intent, signaling their commitment to the role of International Standards in addressing global development challenges.
They will collaborate on initiatives geared towards enhancing international standards that advance sustainability actions by both the public and private sectors, including the prospective development of the first international standard for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) based on UNDP’s SDG Impact Standards and relevant ISO standards.
Such a standard would be significant in that it will provide a common basis for documentation and certification, making it easier for organizations and companies to align their efforts and document progress toward the SDGs.
“As we see with SDG 17 – Partnerships for Goals achieving the SDGs requires true partnering across all sectors. This partnership between ISO and UNDP brings forth an opportunity to build on the unique contributions of each organization for a more resilient and equitable future for all,” said ISO President, Ulrika Francke.
“By helping to shape new management standards for businesses and investors, UNDP and ISO can ensure that sustainability and the SDGs are not just an add-on to business – they will be an intrinsic part of how all business is done,” said Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator. “With better practices, we will achieve better outcomes for business and investors – and better outcomes for people and planet.”
This partnership creates the opportunity to harness the complementary competencies and reach of two of the world’s leading organizations in their field and marks a notable step towards aligning sustainability standards globally.
The two organizations look forward to a close collaboration together with all who contribute to advancing the achievement of the SDGs.
About ISO
ISO is an international organization with a membership of 168 national standards bodies. Through its global network, it facilitates the development of voluntary and market-relevant International Standards that support innovation, sustainability, and global trade.
About UNDP
As the United Nations lead agency on international development, UNDP works in 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality. UNDP helps countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities, and to build resilience to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Its work is concentrated in three focus areas: sustainable development, democratic governance and peace building, and climate and disaster resilience.
About UNDP Sustainable Finance Hub
The Sustainable Finance Hub brings together UNDP’s financial expertise to harness public and private capital for the Sustainable Development Goals – supporting governments, investors and businesses in reaching climate, social impact and sustainability targets. Its work drives systemic change towards a sustainable financial architecture that benefits people and planet.
What is ISO/UNDP PAS 53002?
The ISO/UNDP guidelines for the SDGs (ISO/UNDP PAS 53002) are a guidance document to help organizations contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They have been developed in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to provide organizations with a unified approach to systematically manage and optimize their impact on sustainable development across various operational aspects.
Why are the ISO/UNDP guidelines for the SDGs important?
Those guidelines are crucial for promoting a holistic approach to sustainable development, enabling organizations to contribute positively to the SDGs. They provide a structured framework to maximize positive impacts and reduce negative ones, particularly for vulnerable groups. Through proactive measures and by embedding sustainable development into business operations and decision-making processes, they ensure a balanced approach to economic, social, and environmental sustainability.
Who are they for?
The guidelines are relevant to organizations in all sectors. They are aimed at top level decision-makers who can use them to determine how to make a tangible positive impact based on their own unique circumstances.
Benefits
- Aligns organizational strategies with sustainable development goals
- Enhances stakeholder engagement and societal contribution
- Improves sustainability reporting and transparency
- Supports risk management related to sustainability issues
What Is the OSI Model
The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model describes seven layers that computer systems use to communicate over a network. It was the first standard model for network communications, adopted by all major computer and telecommunication companies in the early 1980s
The modern Internet is not based on OSI, but on the simpler TCP/IP model. However, the OSI 7-layer model is still widely used, as it helps visualize and communicate how networks operate, and helps isolate and troubleshoot networking problems.
OSI was introduced in 1983 by representatives of the major computer and telecom companies, and was adopted by ISO as an international standard in 1984.
The 7 OSI Layers
7. Application Layer
The application layer is used by end-user software such as web browsers and email clients. It provides protocols that allow software to send and receive information and present meaningful data to users. A few examples of application layer protocols are the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Post Office Protocol (POP), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), and Domain Name System (DNS).
6. Presentation Layer
The presentation layer prepares data for the application layer. It defines how two devices should encode, encrypt, and compress data so it is received correctly on the other end. The presentation layer takes any data transmitted by the application layer and prepares it for transmission over the session layer.
5. Session Layer
The session layer creates communication channels, called sessions, between devices. It is responsible for opening sessions, ensuring they remain open and functional while data is being transferred, and closing them when communication ends. The session layer can also set checkpoints during a data transfer—if the session is interrupted, devices can resume data transfer from the last checkpoint.
4. Transport Layer
The transport layer takes data transferred in the session layer and breaks it into “segments” on the transmitting end. It is responsible for reassembling the segments on the receiving end, turning it back into data that can be used by the session layer. The transport layer carries out flow control, sending data at a rate that matches the connection speed of the receiving device, and error control, checking if data was received incorrectly and if not, requesting it again.
3. Network Layer
The network layer has two main functions. One is breaking up segments into network packets, and reassembling the packets on the receiving end. The other is routing packets by discovering the best path across a physical network. The network layer uses network addresses (typically Internet Protocol addresses) to route packets to a destination node.
2. Data Link Layer
The data link layer establishes and terminates a connection between two physically-connected nodes on a network. It breaks up packets into frames and sends them from source to destination. This layer is composed of two parts—Logical Link Control (LLC), which identifies network protocols, performs error checking and synchronizes frames, and Media Access Control (MAC) which uses MAC addresses to connect devices and define permissions to transmit and receive data.
1. Physical Layer
The physical layer is responsible for the physical cable or wireless connection between network nodes. It defines the connector, the electrical cable or wireless technology connecting the devices, and is responsible for transmission of the raw data, which is simply a series of 0s and 1s, while taking care of bit rate control.
The Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is older than the OSI model and was created by the US Department of Defense (DoD). A key difference between the models is that TCP/IP is simpler, collapsing several OSI layers into one:
- OSI layers 5, 6, 7 are combined into one Application Layer in TCP/IP
- OSI layers 1, 2 are combined into one Network Access Layer in TCP/IP – however TCP/IP does not take responsibility for sequencing and acknowledgement functions, leaving these to the underlying transport layer.
Other important differences:
- TCP/IP is a functional model designed to solve specific communication problems, and which is based on specific, standard protocols. OSI is a generic, protocol-independent model intended to describe all forms of network communication.
- In TCP/IP, most applications use all the layers, while in OSI simple applications do not use all seven layers. Only layers 1, 2 and 3 are mandatory to enable any data communication.
Links:
More protocols:
NEAR
CAN bus
More info:
Bus computing
...