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null Globethics.net Newsletter No 8/2017

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Editorial

Stop Fake Certificates! by Christoph Stückelberger

Globethics.net Network

New Globethics.net promotional video
Integrity Training for Responsible Elections in DR Congo, August 2017

Forthcoming Events
Fair taxation for development - conference and forum for students and young professionals, Geneva, Switzerland, 16 October 2017
Globethics.net Indonesia
International Da'wah Conference, 4-5 October 2017 in Indonesia

Other Events
Presidential Conference on the Integrity of Creation 2017: The Global Water Crisis, USA, 27-28 September 2017
International Conference on Social Responsibility, Ethics and Sustainable Business, Berlin, Germany, 28-29 September 2017
9th Club of Florence Seminar on Rewriting Stories of Responsibility, Luxembourg, 26-28 October 2017
Calls for Action
Call for Volunteers: Logistics, Communications and Reporting
Women Deliver: Inviting applicants for Young Leaders' Program
Second Call for Papers: Ethics and Energy

Globethics.net Library

New Collection on Interreligious Dialogue
South Pacific Association of Theological Schools new member of GlobeTheoLib Consortium
New GlobeTheoLib homepage
New GlobeTheoLib resources flyer
New journal on Christian-Jewish Relations
Library Tip - How do I submit a document in the Globethics.net library?

Globethics.net Research / Projects

Second African Church Asset Programme (ACAP II), Nairobi, Kenya
High-level Forum on Balanced and Inclusive Education, Geneva, Switzerland, 8 December 2017
Globethics Consortium on Ethics in Higher Education: coming up

Publications

New publications:

  • Women's Status and Gender Relations in Post-Genocide Rwanda (2017)
  • Faith at Work. Directory of Christian Entrepreneurs and Workers (2017)
  • Philanthropy and Foundation Management: A Guide to Philanthropy in Europe and China (2017)

Globethics.net Head Office

High-level delegation from Serampore College visits Globethics.net


Editorial by Christoph Stückelberger

Stop Fake Certificates! 

"Opportunity to obtain an Honorary Doctoral Degree and Professorship Award." This was the subject line of an email that I received recently. Wow! Wonderful; the fifteen years of hard work that I dedicated to obtain my PhD, Postdoctoral Habilitation and Professorship and three decades of work for African development recognized by the award of my honorary doctoral degree by an African university were not needed it seems. Now anyone can just buy the title ‘Dr. h.c.' in a short time from an American university, one that is "recognized by the Confederation of International Accreditation Commission CIAC" and sold at "affordable costs". Wow! Wow?
 
Instead of forwarding this ‘good news' to our sons (working hard for their PhDs) and my younger friends (longing for their professorships), I started crying: Stop Fake Certificates! Over 200 million students in higher education worldwide (a number that has doubled since 2000) are awarded tens of millions of certificates every year. A simple Google search for "fake certificates" offers numerous websites such as "Best Place to Buy a Fake Diploma". How many hundreds of thousands, even millions of diplomas are bought, received as a result of favouritism, nepotism, special or sexual services or simple online shopping? Most universities know of such cases, but it is high time to do some serious research about the practice with figures that show the scale of the problem. 
 
Educational institutions have to increase sanctions for the issue of fraudulent certificates. Courts have to sentence companies and individuals selling fake diplomas and recognise that it is a very serious crime. Websites that provide certificates for sale should be investigated. Fake certificates are not just a minor moral problem, they destroy lives! A medical doctor in Asia told me that he would never allow his son, also a medical doctor, to treat him. When I asked him with no small amount of surprise "Why?" he answered "Because I know how he got his degree"! A bridge built by an engineer who has not actually studied for or understands his profession can lead to fatalities. The human resources director of a company in Africa recently told me that he no longer looks at certificates when he is recruiting because he does not know which certificates are real; he relies rather on interviews and practical tests to judge whether candidates are suitable, capable and knowledgeable enough for the job. 
 
The reasons for the production, sale and award of fake certificates are well-known: temptation to engage in corrupt practices can be high when teaching salaries are low; simple greed; economic competition (among other factors) between private higher education institutions competing for students; corrupt practices in accreditation and supervisory bodies, etc. Fake certificates undermine and destroy in a serious way the credibility of higher education institutions and by extension the qualifications that so many students have worked so hard to earn. 
 
Just as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has made large strides in fighting money laundering and black markets, so universities, governments and accreditation organisations must increase and accelerate their efforts to combat fake, falsified certificates. The Globethics Consortium for Ethics in Higher Education, established in June 2017 is a coalition of institutions in higher education that is willing to work on this. Join us! Students, teachers, parents, accreditation and supervisory authorities, ministries of education and UNESCO can together increase their joint efforts to ensure the award of certificates that are based on hard work, competence, performance and values such as integrity, honesty and truthfulness. 
 
Let us campaign together to "Stop Fake Certificates!" Students and teachers, start with yourselves: the job market thirsts for people with integrity. It is better to be a person without a certificate and a title than one with a falsified certificate. Before your conscience and your God you know that: My integrity is my diploma!
 
Christoph Stückelberger, President and Founder of Globethics.net


GLOBETHICS.NET NETWORK

Globethics.net Promotional videoNew Globethics.net promotional video

We are delighted to share our new promotional video introducing Globethics.net.

 



Integrity Training for Responsible Elections in DR Congo, August 2017

From 10-15 August 2017, Globethics.net provided a series of training sessions on ‘Integrity and Elections' as part of the FIER (Integrity Training for Responsible Elections) Programme. The training was provided for the national leadership of the Protestant Church in DR Congo.

Forthcoming Events

Fair taxation for development - conference and forum for students and young professionals, Geneva, Switzerland, 16 October 2017

Globethics.net President, Christoph Stückelberger, will deliver an opening speech at the TaxCOOP 2017 international conference on 'Facing the Challenges of Tax Competition' at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on 16 October 2017.

Globethics.net Indonesia

International Da'wah Conference, 4-5 October 2017 in Indonesia

Globethics.net Indonesia is supporting the International Da'wah Conference 2017 (iDACON) held by the Faculty of Da'wah and Communication at the State Islamic University Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta on 4-5 October 2017 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Other Events

Presidential Conference on the Integrity of Creation 2017: The Global Water Crisis, USA, 27-28 September 2017

International Conference on Social Responsibility, Ethics and Sustainable Business in Berlin, Germany, 28-29 September 2017

9th Club of Florence Seminar on Rewriting Stories of Responsibility, Luxembourg, 26-28 October 2017

Calls for Action

Call for Volunteers: Logistics, Communications and Reporters

Globethics.net has the pleasure to announce opportunities available to motivated and dynamic young graduates to be a part of the success of our next Globethics.net event taking place in Geneva from 6 to 8 December 2017.

Women Deliver: Inviting applicants for Young Leaders' Program

Second Call for Papers: Ethics and Energy


Globethics.net LibrarY

New Collection on Interreligious Dialogue

This Globethics.net Library collection gathers contributions, resources and perspectives on interreligious dialogue; in particular it looks at tolerance toward religious diversity and gathers theological texts that promote interreligious dialogue and social inclusiveness from different religious traditions. Learn more about this collection

 

South Pacific Association of Theological Schools new member of GlobeTheoLib Consortium

The South Pacific Association of Theological Schools (SPATS) comprising 26 member institutions joined the GlobeTheoLib (Global Digital Library on Theology and Ecumenism) Consortium. Read more

New GlobeTheoLib homepage

The homepage of the Global Digital Library on Theology and Ecumenism GlobeTheoLib has been refreshed and updated. It is now easier to search and navigate and has up to date information. Check it out now

 

 

New GlobeTheoLib resources flyer

GlobeTheoLib has gathered information on most recent content and resources to be used in theology courses in time for the beginning of the academic year in a separate flyer for you to download and distribute. Download GlobTheoLib Resources Flyer 2017

New journal on Christian-Jewish Relations

Our library team is happy to share with you our latest addition to our list of journals on comparative religion and interreligious dialogue:

  • Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations: The Journal publishes peer-reviewed scholarship on the history, theology, and contemporary realities of Jewish-Christian relations and reviews new materials in the field. The Journal also provides a vehicle for the exchange of information, cooperation, and mutual enrichment in the field of Christian-Jewish studies and relations.

Library Tip - How do I submit a document in the Globethics.net library?

Check Globethics.net Library web


Globethics.net Research / Projects

Second African Church Asset Programme (ACAP II)

From 21-23 September 2017, Globethics.net will hold a second workshop in collaboration with the All African Council of Churches and Bread for the World on asset management in Nairobi, Kenya. Read more

High-level Forum on Balanced and Inclusive Education, Geneva, Switzerland, 8 December 2017

We are happy to announce the global High-level Forum on Balanced and Inclusive Education being organised by Globethics.net together with our partner The Education Relief Foundation (ERF) on 8 December 2017 at the United Nations, Geneva (Switzerland). Read more

Globethics Consortium on Ethics in Higher Education: coming up

Globethics Consortium on Ethics in Higher EducationFollowing the inaugural meeting in June, announcing the formation of the Globethics Consortium on Ethics in Higher Education, we are now pleased to announce that as of September 2017, the Globethics Leadership Centre will start to implement a series of educational programmes on ethics education for teacher training purposes both online and offline with Consortium members and partners. 
 
The training programmes are being developed together with our academic experts, and will be made available on the Globethics Academy, the online learning platform dedicated to promote ethics education, which will also feature a calendar of offline training events with Consortium member institutions beginning in 2018.
 
The Globethics Leadership Centre (GLC) is a research and training centre of Globethics.net, a global network on applied ethics, whose mission is to promote and support ethics in higher education and is responsible for implementing the Globethics Consortium activities. 
 
Working with partners on different continents and with specific expertise, the Globethics Consortium unites an international pool of experts and trainers. Key topics of training and research are sustainability, transparency, accountability, management of resources, and values of leaders. 
 
For more information on Consortium membership, partnership and training and research opportunities, please contact: 
Mrs. Anh Tho Andres-Kammler 
Programme Executive Ethics Education 
 

Publications

Women's Status and Gender Relations in Post-Genocide Rwanda (2017)

Josephine Mukabera
ISBN 978-2-88931-193-4
 
After the 1994 genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda, the Government introduced gender equality programs in its development priorities to reduce gender-based inequalities and poverty. Currently, Rwanda tops the list as the country with the highest proportion of women in parliament worldwide, with nearly 64 percent of seats held by women. However, some people remain biased against the concept of women in position of power. Institutional gender sensitive norms, equally benefiting women and men, and correcting gender biased practices in leadership opportunities and rights provision are needed. This work assesses changes related to women's status and gender relations at the local level of Rwanda, exploring the responsibilities allocated to women in the local government, religious institutions and the family decisions.
 
Order print copies from Amazon.com| Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.fr | Amazon.de
 

Faith at Work. Directory of Christian Entrepreneurs and Workers (2017)

Christoph Stückelberger / Vanessa Yuli Wang
ISBN 978-2-88931-207-8
 
How can faith be lived at work? How can ethical values be implemented in business? Believers in all religions are searching answers. In Christianity, Christian entrepreneurs and Christian workers encourage each other in associations by conferences, trainings, coaching, Bible studies, prayer, advocacy, philanthropy and publications. This Directory lists about 53 Associations of Christian Entrepreneurs and 17 Associations of Christian workers in order to get inspired and increase networking between them. The Geneva Agape Foundation is committed to strenghten faith at work by cooperating with such associations (www.gafoundation.world).
 
Print copies will be available soon from Amazon.com| Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.fr | Amazon.de
 

Philanthropy and Foundation Management: A Guide to Philanthropy in Europe and China (2017)

Christoph Stückelberger / Li Jing
ISBN 978-2-88931-195-8
 
There is no single true path to philanthropy and foundations management; it varies by culture and country. This book provides conceptual insights and factors analyses on what is philanthropy and how it is practiced in Europe and in China, and why foundations are one of best instruments for philanthropists in pursuing their wishes. The book also gives a special reference on Swiss philanthropic practice. It aims at forming the visions, values and missions of philanthropists and foundation managers, shaping their strategic thinking and governance and defining their programmes and action plans.
 
Order print copies from Amazon.com| Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.fr | Amazon.de
 
Check all our publications on Globethics.net Publication web


GLOBETHICS.NET Head Office

High-level delegation from Serampore College visits Globethics.net

Our team at the Globethics.net Head Office in Switzerland was delighted to welcome a high-level delegation from the Senate of Serampore College (University), one of the oldest educational institutes in India.