Global Alliance for PR gets a boost

The study is meant to be the starting point for the elaboration of an advocacy platform to be recommended by the Global Alliance to its 40 association members representing in excess of 100 thousand professionals (data end October 2002).

The methodology used for the analysis consists of a detailed questionnaire for member associations inquiring on all forms of soft and hard regulations existing or being discussed in each respective country: from legal barriers to entry to ex-post regulation of specific practices such as financial public relations, life science public relations, political public relations, public affairs and lobbying activities, which are or may be enacted through legislation or soft public and private regulation authorities.

A similar comparative analysis was recently conducted by the Global Alliance on all member ethics codes which led to the draft of a new global ethics protocol for the profession which is presently being discussed in the private member area of the Global Alliance site (www.globalpr.org) and to be submitted in its final version for member approval at the upcoming Global Alliance general assembly to be held in Auckland New Zealand in February 2003.

"We are grateful to Edelman Worldwide for this valuable contribution which will enable us to develop a global platform to be adopted by member associations. This will proactively link the need of professional ethical behaviour for individual practitioners, with reasonable as well as much needed soft and hard regulation of our specific and varied practices," says Toni Muzi Falconi Global Alliance elected chair for 2003. "We also very much hope that this contribution is only the first of many which will arrive from other interested and responsible parties operating in our profession. Dan Edelman, one of the foremost pioneers of public relations worldwide, has once more proven his deep attachment to the improvement of our global professional standards."

The Global Alliance for Public Relations & Communication Management has also recently issued a Manifesto (www.globalpr.org) calling for all national associations of public relations practitioners, together with other practice specific, consultants, public sector, private sector, non-profit, national, regional and international associations to actively participate in creating a 'global umbrella' to ensure that public relations speak with a 'one voice - one profession' approach.