Ted Smith, co-coordinator of the International Campaign for Responsible Technology recently travelled to Japan to visit with Hideo Yamagishi, President of the NPO Center and Professor Ryoichi Terada of Tsuru University.
International Campaign for Responsible Technology (ICRT) Hosts First Global Symposium for a High-Tech Industry
November 14-17, 2002
Read the conference report.
The TGlobal Symposium, held in San Jose, CA, the birthplace of the electronic revolution, provided an international forum to exchange information and develop joint strategies to minimize the toxic impact of high-tech globalization.
Fifty respected advocates and experts from 11 different countries traveled to San Jose to participate in this groundbreaking event. The Symposium culminated in our our 20th anniversary celebration.
The Global High-Tech Industry
The electronics industry is the largest and fastest growing manufacturing industry in the world. The rapid rate of globalization is made possible by the rapid development and expansion of the Internet economy, which in turn is fueled by the unprecedented growth of high-tech electronics manufacturing.
In just one human generation, the high-tech revolution has spread out from its birthplace in Silicon Valley to encompass vast sections of the globe. A typical computer now contains components manufactured and assembled all over the world - semiconductor chips made in New Mexico or Scotland or Malaysia, a disk drive made in Singapore or Thailand, a CRT (cathode ray tube) monitor made in Japan, circuit boards made in China, and assembled in Mexico or Costa Rica.
As the global economy becomes larger, more complex and more interdependent, global trade issues have begun to dominate international relations. International bodies, such as the World Trade Organization, and treaties, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, have been enacted to set the rules for international commerce. These new initiatives are driven by international trade and business concerns and global high-tech giants often play a dominant role. Environmental, labor and human rights issues have taken a back seat.
SVTC tracks the global expansion of high-tech electronics manufacturing. As in the Silicon Valley experience, rapid technological change has too often led to adverse social, political and economic impacts. As the industry began to expand to other parts of the U.S. built a new network called the Campaign for Responsible Technology (CRT) to promote broader participation in the design and development of sustainable technologies.
More recently, CRT expanded into - the International the Campaign for Responsible Technology (I-CRT). I-CRT has been working with environmental, labor, community and health NGOs in other high-tech corridors for more than 10 years and has built good relationships with many other groups throughout the U.S. and around the world.
We envision a world where technology better serves social and environmental needs and empowers communities and workers. For this vision to become a reality, vastly increased citizen participation is required to ensure the responsible development and implementation of new technologies.
As the high-tech industry has spread across the globe, so has our network. We were honored when we were able to return hosting courtesies to folks from Toxics Watch - Japan that we visited earlier this year. 
Ted Smith, co-coordinator of the International Campaign for Responsible Technology recently travelled to Japan to visit with Hideo Yamagishi, President of the NPO Center and Professor Ryoichi Terada of Tsuru University.
