Geneva, Switzerland and Boston, MA, USA, 21 June, 2001 - UN/CEFACT and OASIS, sponsors of the ebXML electronic business specifications, today announced the formation of new technical committees (TC) within OASIS to carry forward the the infrastructure portions of the ebXML work. ebXML specifications, which provide a standard method for companies to exchange business messages, conduct trading relationships, communicate data and define and register business processes, were recently approved, marking a successful 18-month initial development phase.

To continue ebXML maintenance and enhancements, OASIS has formed the ebXML Messaging TC, the ebXML Collaboration Protocol Profile and Agreement TC and the ebXML Implementation, Interoperability and Conformance TC. Members of the existing OASIS Registry/Repository TC have expanded their charter to embrace the ebXML Registry/Repository Specification.

"As more companies and standards bodies begin implementing ebXML, these OASIS TCs will work to further the consistent adoption of the specifications," said Laura Walker, executive director of OASIS. "The OASIS ebXML TCs will proactively engage with related activities in other forums, such as the W3C, and closely coordinate our efforts with UN/CEFACT."

UN/CEFACT plans to form a working group for ebXML business process and core components in the near future. Together, OASIS and UN/CEFACT will continue to manage ebXML Technical Architecture and Marketing Awareness functions.

"UN/CEFACT and OASIS remain jointly committed to ebXML," emphasized Ray Walker, chairman of the UN/CEFACT Steering Group. "Ongoing maintenance of the ebXML infrastructure continues under the OASIS technical process, because of the Consortium's expertise in XML standards development, while maintenance of ebXML business content proceeds within UN/CEFACT."

Members of the OASIS ebXML Messaging TC will work to advance ebXML's secure specification for exchanging electronic business transactions using the Internet. The OASIS ebXML Collaboration Protocol Profile and Agreement TC will continue its definition of how trading partners engage in electronic business and the technical agreements they use to collaborate. The OASIS ebXML Registry/Repository TC will advance interoperable XML registries, which list company capabilities in standard profiles allowing prospective business partners to find one another, as well as ebXML registries, which index an industry's messages, vocabularies and other data objects. The OASIS ebXML Implementation, Interoperability and Conformance TC will focus on implementation issues surrounding ebXML and provide guidelines to industry groups, vendors and users seeking to adopt the specifications.

OASIS ebXML TC members include OASIS Sponsors, BEA Systems, Commerce One, Cyclone Commerce, eXcelon, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Identrus, IPNet Solutions, Oracle, SAP, Sterling Commerce, Sun Microsystems, Tibco, webMethods and XMLSolutions, as well as other Contributor and Individual members of the Consortium. Organizations interested in furthering the work of ebXML are encouraged to join OASIS prior to the first TC meetings in July.

About ebXML
EbXML (www.ebxml.org), sponsored by UN/CEFACT and OASIS, is a modular suite of specifications that enables enterprises of any size and in any geographical location to conduct business over the Internet. Using ebXML, companies now have a standard method to exchange business messages, conduct trading relationships, communicate data in common terms and define and register business processes.

About UN/CEFACT
UN/CEFACT (www.uncefact.org) is the United Nations body whose mandate covers worldwide policy and technical development in the area of trade facilitation and electronic business. Headquartered in Geneva, it has developed and promoted many tools for the facilitation of global business processes including UN/EDIFACT, the international EDI standard. Its current work programme includes such topics as Simpl-edi and Object Oriented EDI and it strongly supports the development and implementation of open, interoperable global standards and specifications for electronic business.

About OASIS
OASIS (www.oasis-open.org) is the international, not-for-profit consortium that advances electronic business by promoting open, collaborative development of interoperability specifications. OASIS sponsors include Accenture, Access360, Adobe Systems, AND Data Solutions, Arbortext, Auto-trol, Aventail, Baltimore Technologies, B-Bop Associates, BEA Systems, Bentley Systems, The Boeing Company, Bowstreet, Business Logic Corporation, Chrystal Software, Cincom Systems, Cohesia, Commerce One, Critical Path, CrossLogix, Cyclone Commerce, DataChannel, Dataloom, Deutsche Post AG, Documentum, EADS Airbus, election.com, empolis, Engage, Enigma, Excelergy, eXcelon, Extricity Software, First Call Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Identrus, Informix, Infoteria, Innodata, Intel, Interwoven, IPNet Solutions, ITEDO Software, Ivis Group, Jamcracker, Logistics Management Institute, Mediaplex, Mercator Software, Microsoft, Netegrity, NetFish Technologies, Netscape/AOL, NextPage, NII Enterprise Promotion Association, Nimble Technology, NIST, Novell, ObjectSpace, Oblix, OpenNetwork Technologies, Pearson Education, Planet 7 Technologies, Popkin Software, Reuters Limited, SAA Consultants, Sabre, SAP, SeeBeyond, Sequoia Software, Silverstream Software, SoftQuad Software, Software AG, Sterling Commerce, StreamServe, Sun Microsystems, Synth-Bank, Tata Consultancy Services, The Tamalpais Group, Thomas Technology Solution, Tibco, Unisys, US Defense Information Systems Agency, Virtual Access Networks, Wavo, webMethods, Whitehill Technologies, Xerox, XML Global, XMLSolutions and Xyvision Enterprise Solutions.

For more information:
Carol Geyer
Director of Communications
OASIS
carol.geyer@oasis-open.org
+1 978.667.5115 x209