|
Leaders of the international committees that develop ISO’s
International Standards met in Geneva, Switzerland for a two-day
conference to further improve the efficiency and global relevance
of the organisation’s standards development system.
ISO Secretary-General Alan Bryden put their work in context
by declaring - “Not only is business global today, but so
is the response to a number of challenges - such as climate
change, with all its complexity - and the provision of food
for a growing world population, as well as constraints on
supplies of raw materials, energy, water, security and healthcare.
“If we add to these global challenges the pervasiveness and
need for connectivity and inter-operability of information
and communication technologies, you can understand why the
need for consensus-based International Standards has never
been so great.
“In response, our collective challenge is to develop globally
relevant standards, while continuously improving their time-to-market,
user friendliness, the quality of the consensus on which they
are based and our network of partnerships with stakeholders.”
ISO’s current portfolio of more than 17,000 voluntary standards
is the output of stakeholders in business, government, international
organisations, consumer associations and other groups, working
in over 3,000 technical bodies under more than 700 ISO committees.
Every working day, seven or more ISO meetings are taking
place in different parts of the world - not counting the virtual
meetings and contacts using ISO’s web-based IT tools for its
technical work.
Because this system is decentralised, ISO instituted a conference
for the chairs of its technical committees, subcommittees
and project committees to provide them with an opportunity
for a face-to-face exchange of views, experiences and ideas
with their counterparts from other committees. This year,
the conference highlighted the themes of sustainability and
standards and public policy.
During his opening speech, ISO President Mr. Håkan Murby
said - “We contend that our standards, taken as a whole, make
a major contribution to all three dimensions of sustainability
- economic growth, environmental integrity and social equity.”
He proceeded to explain how ISO standards addressed each
of these aspects. Firstly, by providing tools for business
transactions and eliminating barriers to trade, consolidating
innovation and contributing to interoperability and the dissemination
of new technologies and best practices, ISO standards fuel
economic growth. The 'toolbox' of standards for conformity
assessment, which can be used to increase confidence in products
and services, is also part of this contribution.
In the environmental field, ISO standards support the dissemination
of environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient technologies
and practices. There is, moreover, a growing number of standards
on sustainability in relation to activities such as building
construction, treatment of waste, the quality of water services
and air, water and soil quality. ISO has also recently launched
strategic initiatives on energy efficiency and renewable sources.
As for social equity, there are standards on consumer protection,
safety at work, accessibility requirements for people with
disabilities and a diverse range of healthcare initiatives.
The meeting provided a forum for the leaders of ISO technical
committees to actively discuss key subjects. As a result,
new approaches, new thinking and new coherence were voiced
on the issue of sustainability, to which participants concluded
that all ISO technical committees make a contribution.
The importance of communication was also emphasised as crucial
for putting ISO standards into the hands of all interested
stakeholders. Conformity assessment was identified as key
for promoting confidence and participants were urged to take
advantage of the CASCO 'toolbox' of standards.
Finally, on the subject of standards, regulations and public
policy, the importance of nurturing relationships with government
and policy-makers was highlighted as an important step towards
developing practical tools for these stakeholders.
|
