The early years

In April 1947, a meeting in Paris produced a recommended list of 67 ISO technical committees, about two-thirds of which were based on previous ISA committees. By the early 1950s, ISO technical committees were starting to produce what were known at the time as “Recommendations”.

The basic idea of postwar international standardization was to derive International Standards from those already developed nationally, and then to re-implement them nationally. ISO’s Recommendations were therefore only intended to influence existing national standards.

• The early years,  Roger Maréchal,  Assistant Secretary-General of ISO, 1964-1979 (from: Friendship among equals)

The first ISO General Assembly was organized in Paris in 1949. It was inaugurated at a public meeting held in the grand amphitheatre at the Sorbonne University.

As reported by Raymond Frontard, former Director-General of AFNOR, “a full house, including the President of the French Republic, Vincent Auriol, and the Director General of UNESCO, Jaime Torres-Bodet, listened to the speeches. Then came the translations (consecutive of course - simultaneous interpretation had yet to be invented). In English first, then in Russian …A quiver of curiosity run through the enormous assembly.

"Young people today find it difficult to imagine how far we were, at that time, from the global view that now seems so familiar. The earth was an archipelago of distinct worlds.”

• Standards-related activities,  Raymond Frontard,  Former Director-General of AFNOR (from: Friendship among equals)

• Next chapter: Developing countries