ISO Focus - September 2008

The way forward - Developing countries and emerging economies

ISO Focus, September 2008

Online version

In September ISO Focus explores how developing countries can use International Standards as tools to promote sustainable development.

Leaders from key international development organizations involved in promoting sustainability and trade, speak up on how International Standards can help and elaborate on their active collaboration with ISO.

Exclusive interviews with ISO members from developing countries in different regions of the world offer an insight into their organizations, activities and experiences with standardization.

The issue also explores the latest developments of the ISO Action Plan, which aims to promote awareness, capacity building, national and regional cooperation, IT expertise and increasing participation in the governance and technical work of ISO. In this context, ISO members who have taken advantage of the “twinning” initiative share their success stories of active involvement in standards development work.

Also in the September issue, donors and regional bodies discuss progress on a number of projects currently in place to help developing countries gain from participating in standardization-related activities.

The fourth edition of the ISO technical committee Chairs conference, with its ongoing aim of further improving the efficiency and global relevance of the organization’s standards development system took place this year. The conference emphasized the themes of sustainability and standards and public policy. Catch up with the highlights in this issue of ISO Focus.

Comment

Imam Sudarwo
Chair of ISO/DEVCO
Meeting the expectations of developing countries

Guest view

Alan Rosling
Executive Director of Tata Sons Limited

"Following International Standards helps our companies build competitive positions in the global marketplace."

Main Focus

Developing countries and emerging economies - The way forward

Team effort for sustainable development
How International Standards can help
Developing countries speak up
Roadmap to development – the ISO Action Plan
The ( t )winning concept
Addressing the needs of developing countries
Successfully bridging the opportunity gap
A multicultural effort for a multilingual society
Helping developing countries get started
Sharing the cake – The DIN Endowment Fund
Financing standardization projects – The how’s and why’s of the Inter-American Development Bank
Supporting regional integration – The Southern African Development Community
Bringing down technical barriers to trade with metrology,accreditation and standardization

Developments and initiatives

Highlights of the Committee's Chairs Conference 2008 :
A sustainable future for standards development
Driving innovation – Standards and public procurement