• 

Ref.: 1075

ISO standards as facilitators of energy efficiency, sustainable development and public policies

2007-09-19

Opening of 30th ISO General Assembly

The contributions that international standards can make to facilitating energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, and to economic and social progress, are among the principal issues being addressed at the 30th General Assembly of ISO (International Organization for Standardization) on 19-21 September 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland. An open session on international standards and public policies is also on the agenda.

The ISO meeting, which opened this morning at the International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG), has attracted a record attendance of 125 delegations of national standards institutes from ISO member countries (i.e. 80 % of ISO's membership), comprising stakeholders from industry, government and civil society, plus representatives of 22 international and regional organizations. In all, there are some 410 delegates.

Officially opening the event, ISO President Håkan Murby compared ISO's beginnings 60 years ago with less than 30 members to its record proportions today. "The increase in the size of ISO's worldwide family is really impressive," he said. "We now have members from 157 countries, thus covering some 97 % of the world’s population, representing 98 % of the world’s Gross National Income."

An idea of ISO's stature today is given by the success of the increased networking that has been undertaken in recent years by ISO to strengthen its links and cooperation with international organizations at large, particularly with the United Nations system and its specialized agencies and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

At the opening session of the General Assembly, Mr. Patrick Rata, Councillor, of the WTO's Trade and Environment Division, acknowledged "the good collaboration" between the WTO and ISO, including in the area of technical assistance events such as workshops, symposia and regional seminars on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) issues. He noted in particular the place in the ISO Strategic Plan given to enhancing development country involvement in ISO's technical activities.

Mr. Rata also said that cooperation between the WTO and ISO "is frequent and fruitful". He referred to ISO's observer status on the WTO TBT Committee and the role of standards in underpinning trade policy agreements at the technical level, adding: "And it is this connection to international standardizing bodies such as ISO that makes the WTO TBT and SPS (Sanitary and Phytosanitary) Agreements dynamic agreements."

A report to the General Assembly on ISO's international partners pointed out that these now comprise 685 international and regional organizations and that the UN system is certainly a major partner with an impressive list of UN specialized agencies and bodies working in fields related to technical harmonization or technical assistance having liaison status with Technical Committees or partnerships with ISO. ISO has general consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and maintains equivalent status with nearly all other bodies and specialized agencies of the UN system.

Among other topics, ISO Secretary-General Alan Bryden highlighted the contributions that ISO standards can make to achieving sustainable development goals. Mr. Bryden stated: "The list of events held in 2006 and 2007, where world leaders have addressed the imperative and modalities of sustainable development, is impressive, with the response to climate change now being a recognized top priority…In all these meetings, the need for international standards was highlighted as a major tool to transform political will and international commitment into concrete actions by all stakeholders for the dissemination of new technologies, as well as good practices for business and public governance."

The increasing demand for ISO International Standards is reflected in its output. Mr. Bryden reported: " The production of ISO standards and other deliverables reached an all-time high of 1 388 in 2006 and continues at the pace of than 100 new or revised standards per month. This is due to the increased interest in fields already covered, the emergence of new work areas, and to the reduction of processing times."

ISO's work programme ranges from standards for traditional activities, such as agriculture and construction, through mechanical engineering, manufacturing and distribution, to transport, medical devices, information and communication technologies, and to standards for services as well as for good management and conformity assessment practices. In recent years, its programme has greatly expanded in areas such as nanotechnologies, biometrics, hydrogen technologies, IT quality and security, greenhouse gas accounting and verification, the environment, water supply, social responsibility, healthcare and societal security.

Highlights of the ISO General Assembly programme include the following:

• a report on energy efficiency and renewable energy sources and how international standards can help;
• prospective views from industry on the role of national standardization bodies in the 21st century;
• an open session on international standards and public policies, with panels on how such standards can support sustainable development policies, and public safety and security policies.

Developing countries make up the majority of ISO's membership and the ISO Committee on developing country matters (ISO/DEVCO) met in Geneva in the two days preceding the General Assembly.

The DEVCO programme included discussions on ensuring effective stakeholder participation in standards development, the role of regional organizations in international standardization and how to increase the implementation and effectiveness of the twinning arrangements in which an ISO member from a developed country forms a joint leadership of an ISO technical body with an ISO member from a developing country.

ISO officers and guest representatives of international organizations
at the 30th ISO General Assembly which opened in Geneva today