Features of ISO technical assistance

The technical assistance provided to ISO members in developing countries under the ISO Action Plan is based on the following key principles: it needs to be objective-oriented, demand driven, focused on delivery and geographically balanced.

Objective oriented

The ISO Action Plan for developing countries 2011-2015 is built around a goal, purpose and the following six key outputs:

Increased participation in ISO technical work
Capacity built in standardization and related matters for ISO members and their stakeholders
Awareness improved on the role and benefits of International Standards and their use.
International Standards are therefore increasingly used
ISO members in developing countries strengthened at institutional level
Regional cooperation strengthened
Introduction of the subject of standardization as part of educational curricula initiated

All technical assistance activities carried out are focused on achieving the above objectives.

Demand-driven

The annual technical assistance plan is established in response to needs expressed by ISO members in developing countries and in light of future developments foreseen by ISO in areas that are of interest to them. The main sources for capturing needs and requirements for standardization and related matters are the annual DEVCO meetings and discussion groups, inputs by the DEVCO CAG members and the results of the annual technical assistance survey that ISO conducts covering all its developing country members.

Focus on delivery

Through the annual technical assistance plan ISO delivers a range of technical assistance projects, using delivery methods most adapted to the needs of ISO members in developing countries.

The main delivery methods of technical assistance are the following:

Seminars

Seminars are organized to raise awareness on a particular topic among stakeholders involved in international standardization or among users of International Standards from both the public and private sector. Seminars can be organized on a global, regional or national basis, over two to three days and usually involving between 50 and 200 participants.

Workshops

Workshops enable the gathering of stakeholders and/or experts, usually for three to five days, to address a particular topic in a structured manner. The workshop includes an interactive element that allows for the exchange of information and experience, usually through smaller break-out groups. Workshops are organized at the global, regional or national level and host a carefully defined number of participants.

Training courses

Training courses are provided on specific topics which enable the participants to take a more active role in international standardization. ISO runs a package of regular training courses at the ISO Central Secretariat in Geneva. These can also be run at the national or regional level. The training courses can host up to twenty participants.

Customized training courses are designed to meet specific requirements of developing countries and may be delivered at the ISO Central Secretariat in Geneva or be organized at the regional or national level.

Conferences

Conferences are held to share and disseminate information, rather than to teach or train. Conferences can be organized at the global, regional or national level. They are targeted at a wide audience and can attract up to 200 participants.

Training-of-trainers programmes

Training-of-trainers programmes are organized to help national standards bodies improve their capacity to provide effective training to national stakeholders and delegated organizations involved in standardization and related activities. Training-of-trainers programmes typically last a week and are often followed by a series of courses delivered by those trained.

Sponsorships

Support is offered to ISO members in developing countries to encourage their participation at meetings of ISO technical committees (TCs), subcommittees (SCs) and working groups (WGs). The support is aimed at providing a catalyst for generating wider participation by developing countries at the meetings of ISO/TCs/SCs/WGs.

Fellowships

The Robert Oteng fellowships allow for specialized training for individuals from developing countries in well-established member bodies dealing with their area of expertise.

Training materials and reference publications, including e-learning

Training materials and references publications on standardization and related matters are prepared for ISO members in developed and developing countries. The ISO e-learning course on international standardization is aimed at national standardization experts who require more in-depth training.

Geographically balanced

Technical assistance is organized to benefit all ISO members in developing countries and is distributed in an equitable manner within the nine ISO regions. The current ISO regions of liaison are the following

Arab
Caribbean and Central America
Central Asia
Central and Eastern Europe
Central and Western Africa
East and South East Asia
Eastern and Southern Africa
South America
South Asia

Target groups

The ISO Action Plan identifies the various target groups who should benefit from the technical assistance provided. ISO members are encouraged to engage their stakeholders further, especially those who can contribute to international standards development work as well as those who use International Standards.

Impact assessment

Feedback from participants having attended each training and awareness activity is compiled through a questionnaire that each participant completes on the last day of the event. Such feedback seeks to find out, inter alia, to what extent the activity provided the tools to enable the participants to better perform their day-to-day work and whether their expectations were met. Such information is used to continually improve technical content and delivery.

The above assessment is further complemented by an additional procedure for assessing impacts which consists of circulating, 6 to 8 months after the event, one questionnaire to each participant having attended a regional or global activity and a separate questionnaire to each NSB hosting a national, regional or global activity. The objective is to assess whether the ISO activity has had a multiplier effect at the national level and whether the NSB has undertaken steps to ensure a wider dissemination of knowledge gained by the participants it designated to attend.