The ISO Strategy 2030 outlines our vision and our mission for the next 10 years and a set of goals and priorities to help us get there. The three goals are stepping stones to our vision. We will focus on six priorities to achieve our goals and maximize our impact.
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 167 national standards bodies.
Through its members, it brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary, consensus-based, market relevant International Standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges.
You’ll find our Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. Learn more about our structure and how we are governed.
Contact ISO
International Organization for Standardization
ISO Central Secretariat
Chemin de Blandonnet 8
CP 401 - 1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland
E-mail: central@iso.org
Tel.: +41 22 749 01 11
Fax: +41 22 733 34 30
Visiting ISO [PDF, 1.29 MB]
Our Story begins in 1946
Friendship among equals
The ISO story began in 1946 when delegates from 25 countries met at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London...
Read more about the first 50 years of ISO (1947 - 1997) in the book:
Friendship among equals [PDF, 1.32 MB]
It's all in the name
Because 'International Organization for Standardization' would have different acronyms in different languages (IOS in English, OIN in French for Organisation internationale de normalisation), our founders decided to give it the short form ISO. ISO is derived from the Greek 'isos', meaning equal. Whatever the country, whatever the language, we are always ISO.
How did we do in 2022?
How many projects did we begin? Which sectors were most active? How many documents did we publish?
Find our key achievements in figures at a single glance.
Annual reports
In 2021, we put ISO standards on the frontline of the climate battle.
Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic continued to disrupt lives and businesses around the world, we built on the lessons we learned in 2020 and turned our attention to pressing global problems of climate and sustainability. We’re delivering on our strategy and helping others to step up and take climate action through the London Declaration
Learn how to get the most out of ISO membership
An introduction to the ISO system, how it works and how ISO standards benefit the world.