The contributions of international standards to economic and social progress, and their role in disseminating technological innovation, were the focus of the International Organization for Standardization’s General Assembly, held September 19-23 in Singapore.

A total of 360 delegates from 113 countries attended the event. It was the first time that Singapore hosted the General Assembly and the first time that it has been held at a Southeast Asian country. When opening the assembly, ISO President Masami Tanaka said that due to Singapore’s long experience in standardization, the country is a good role model for other countries. “Singapore is an example of what can be achieved by a small country with few natural resources and should therefore be an inspiration to other small countries and developing economies that have joined ISO in recent years,” Tanaka said.

He also pointed out standardization in developing countries is often at a very basic level because national standards bodies in these countries lack the technical expertise to develop standards. Participation in ISO would help.

“ISO standards reduce technical barriers to trade because they make transparent the requirements that products must meet on world markets,” Tanaka said. “As a result, suppliers from developing countries can compete on an equal basis with those from developed countries in the global market.”

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