World Standards Day 2021: A shared vision for a better world

General

Each year on 14 October, the members of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) celebrate World Standards Day to pay tribute to the collaborative efforts of thousands of experts worldwide who develop International Standards.

Standards are voluntary documents which describe products, services, technologies or processes for common and repeated use. They set down compatibility, quality and safety criteria to ensure certain levels of uniformity and consistency for the benefit of the public.

 

Without standards, Japanese cars could not drive on German roads, finding the right paper size for the printer would be an effort and a light bulb would not fit into a socket.

 

Standardisation deserves our attention

Colourful poster of World Standards Day 2021 showing this year's theme "A shared vision for a better world"
“Shared vision for a better world” is the theme of World Standards Day 2021. © ISO

The aim of World Standards Day is to raise awareness among regulators, industry and consumers for the importance of standardisation for the global economy.

 

The theme of this year’s World Standards Day is “A shared vision for a better world”. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent this shared vision. They address social inequalities and aim to develop a sustainable economy. To achieve them, public and private partners must work together internationally. Resources are used more efficiently when experts share their knowledge and develop standards at the international level.

 

Internationally harmonised standards contribute to the Agenda 2030

The Global Project Quality Infrastructure (GPQI) agrees with the joint mission statement of ISO, IEC and ITU:

 

"Today, we are asking you to join us on a mission that affirms the importance of the SDGs to build back better. In this pursuit, standards are more relevant than ever. The entire standards system is built on collaboration. It is testament to the power of cooperation and the belief that we are stronger than the sum of our parts. By working together, we are empowering people with real-world solutions to face sustainability challenges head-on."

 

GPQI promotes internationally harmonised standards. The bilateral technical policy dialogues conducted within GPQI bring together politics, business and organisations from Germany and the project’s partner countries Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and Mexico.

 

Learn more about standardisation

Learn more about what role standardisation and international harmonisation play for trade and regulation – join us on 20 and 21 October for the launch event of the publication “United in Quality and Safety”.

 

Register here!

 

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