GSO Organizes a Workshop on the Role of Standardization in Enhancing Joint Gulf Action
His Excellency the President of GSO, Saud bin Nasser Al-Khusaibi, inaugurated a workshop entitled “The Role of Standardization in enhancing Joint Gulf Action”. It was held at GSO headquarter.
The workshop was attended by representatives of the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO), and the GCC Health Council, as well as a number of specialists from relevant organizations and sectors.
In his inauguration speech, Al-Khusaibi welcomed the guests of GSO, the speakers and participants in the workshop, which comes as a fulfilment of directives by His Excellency Dr. Nayef bin Falah Al-Hajraf, Secretary-General of the GCC, and His Excellency Dr. Saad bin Othman Al-Qasabi, Governor of SASO and Chairman of the current session of GSO Technical Council, to highlight the importance of conducting joint events in the field of standardization to enhance joint Gulf action, in cooperation with relevant Gulf organizations, as this falls within the strategic directions of the General Secretariat of the GCC, and in line with the strategic vision of GSO to be the first enabler for the Gulf common market and the trusted experience house for standardization activities.
The workshop tackled different topics, notably the role of standardization in supporting Gulf industries, facilitating trade exchange, meeting the requirements of the customs union and the Gulf common market, keeping abreast with global changes in the field of safety, health and the environment, and ways and mechanisms to harmonize joint Gulf action.
His Excellency Dr. Hajid bin Mohammed Hajed, Deputy Director General of the Health Council of the GCC States, reviewed the role of the Council in adopting international standards in the medical field, and the existing areas of cooperation between the Council and GSO to support joint Gulf action, in light of the MoU signed between the two sides.
His Excellency Mr. Abdullah Al-Khalaf, Head of the Complaints and Economic Issues Follow-up Section at the Gulf Common Market Department, at the General Secretariat of the GCC, also highlighted the role of the strategy of the General Secretariat of the GCC in supporting the Gulf Common Market.
In keeping pace with the international trends of standardization, Eng. Wael Al-Dhiyab, the official spokesman and director of the Electrical and Electronic Standards Department at SASO stressed the importance of developing the Gulf strategy for standards as a regional necessity to meet global challenges in various fields.
The experts of GSO presented a number of working papers, which highlighted the role of the Gulf conformity system in facilitating trade exchange and product safety, and the mechanism for implementing the Gulf conformity system: the Gulf Conformity mark – the Gulf Conformity Tracking System (GCTS), the most prominent challenges and opportunities in the Gulf legislative system, and the role of standards in supporting the industry and promoting Investment opportunities, the role of the participation of stakeholders and relevant parties in developing Gulf standards and technical regulations, the importance of international recognition of measurement and calibration capabilities and their role in supporting the quality infrastructure in member states.
The workshop concluded with a number of recommendations that contribute to supporting the Gulf common market, the customs union and the single entry point, in support of joint Gulf action in accomplishing economic unity 2025.
It is worthwhile mentioning that GSO is currently working on preparing and organizing the “Gulf Standardization Week” to be held by GSO in cooperation with the GCC General Secretariat and SASO next November, 2022 with wide participation from the GCC General Secretariat, Gulf organizations and relevant bodies.
