GSO’s President Speech on the occasion of the World Standards Day
The Standardization Organization for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GSO) joins similar bodies and organizations in the countries of the world in celebrating the fifty-second world standards day, which coincides with the 14th of October of each year.
It commemorates the anniversary of founding of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) on October 14, 1947.
The theme “Standards and Sustainable Development Goals, Our Shared Vision for a Better World” was chosen to put emphasis on the importance of standards being indispensable to the sustainable development goals, and to stress the pivotal role of sustainable development in meeting the needs of today’s life.
On October 14 of each year, members of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) celebrate World Standards Day, as an opportune way to hail the joint efforts of thousands of experts around the world working on studies, research and experiments to be eventually agreed upon and published as international standards.
On this occasion, I am pleased to extend my sincere congratulations and best wishes to the national standardization bodies in the member states and relevant regional and international organizations in general, and those working in the standards activity in particular, in recognition of the great efforts they are making in the field of preparing and developing standards and technical regulations that contribute significantly in achieving the sustainable development goals.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aims at addressing the adverse social phenomena, develop a sustainable economy, and slow down the rate of climate change, are in fact very ambitious goals, and achieving them requires the cooperation of many partners from the public and private sectors, and the use of all available tools, including international standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures.
The efforts exerted to confront the ongoing global pandemic have revealed the absolute necessity to address the SDGs in a comprehensive manner to strengthen our societies, making them more resilient, and more equitable and equal.
Today, this is a call for everyone to contribute to achieving the goals of sustainable development and rebuilding better. On our way to accomplish this objective, we believe that standards have become more important than ever.
The entire standards system is participatory in its nature. This is indicative of the power of cooperation, and a firm belief that we are stronger collectively rather than working individually.
By working together, we empower individuals through realistic solutions to directly address sustainability challenges, and in this spirit we share on this long journey, we celebrate International Standards Day and consider the many ways in which international standards contribute to the success of the sustainable development goals.
For this objective, we stand united today to work together to accelerate the 2030 Agenda, relying on standards for the Sustainable Development Goals, and our “shared vision for a better world.”
The sustainable development goals lead us towards progress, which requires us to continue our partnerships with different sectors and build new partnerships and focus on supporting environmental, economic and social practices towards achieving sustainable and comprehensive growth, as well as accelerating our future plans and strategies and our shared vision for a better world.
In conclusion, on this occasion, I can only hail the great efforts exerted by international, regional and national organizations in the field of standardization.
I would also like to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to all employees of GSO and the national standardization bodies in the member states, regional and international organizations, and all those who support GSO, and all standardization disciplines.
