GSO Participates in the Celebration of Arab Standardization Day 2025 under the Theme “Standardization: A Bridge to Arab Economic Integration”
The GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) joins Arab standardization bodies in celebrating Arab Standardization Day, observed annually on March 25. This year’s celebration is held under the theme, “Standardization: A Bridge to Arab Economic Integration.”
On this occasion, H.E. Eng. Nawaf bin Ibrahim Al Mana, President of GSO, emphasized that the theme for this year highlights the critical role of standardization in ensuring the quality of Arab industries, developing productive sectors, enhancing competitiveness, reducing technical barriers to trade, and facilitating trade exchange between member states and with international markets. These efforts contribute to unifying regional initiatives, fostering integration, and supporting sustainable development across the Arab region. The theme also aims to raise awareness of the importance of standardization in promoting economic integration, improving the quality of products and services, and protecting consumers.
Eng. Al Mana noted that standardization plays a pivotal role in advancing Arab economic integration by eliminating technical trade barriers and enabling trade facilitation through unified standards. This harmonization supports higher levels of quality and reliability across products, services, and processes—strengthening confidence among consumers and within the productive and service sectors.
He further stated that standardization is instrumental in driving innovation and technological advancement. It motivates companies to improve their products and services to meet international benchmarks, thereby boosting the global competitiveness of Arab economies.
His Excellency also revealed that GSO has issued more than 28,000 Gulf standards and technical regulations covering a wide range of goods and products. Since its inception, GSO has been committed to developing Gulf standards, technical regulations, and conformity assessment procedures in coordination with national standardization bodies in member states and through partnerships with various international and regional standardization organizations. These efforts aim to support a prosperous economy and a vibrant, sustainable society by enhancing safety, protecting the environment, facilitating trade, and strengthening the Gulf common market.
In closing, Eng. Al Mana praised the significant efforts of the Arab Industrial Development, Standardization and Mining Organization (AIDSMO), in cooperation with Arab national standardization bodies and regional and international partners. He expressed his sincere appreciation to the Member States supporting GSO and to all professionals working in the field of standardization and its diverse disciplines.
It is worth noting that March 25 marks the anniversary of the founding of the Arab Organization for Standardization and Metrology, established in Cairo in 1968 under the League of Arab States. In 1988, its functions were integrated into AIDSMO. Arab Standardization Day has been officially celebrated since March 25, 1999. Each year, under the Arab Supreme Committee for Standardization, AIDSMO selects a theme to commemorate the occasion.
