ISO Focus, September 2008 - Contribution of Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, UNIDO Director-General:
"The majority of developing countries are unable to meaningfully participate in the profitable global trade of manufactured goods. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) aims to address this inequality by helping developing countries attract investments, develop their supply capacity, ensure
compliance with market requirements and standards, and gain access to export markets, while protecting consumers and the environment. UNIDO is conscious that a country’s degree of involvement with standardization and conformity assessment (for example, number of nationally adopted standards, enterprises certified, laboratories accredited, etc.) tends to be reflected in its general level of economic and industrial development. This has a bearing on the efficiency of its economy and its ability to produce and trade.
The developing world recognizes that delays in adopting processes for the harmonization of standards and for continuously improving quality, standardization, metrology and conformity assessment will hinder its potential
to fully enjoy the advantages of global trade, and jeopardize its efforts towards
development, employment creation and poverty reduction.
UNIDO thus offers support to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to comply with International Standards and regulations and overcome technical barriers to trade or sanitary and phytosanitary measures. Numerous national standards bodies (NSBs), laboratories and conformity assessment bodies in developing countries benefit from UNIDO’s capacity-building and technical assistance services.
Ideally, NSBs should actively participate as full members in international standards organizations and their development work. However, they often lack the financial resources and technical experts needed for such investment – issues that UNIDO aims to address through its programmes and activities.
UNIDO’s holistic trade capacity- building approach is characterized by strong partnerships with international organizations and technical bodies. In this spirit, a UNIDO/ISO Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in 2003 to jointly assist developing countries and emerging economies to enhance industrial development and participate in world trade through standardization.
Following up, UNIDO has supported numerous NSBs in becoming ISO members, increasing their participation in international standardization activities, harmonizing national standards with ISO standards and assisting businesses, governments and consumers in implementing ISO standards. UNIDO is also committed to supporting the ISO Action Plan for Developing Countries.
UNIDO’s recent involvement in ISO-led activities encompassed food safety and traceability standards, social responsibility and energy management, the joint development and publication of Fast Forward – National standards bodies in developing countries and training material for food safety management (ISO 22000) – examples of how the synergy between the leading international standards development organization, ISO, and the UN agency mandate to foster sustainable industrial development is effective and vibrant.
As Chairman of UN-Energy, I am working towards combining efforts to combat climate change, promote energy efficiency and renewable sources of energy. With this aim, UNIDO turned to the implementation of energy efficiency and management systems in developing countries, with a view to also enhance their participation in the standardization process.
Following a joint initiative from UNIDO and the Standardization Administration of China (SAC), ISO established a new project committee (ISO/PC 242, Energy management) to develop a management system standard for energy (MSE). UNIDO will carry out regional studies to identify opportunities and barriers associated with its adoption. UNIDO is also working with ISO to organize the breakout session on standards for energy efficiency, water, climate change,
and their management, which will be held in conjunction with the 42nd meeting of the ISO committee on developing country matters (ISO/DEVCO).
To benefit from the current globalized market economy, developing countries must be able to achieve international levels of quality and safety by meeting a wide range of standards, regulations, tests and certification requirements. It is imperative to strengthen their institutional and human capabilities in quality, standardization and conformity assessment, and to participate more actively in related international activities. This goal is at the heart of UNIDO’s actions and its partnership with ISO and its members."
Download Dr. Yumkella's statement in ISO Focus as PDF (110 KB)
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For more information, please contact:
Mr. Gerardo PATACCONI
UNIDO, Vienna International Centre
Chief of Productivity, Quality and Enterprise Upgrading Unit
Telephone: +43 1 26026 3605