70 years of ISO in Geneva
The ISO story began in 1946, when the founding members saw international standards as the key to rebuilding the world in the post-war period. One year later, on February 23, 1947, ISO officially came into being when it began operations at the Central Secretariat in Geneva.
The establishment of ISO dates back to 1946. In the post-war period, the founding members saw international standards as the key to rebuilding the world. One year later, on 23 February 1947, ISO was officially founded.
The ISO story began in 1946, when delegates from 25 countries gathered in London to discuss the future of standardization. The then Austrian Standards Institute (ASI) and the Swiss Standards Association were founding members.
The Central Secretariat of the International Organization for Standardization was deliberately established in Geneva. The purpose of the young organization was to facilitate the coordination and unification of the standards produced by its member organizations.
These founding principles are still valid today. The ISO family now has 163 members from almost every country in the world. Standardization has come a long way and ISO International Standards, which now cover almost all aspects of technology and business, will continue to ensure positive change in an evolving world.
Historical standards
Following the establishment of the organisation, 67 expert groups (technical committees) were set up in specific technical areas such as
"The first ISO/R1: 1951 standardized temperature for industrial length measurements."
Screw Threads, Marine Technology, Food, Textiles, Paints and Laboratory Equipment with a mandate to develop international standards.
This led in 1951 to the first ISO standard (then called "recommendations"), ISO/ R1: 1951, the standard reference temperature for industrial length measurements.
Since then, the ISO portfolio has expanded to include more than 22,000 standards that support all the major technological, environmental and social changes that have taken place in the world.
"For 70 years, ISO has made standards that have shaped our history and guided the world's greatest innovations. From standardizing materials, components and equipment for the aerospace industry to measuring environmental pollutants, from establishing a management system to ensure food safety in the supply chain to creating guidelines for human-robot interaction, the need for international standardization has always evolved with the needs of industry and society," enthuses ISO President Dr. Zhang Xiaogang.
Expansion of the community
ISO has worked hard over the years to widen the circle of stakeholders to include organizations and users in developing countries, for example.
Societal parameters such as better satisfaction and greater safety for consumers are central requirements for standards.
The inclusion of social insights in standards development is therefore essential, as these real-world perspectives help to ensure that issues such as quality and safety are adequately addressed. The importance of consumer protection thus received support with the ISO Committee on Consumer Policy (ISO/COPOLCO) as early as 1978.
With regard to current developments, standards will remain important to regulate climate change and water scarcity across national borders, or to manage cyber security or human migration in order to optimize international action and integrated management.
Many evidenced points have recently been adopted by the United Nations as part of its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, see the UN's 17 formulated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
"The ISO community has many standards that can help organizations and companies address their agenda," says the ISO president. "We are ready to provide efficient tools to help different communities around the world address these challenges."
