The ISO becomes 75
This year marks three quarters of a century since ISO brought together the world's standardization bodies. The Geneva-based standards organization is looking ahead to new challenges.
ISO turns 75: When ISO held its first meeting in 1947, countries around the world were in reconstruction. People at the time were looking for ways to turn a bad situation into something positive. "With courage and enthusiasm, they set out to find the most efficient techniques to promote the most effective technology. The answer they found was ISO standards," the International Organization for Standardization, as ISO is known by its full name, writes today. In its 75 years of existence, the organization has become the world's largest developer and publisher of international standards. It is a network of national standards bodies from 167 countries with a central secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland.
Under the spell of rapid change
But Ulrika Francke, president of ISO, doesn't just look back at the organization's history. "Today, our world is facing the greatest challenges of all time. We will continue to work to promote the benefits of standards and develop new ones when needed, using our proven system of transparency and international consensus," she is quoted as saying. And ISO Secretary General Sergio Mujica also says: "As we celebrate the achievements of the last 75 years, we look to the future. The pace of change has continued to accelerate, and ISO is helping to drive and guide that evolution."
ISO standards are now part of everyday life
When the organization was founded, it was not just about overcoming technical challenges, but about a new way of working together. The ISO system was created on the basis of the idea that every voice must be heard if we are to find a way to live and work together successfully. There are now 24197 ISO standards as proof of the success of this idea. They cover everything from the basic aspects of the built world to the cloud technology that allows you to read this.
Over the past 75 years, ISO standards have become integrated into almost every aspect of our lives. ISO standards are voluntary and not regulations or laws, although countries may decide to adopt ISO-developed standards as regulations or refer to them in laws.
Further information: www.iso.org
