International Day for Standardization

Standards bring the world togetherEvery year on International Standards Day, the Canadian Standards Council joins the international community in recognizing the importance of standards-related action and pays tribute to the collaborative efforts of thousands of people who devote their time and skill to this important and responsible work.

The date of October 14 was chosen to celebrate International Standardization Day on the grounds that it was on this day in 1946 that delegations from 25 countries first gathered in London to decide on the creation of a new international organization designed to join forces and coordinate the work of national standards committees. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) was officially formed a year later, and the celebration of this event was first held at the initiative of the President of ISO on 14 October 1970.

Since then, the spirit of cooperation embodied in the World Standards Day has spread to other global organizations: in addition to ISO members, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) have also taken part in its preparation and implementation.

Each year, ISO national representatives offer specific events for the International Day of Standardization. For example, the Standards Council of Canada recently decided to commemorate this holiday with a special issue of its regular journal Consensus (Consent), and has launched a number of different initiatives aimed at raising public awareness of the growing role of international standardization both for the global economy as a whole and for meeting the needs of its individual sectors.

The specific theme of the International Day of Standardization is selected annually by a joint decision of representatives of all three global organizations: ISO, IES and ITU. The theme “Standards for a Safer World” was chosen to celebrate the 35th International Standards Day in 2005. The World Standards Day celebration in 2006 focused on the role of standardization in small businesses and was held under the theme “Standards: Big Benefits for Small Business”.

This theme of the International Day of Standardization in 2006 was especially relevant for Canada on the eve of Small Business Week, which was held in the country from 16 to 22 October.