Abu Dhabi, UAE: 13 September 2022 – The UAE is set to host the Annual Meeting of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 2022 at the ADNOC Business Center in Abu Dhabi on 19-23 September. Organized by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT), the event will take place in the presence of Her Excellency Ulrika Francke, President of ISO, along with more than 2,000 delegates, including officials and representatives of national standardization bodies, as well as experts and technicians from 163 countries participating in person or virtually.
UAE’s position in the field of standardization
Holding the meeting in the UAE for the second time reaffirms the country’s support for and application of best practices in standardization as well as its alignment with international standards. The UAE won the bid to host the meeting following ISO’s 2019 Annual Meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, where the UAE received 64 votes while Denmark received 44 votes. The outcome of the vote reflects the UAE’s leading global role in the field of standardization and the ISO members’ confidence in MoIAT’s ability to host this meeting. It also highlights the UAE’s  efforts to complement international standards to strengthen the industrial sector, support global competitiveness indices, and enhance development goals through an advanced and sustainable quality infrastructure.
The annual meeting, the most important event in ISO’s calendar, will highlight the UAE's leading regional and international role in standardization. It will also reflect its capabilities in quality infrastructure and highlight its Make in the Emirates campaign. This campaign signals a new phase of enabling and stimulating the industrial sector, driven in part by the quality infrastructure ecosystem, which is a fundamental pillar of the National Strategy for Industry and Advanced Technology. Quality infrastructure is also vital to creating a conducive and attractive business environment for local and international investors, supporting national industry, and enhancing its competitiveness in local and international markets.
The Make it in the Emirates campaign supports national efforts to enhance the competitiveness of local products regionally and internationally, and meet the requirements of the business sector and consumers in terms of products and services, in line with the nation’s efforts to boost bilateral trade as part of its bilateral agreements with countries around the world.
Specialized dialogue sessions
The event will include a number of discussions focused on specialized topics. Several UAE government officials, private sector representatives, and experts, will participate in the sessions alongside MoIAT’s participants, who include: Her Excellency Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology; His Excellency Omar Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology; and Her Excellency Dr Farah Ali Al-Zarouni, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for the Standards and Legislation Sector at the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology.
Remarkable international involvement
Regional and international standardization experts will also participate in specialized sessions that highlight the role of standards in boosting competitiveness and supporting SDGs. These experts will include: Ulrika Francke, President of ISO; Dr Scott Steedman, Director of British Standards Institution (BSI); Nelson Al Assal Filho, Director of Standardization at the Brazilian National Standards Organization (ABNT); Amina Ahmed, Chief Executive of the Emirates International Accreditation Center (EIAC) and Chairwoman of Arab Accreditation Cooperation (ARAC); and Karen Batt, Head of International at Standards Australia (SA).
MoIAT represents the UAE in ISO as it is responsible for issuing standards and technical and metrological regulations through technical committees and expert taskforces.
UAE companies support ISO event
Leading UAE companies and institutions will sponsor the annual meeting, including Emirates Steel, Emirates Global Aluminium, Al-Futtaim Group, Etihad Aviation Group, and the Multinational Companies Business Group (MCBG).
Exceptional emphasis on quality
The UAE highly values its quality infrastructure. The country has finalized around 27,000 standards and technical regulations across areas related to industry, advanced technology and future industries, alongside other sectors including healthcare, education, construction, food, agriculture, and management systems, among other dynamic sectors that shape the future.
MoIAT focuses on enhancing national quality infrastructure and aims to protect consumers and the environment while supporting the economy. It also prioritizes facilitating trade and technology exchanges by aligning national standards with global best practices.
To support its work in standardization, MoIAT collaborates with the industrial, commercial, and service sectors, R&D and educational institutions, and government entities. By enhancing the quality infrastructure, MoIAT supports sustainable industrial policies that reduce resource consumption. It also supports climate action and net-zero efforts by increasing the efficiency and sustainability of production cycles and supply chains, while promoting the adoption of 4IR technologies across the industrial sector.
ISO
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, ISO comprises 167 member countries and more than 340 technical committees. ISO connects the public and private sectors to advance the quality infrastructure ecosystem, with representatives from 123 member and 31 observer countries participating in its annual meeting. As well as convening international officials and experts, physically and virtually, the ISO Annual Meeting will witness the signing of a number of MoUs between MoIAT and various regional and global standardization institutions.