Devco's call

The Committee of Developing Countries (Devco) at its meeting in Ottawa has stressed the need for ensuring increased co-operation and sharing of experience among regional states so that standardisation of products and services in the developing countries can be achieved.
Dr Abdul Ghaffar Soomro, Director-General, PSQCA, who attended the ISO general assembly session, has told Business Recorder that the meeting took particular notice of the problems being encountered by developing countries with regard to metrology, standards, testing and quality (MSTQ) - four main strands of quality control in products and services.
At its conclusion the Ottawa session adopted a five-point action plan for securing key objectives of the framework firmed up at the meeting. These include securing improved awareness of stakeholders in developing countries of the role standardisation plays in enhancing economic growth; building capacity of member states involved in developing and standardisation of infrastructures; securing enhanced national and regional co-operation by sharing experiences, resources and training etc and developing expertise in IT tools.
As standardisation of products and services is a major contributor to economic growth, adherence to the exacting ISO parameters can impart to Pakistani products and services a substantial competitive edge in the global market. Competitiveness of products and services conforming to the exacting ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 standards is the name of the game in the globalized economy of today.
According to experts, standards and technical regulations are essential for trade and commerce as well as diffusion of technology, in which Pakistan lags behind even some of the middle-ranking regional countries.
Most developing countries, including Pakistan, are hampered by the absence of certification bodies that are mutually recognised by their overseas counterparts, and consequently the absence of accredited laboratories. Experts believe that effective functioning of Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) will largely depend on having accredited laboratories and credible ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 certification schemes.
Incidentally, ISO 9000 is being increasingly used in the emerging markets to help raise standards and improve competitiveness of products. The main objective of its establishment was to promote international exchange of quality goods and services through ensuring improved product standards.
As asserted by Dr Soomro, standardisation in products and services will benefit Pakistan's economy in the form of increased market access after we have demonstrated that exportable merchandise is compatible to technical parameters. Manufacturing industry is the second largest sector of Pakistan's economy in terms both of productivity and employment.
It also plays a crucial role in Pakistan's external trade flows, with manufactured and semi-manufactured goods accounting for a fairly large chunk of our exports. The public and private sectors in the country have reportedly asked for UNIDO's support in a number of fields to help them achieve the target of enhanced competitiveness and sustainability of the local manufacturing sector.
However, lax quality control exercised by regulators in the country over the decades has seriously dented the credibility of our products in world markets, though it is never too late to initiate remedial measures.
As urged by Devco member states attending the Ottawa session, increased regional co-operation is the key to securing co-operation on high standards in the manufacturing and services sectors. The Export Development Board's decision some months ago to establish a Certification Authority to maximise standardisation was a move in the right direction. Pakistani products can gain competitive edge in the world market only through scrupulous adherence to ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 standards, which will be possible only through exercising unsparing quality control.