A world is changing rapidly both technically and economically and makes recognition of the International Standards of great significance for different sectors of society.
Our everyday reliance on product safety, the availability of all weather communications and a constantly increasing requirement of quality of service is a tribute to the thousands of standards in use all over the world from IEC, ISO and ITU. Similarly, the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade emphasises the vital significance of International Standards in providing the technical foundation for global markets and calls on all governments to take care of the safety and health issues of their public but simultaneously ensure abolishing unnecessary technical barriers to free trade.
This year's message of ISO on World Standards Day "Standard: Big benefits for small business" most appropriate for the present day small businesses since they are required to deliver standardised quality services and products.
I am happy to learn that Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) is celebrating the World Standards Day like other international bodies in collaboration with ISO, IEC and ITU. The sole objective being promoting quality culture in the general public. There cannot be two opinions about the importance and role of standardisation and quality control in the progress and development of trade and industry. The consumer confidence in products manufactured in accordance with specified standards is also very important to ensure quality.
Standards are technical specifications that businesses use the world over to produce goods and services of quality. Standards are means to achieve state-of-the-art technological know-how enabling them to ensure safety and performance, but their basic and essential role is that by establishing certain parameters, they provide a common technological foundation for producing goods, services and systems in the world.
Globalisation has made the world a single unit and a large segment of consumers, have access to quality goods are slowly coming in a position to demand quality and stress on standards specially when it is matter of health, safety and value added products.
Standardisation is one of the most rapidly progressing areas of co-operation for the developing countries. Indeed, standards are very important for enhancement of trade, quality; and industrial development. In Pakistan there is greater need for the development and implementation of standards generally in Small Business and particularly in big business, as they provide sustainable basics for economic development and progress of the country. Pakistan cannot afford further delay on this account as today's market motto throughout the world is 'quality always sells', which is uniformly applicable everywhere.
I am happy to note that the PSQCA is moving along with world and ISO, IEC and ITU and making sincere efforts for improving the quality of our products and making them acceptable both at home and abroad.