Robust Quality Infrastructure is key for Sustainable Development – UNIDO report highlights

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) releases a report titled "Rethinking Quality Infrastructure: Quality Policies for a Sustainable Future" following an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) held in Vienna from 13-15 November 2024.

The report highlights Quality Infrastructure’s (QI) critical role in supporting sustainable development, emphasizing its importance in achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals across economic, environmental, and social dimensions. Key findings underscore the evolving nature of QI systems beyond trade, adapting to emerging global trends like digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and the circular economy. The report introduces the second edition of the QI4SD Index, a joint initiative with the International Network on Quality Infrastructure (INetQI), a framework evaluating countries' readiness to support sustainable development. 

Experts, including those of the INetQI, emphasized the need for QI systems to become more demand-driven, technologically advanced, and inclusive, with a focus on wider stakeholder engagement and integration of sustainability considerations. They further highlighted the importance of integrating sustainability considerations into quality policies and practices, making future QI systems more resilient and capable of responding to global challenges.

The report serves as a strategic roadmap for policymakers and stakeholders worldwide, demonstrating how robust quality infrastructure can drive sustainable and resilient development in an increasingly complex global landscape. Its findings will be reflected in the new edition of the Quality Policy guiding documents that are expected to launch later this year.