UNIDO and ISO advance international standardization for sustainable laboratory infrastructure

VIENNA, 11 June 2025 – Held on the sidelines of the 7th Plenary Meeting of the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) Technical Committee 336 (ISO/TC 336), which took place in UNIDO’s headquarters, UNIDO and ISO organized a joint seminar on sustainable laboratory infrastructure and international standardization.

Titled “Empowering Developing Countries to Establish Sustainable Laboratory Infrastructure”, the seminar highlighted the critical role of laboratories in modern quality infrastructure and in supporting economic competitiveness, innovation, public safety, and environmental protection. It further emphasized the need for policies and international standards that enable safe, efficient, and sustainable laboratories, especially in developing countries facing technical, financial, and institutional constraints.

The seminar brought together over 120 participants from more than 30 countries, including representatives from governments, national standards bodies, laboratory organizations, and international development partners, to discuss various issues for developing sustainable laboratory infrastructure while allowing to showcase national strategies from Armenia, Brazil, Egypt, India, and Uganda.

The seminar called for strengthened collaboration and expanded capacity-building as well as an inclusive approach to ensure that no country is left behind in building resilient, safe, and sustainable laboratory infrastructure that drives global progress.

About UNIDO and ISO Partnership:

For over four decades, UNIDO and ISO have collaborated to strengthen quality infrastructure systems across the developing world, thereby ensuring that global standards support sustainable industrialization, enable climate action, and foster inclusive innovation. UNIDO actively participates in the discussions and standardization activities of the Technical Committee 336 in order to develop relevant international standards and to contribute to knowledge sharing and information transfer related to sustainable laboratory infrastructure development.

For more information please contact:

Cong Wu

UNIDO Industrial Development Officer

c.wu [at] unido.org (Email)