UNIDO launches publication on standards and digital transformation

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is pleased to announce the launch of a publication on “Standards and Digital Transformation: Good Governance in a Digital Age”.

We are in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is characterized by the convergence and complementarity of emerging technology domains, including nanotechnology, biotechnology, new materials and advanced digital production technologies. Despite the many challenges posed by the disruptive nature of these innovations, the digital transformation presents opportunities for inclusive and sustainable industrial development.

Timely and harmonized standards can play a pivotal role in shaping the digital transformation process, complementing regulations and contributing to digital transformation governance. Standards can facilitate the ongoing digitalization of industry by enhancing productivity and efficiency, promoting compatibility and interoperability between products and processes through common language, while guaranteeing minimum levels of quality and safety. Furthermore, standards can serve as accelerators of change as they promote innovation and the uptake of new digital technologies and spread knowledge through codification.

This publication provides insights into the key drivers of the digital transformation and its implications for sustainable development, particularly people, prosperity and planet. Noting the rapid pace of change of the digital transformation, with the COVID-19 pandemic serving as an unanticipated accelerator, the publication highlights the role of standards in digital transformation governance.

It further considers the principles necessary for guiding the collaborative development of standards in the digital technology landscape to ensure that the technologies remain human-centered and aligned to the goals of sustainability.

Download the publication here.

Download the brochure here.

For more information contact Bernardo Calzadilla Sarmiento (B.Calzadilla [at] unido.org (B[dot]Calzadilla[at]unido[dot]org))