We all have certain expectations about the products and services we buy and use. We expect them to be fit for their purpose, safe and easy to use, not harmful to health or to the environment, reliable and efficient, interchangeable and compatible with other products and to provide their benefits at an economical cost. Standards are documented agreements that translate desired characteristics into dimensions, tolerances, weights, processes, systems, best practice and other specifics so that products and services that conform to their requirements provide confidence to buyers and users.
For developing countries, international standards developed on the basis of worldwide consensus by experts in the field constitute an important source of technological know-how. By defining the characteristics that products and services will be expected to meet on export markets, international standards give developing countries a basis for making the right decisions when investing their scarce resources.
Within a quality infrastructure system, standardization is usually the responsibility of a National Standards Body (NSB) that may represent the country’s interests within organizations such as ISO (the International Organization for Standardization). The NSB may provide national delegations to participate in the development of standards that are of key importance to their country’s economy. Whether or not the NSB participates in the development of a standard, it is free to adopt and translate international standards as national standards. By using international standards, it ensures that the country benefits from international, state-of-the-art knowledge and that locally produced products will meet the requirements demanded by export customers.
