Conference on U.S. Standards Leadership Fosters Collaboration
July 3, 2007 // Published as a news service by IHS
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Leaders representing the U.S. in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) gathered in Chicago, Ill. for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Conference on U.S. Leadership in ISO and IEC.
The event provided a valuable forum for U.S. technical experts to collaborate on the development of key strategies, and to share with ANSI common concerns regarding international standards-setting.
"This is an opportunity for U.S. leaders to learn from one another and make connections for future cooperation and collaboration," said ANSI president and CEO Joe Bhatia in his opening remarks.
"By coming together on a regular basis, we can help to formulate a coordinated approach to strategic engagement in ISO and IEC."
During the conference, Keith E. Williams, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Underwriters Laboratories, examined the interplay between standards and market drivers, underscoring the need for standards to be developed in an environment that is as flexible and dynamic as the market they serve.
"ANSI continues to provide us with that environment and, at the same time, provides our government with further assurance that self-regulation is working," said Williams.
"Never has that flexibility and assurance been more important than it is today, as we negotiate, harmonize and adopt new standards in this swiftly evolving global market."
Discussions also focused on cross-cutting issues impacting both organizations, including the importance of national synchronization between ISO and IEC technical advisory groups (TAGs).
Nanotechnology was examined as a case study of a converging and emerging area of work within both organizations.
The role and responsibility of U.S. delegates when recommending national standards for inclusion in the ISO or IEC work program was another area of discussion. Particular attention was given to licensing and patenting issues, the validity of copyrights across national borders and exclusive versus non-exclusive licensing differences.
Other topics included the importance of networking with representatives from other regions to leverage resources and build consensus positions in the standards arena, and how IT can help facilitate and expedite the standards-development process, especially as it comes into play with voting, comment-tracking, documentation and archiving.
Issues of consumer protection, environmental policies, sustainable development and U.S. government use of voluntary standards were also discussed.
Source: American National Standards Institute (ANSI).