It is in our nature to aspire for a better future. Standards play a very important role in achieving this objective. Each year on October 14, the world celebrates the work of thousands of technical experts who contribute to the development of standards that make our lives safer, better and fairer. World Standards Day gives us the opportunity to reflect on why standards matter to all of us.
A shared vision for a better world
In 2015, a remarkable achievement of the United Nations saw the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development being adopted by all UN member states. This agenda provides a shared vision for the achievement of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), that of an urgent call for action by all countries in a global partnership.
The SDGs encompass the belief that ending poverty and deprivation relies on strategies that address a range of issues, including improving health and education, reducing inequality and spurring economic growth. At the same time, they recognise the urgency of tackling climate change and working to preserve our integrity and the diversity of our planet’s ecosystems.
The World Standards Day theme for this year is about how standards contribute towards achieving a shared vision for a better world. This requires the cooperation of many public and private partners, and the use of all available tools to disseminate best practice, including international standards and conformity assessment.
What are standards?
Standards establish technical specifications and procedures to maximise the reliability of products and services people use every day. These standards are developed by a broad range of people and organisations from different technical and geographic points of origin that come together to develop consensus-based technical specifications, guidelines and other forms of technical agreement.
The standards development process is about combining the opinion of experts and listening to every voice, so that the end result is widely representative and relevant to the challenges of different countries. The entire standards system is built on collaboration. By working together, people are empowered with real-world solutions to face sustainability challenges head-on.
Some of the challenges may be solved through emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, others by adapting things we have been doing for centuries, like farming. Standards help us in both cases by optimising and adapting old processes and setting rules that make new ones work.
Conformity to standards can help reassure consumers that products and services are safe, efficient and environmentally responsible- Francis Farrugia
Standards underpin the technology that connects us, shrinking distances and allowing access to knowledge, education and markets. They bring technological, economic and societal benefits, and help to harmonise specifications of products and services, making industry more efficient and breaking down barriers to international trade.
Conformity to standards can help reassure consumers that products and services are safe, efficient and environmentally responsible.
Benefits of standards
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated existing inequalities that risk setting us back in achieving the targeted SDGs. However, the effective use of standards has provided a way to help level the playing field by improving global health, creating infrastructure that responds to a changed world, and improving the resilience of people, businesses and organisations everywhere.
Standards have proven to be an essential component of the pandemic response. They have brought hope and practical solutions in difficult times through guidance on procedures for handling viral materials and testing, personal protective equipment and data exchange. Now, they’re part of helping to rebuild a stronger, more resilient society.
MCCAA’s role in standardisation
The Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority has various functions, ranging from promoting consumer protection, fair competition, safe products and a quality infrastructure. Another important role of the authority is that of acting as the Maltese standards body that fully participates in European and international standards so that Maltese citizens can embrace international good practices.
For this purpose, the MCCAA has adopted over 26,000 European and international standards. Furthermore, through its experts coming from various public and private sectors, it has developed a number of consensus-based standards that are of national importance on a wide range of subjects – from safety of playgrounds to the installation of PV panels to the most recent publication on classification of construction waste.
Everyone deserves access to clean water, adequate sanitation, decent housing and electricity. Standards are the key to strengthen our societies by making them more resilient and equitable – two elements that are essential to human dignity and that help us achieve our shared vision for a better world.
Visit the MCCAA website below or contact our Standardisation Directorate Help Desk on 2395 2000 for further information on how one can contribute to the shared vision of a better world through standardisation.
Francis Farrugia is director general, Standards and Metrology Institute, MCCAA