World Standards Day 2020: Theme, Date, History, Significance

World Standards Day – 14th October 2020

The member collaboration of IEC [International Electrotechnical Commission], ISO [International Organisation for Standardization] and ITU [International Telecommunication Union] celebrate the World Standards Day worldwide on 14th October every year. The day is meant for appreciating the efforts of the technical communities worldwide who contribute to creating “International Standards”. These “standards” are not just for namesake. They are rigorously built, acclaimed through a scientific process of technical documentation cum agreement policies after which they are released to the world for recognition.

World Standards Day is, therefore, a day of recognition for noble International Standards. In this article, we shall understand more in-depth into the subject of World Standards Day 2020 concerning their history, significance, themes and celebration aspects. Towards the end of the article, we have provided valuable FAQs to our readers.

World Standards Day 2020 – History

Almost every product in the market comes with standard regulation. Compliance to standard and technical regulations is necessary before products are released into the market. Consumers and customers lookout for ‘quality of products’ when they have the certified Standardization attested by the regulating authority. That said, the first time the world felt a need to bring in Standardization was in the year 1946.

Well-known experts and delegates from around 25 countries collaborated in London in 1946 to impulsively create a high level; international organization exclusively dedicated to bring in the norms of Standardization.

Their efforts took off when the actual formation of the Standardization entity came into effect almost twelve months later. This organization is now famously known as ISO or International Standards Organization. They are responsible for curating, publishing and popularizing standards. The first time World Standards Day was celebrated was on 14th October 1970.

Faruk Sunter, the President of IES in the year 1970 formally inaugurated the proceedings of World Standards Day in the year 1970. The first batch of Standardization was set out to specific units belonging to the industrial conglomerates. Consumers and regulators were educated and prepared for the future standardization process that was about to take wings.

Informally, these standards are mostly technical. World Standards Day is a formal celebration to bring about awareness about the existence of compliance with International Standards.

Importance of World Standards Day 2020

There are independent organizations concerned with the development of standardizations. Popular ones re ASME ( American Society of Mechanical Engineers), IEC (International Electro-Technical Commission), ISO ( International Organisation for Standardization), ITU ( International Telecommunication Union), IEEE ( Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and IETF ( International Engineering Task Force).

The day mainly caters to industry personnel concerned with the regulation departments. They bring together top-notch industrialists, consumer handles and regulatory personnel to educate them about existing standards and reviving of technical standardizations.

Standardization does not pertain to individual countries or compliance agencies. Global technical committees set standards at the international level. They have recognition and claim importance at the international platform. The need for Standardization improves the quality of life.

Standards set by technical experts and exclaimed through voluntary contributions pertains to every organization around like the travel industry, energy industry, safety and security departments of every company, etc. Right from building eco-friendly environmental systems to sustainable living conditions, Standardization is essential at every stage of life. Waste management is another area that requires regulations through well-drafted standard policies to save the earth from more significant damage.

World Standards Day Themes

Some of the past year themes that ruled the celebrations of World standards day is provided below:

• “Standards Build Trust” was the theme for the year 2016.
• 2017 came more prominent and better with “Smart Health: Using Intelligent Systems to improve the quality and delivery of health care in a more integrated, focused approach”.
• The theme for 2018 was “International Standards and the fourth industrial revolution”.
• 2019 had a unique theme called “Video standards create a global stage”.
• 2020 is all about eco-friendly ways to serve and protect the planet from creating more sustainable living conditions for all of us to survive. The IEC, ISO and ITU have themed the current year celebrations as “Protecting the planet with standards”.

World Standards Day 2020 Celebrations

The celebrations for World Standards Day are mostly industry-oriented and conform to formal ways of conducting events. Some of the common forms of celebrations are highlighted below:

• Exhibitions rule the roost on this momentous day.
• Participation from various industries, business tycoons, education segments, the cinema world and essential government departments serve beautiful conferences across the globe. Huge spreads of receptions followed by formal meetings shall be announced for the day.
• World Standards Day is all about Presentations and structured discussions on international platforms.
• The day also recognizes immense contributions from stalwarts in the business industries and presents the leadership awards to deserving candidates.
• Committees and representatives across industry and trade verticals come forward and break the ice by clearing trade barriers that were long sustained due to business restrictions. The day could be anticipated to throw open some classic business ties and present new and innovative ideas for sprucing up the trade and commerce highways of respective nations.
• Other celebrations across different zones include competitions, demonstrations, support for emerging innovators, Standardization of supply chains, relaxation for staff and communities concerned with these industries.

Facts about World Standards Day

Below we shall discuss some salient facts and figures about World Standards Day:

• IEC was formed in the year 1906. The organization is mainly concerned with the publication of international standards for the electrical and electronic industry segments. All semiconductors, batteries, fibre optics, solar energy devices get their Standardization from this regulatory unit.
• ISO was formed in 1947 to cater to industrial and commercial standardization requirements. The ISO is relevant worldwide and has global working offices in more than 164 countries.
• ITU is mainly into regulating the telecommunication sector. Our mobile phone devices and networks, broadband types of equipment, satellites, meteorological establishments, internet, television networks, satellite systems and navigation equipment conform to standards from the ITU.
• IEEE was formed in 1963 and looked into the educational propagation of various branches of engineering.
• The IETF formally regulates the Standardization for TCP/IP Internet Protocol regimes.
• Both ISO and ITU have a very prominent presence in Geneva, Switzerland.

Conclusion

India celebrates World Standards Day under the aegis of “Bureau of Indian Standards”. Standardization is an international process carried out for providing reliable consumer right, safe products to customers, thereby reducing the onset of different types of health hazards.

Standardization is beneficial and promotes the economic development of all nations. The trade and commerce departments of every country prosper under the guidelines of Standardization and strict industry regulations.

Exports and imports of a country thrive when a country accounts for quality production conforming to standards of international importance. The various processes of Standardization, including step-by-step testing, quality checking, auditing and certifying, comply with industry-relevant recommendations and crucial instigation’s.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is World Standards Day?

World Standards Day is an awareness creation day for recognition of voluntary technical agreements produced by highly deemed contributors. These agreements are industry-regulated compliance’s termed informal words as Standardization.

2. How do we celebrate World Standards Day?

Formal events like exhibitions, conferences, discussions, recognition of efforts through leadership awards, receptions and dinners, special gatherings and high-level meetings are essential highlights of the day. The day also sees various seminars, interviews on TVs, technical talks and competitions.