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ISO IN THE 21st CENTURY

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) develops International Standards over almost the entire range of technology. Its membership comprises the national standards institutes of some 120 countries.

ISO is a non-governmental organization and the standards it develops are voluntary. ISO standards, although voluntary, are developed in response to market demand, and are based on consensus among the interested parties, therefore they enjoy widespread use.

Approaching the 21st century, ISO sees a world in which global trade between nations continues to grow at a rate 3 to 4 times faster than national economies; a world in which the design, manufacturing, marketing, and customer service operations of a growing majority of individual enterprises are distributed across many countries; and a world in which electronic electronic communications have dramatically increased technical collaboration between experts in academia, governments and industries from all countries.

The increasingly rapid development of technology in many sectors will continue to present major opportunities as well as underlying dangers for the general welfare of society. It will therefore be incumbent on all social and economic partners to collaborate closely in guiding the applications of appropriate technology toward sustainable economic development and global prosperity.

In this rapidly evolving scenario, globally applicable standards wil play a key role. Such standards, whether developed by ISO or others will become primary technical instruments in supporting international commerce. In this context ISO intends to be recognized globally as an influential and innovative leader as well as an effective and responsible producer in development of globally applicable International Standards which meet or exceed the expectations of the community of nations.