ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world’s largest developer and publisher of International Standards. ISO is a network of national standards bodies of 163 countries, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland.
ISO standards are voluntary and we don’t regulate or legislate, although countries may decide to adopt our standards as regulations or refer to them in legislation. We have more than 21686 standards in our portfolio. Our programme ranges from standards for traditional activities, such as agriculture and construction, through mechanical engineering, manufacturing and distribution, to transport, medical devices, the environment, safety, information and communication technologies and to standards for good practice and for services.
More than 100 of our members are from developing countries and every full member has the right to take part in standards development, no matter what the size or strength of their economy. Currently the ISO standards-development system comprise 786 technical bodies including 238 ISO technical committees.
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From the Greek isos, meaning equal. Whatever the country, whatever the language, the short form of our name is always ISO.
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Nicolas took up the post in May 2017. He is carrying out the role concurrently with his position as Deputy Secretary General, to which he was also appointed in 2017. Nicolas has served in multiple positions since joining the ISO Central Secretariat in 1991.
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