Dubai - UAE: Under the patronage of H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, the 31^st General Assembly of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) opens today at Grand Hyatt Dubai.

The five-day ISO Dubai 2008, held in Dubai and the Middle East for the first time since ISO's inception in 1947, is hosted by the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA), and attended by more than 500 delegates from 157 ISO member countries.

Also attending are representatives from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Arab Industrial Development and Mining Organization (AIDMO).

The event is supported by leading companies and government authorities in the UAE: Platinum Sponsors Etisalat and Hydra Properties, Gold Sponsor Dubai Properties Group, Silver Sponsor General Holding Corporation (GHC), and Official Sponsors Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD), Dubai Convention Bureau and Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).

Details of the event were announced at a press conference yesterday (Saturday October 11 2008) attended by H.E. Dr. Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahad, UAE Minister of Environment and Water, Vice Chairman of ESMA, and Chairman of the ISO Dubai 2008 Higher Organizing Committee; Alan Bryden, ISO Secretary General; HE Walid Bin Falah Al Mansouri, Director General of ESMA; and Mohammed Ahmed Al Mulla, Director of Metrology Department, ESMA, and General Coordinator of the ISO Dubai 2008.

Bin Fahad described how the hosting and organisation of the event enhances the UAE's stance as a major venue for global events.  

"It also demonstrates the confidence of ISO's management and members in the UAE's capabilities and commitment in implementing the organisation's worldwide standards and specifications in various sectors and fields," he said, "highlighting the UAE's worldwide status as a leader in adopting specifications, standards and best global practices."

By choosing the UAE to host the General Assembly also showed the ISO's appreciation for the UAE's only national standardisation committee, Mowasafat, authorised to issue local measurement standards and approved schemes for national and international standards locally.

"The event will help raise public awareness of the importance of standardisation and its role in upgrading development and improving performance," said Bin Fahad.

The UAE has been an ISO member since 1980 and became an active member in 2001, after the establishment of ESMA which works with technical committees on the development of national standards in collaboration with partners in the production and services sectors.

Taken into consideration are UAE strategies and directives for sustainable growth, environmental conservation, energy efficiency, eco- friendly fuel, reduction of carbon monoxide, and quality of consumer products and raw materials.

Bin Fahad pointed out that the ISO Dubai 2008 agenda includes the final recommendations by the Committee on Developing Country Matters (DEVCO) coinciding with the General Assembly sessions in Dubai.

Open Session attendees will discuss specifications and development of standards, climatic changes, water and energy efficiency, future sustainable buildings, smart and earthquake-resistant buildings, safety of high rise buildings, and best practices reducing harmful impact on the environment resulting from construction.

Bin Fahad confirmed that the UAE now leads regional environmental construction through Abu Dhabi's Masdar Green City, the first global carbon-free city, which will have workplaces, educational facilities, and light industrial establishments.

Masdar City will have free energy supplies, mainly from solar power, and reduce 80 per cent of desalinated water consumption.

In Dubai, several more green projects have been announced: the Lighthouse Tower at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) that will cut conventional energy consumption by 65 per cent through the usage of solar and wind power, and Mirdiff City Centre, a Majid Al Futtaim project which is styled as the region's first 'ecologically-friendly shopping centre' adopting global LEED standards for construction and design of green buildings.

The keynote address of the Open Session on October 15 will be delivered by Mrs Louise Cox, President of the International Union of Architects. Participants will discuss standards-related issues: green buildings requirements, fire and flood-resistant buildings, energy efficiency reducing environmental impact, services for people with special needs and the elderly in sustainable future buildings.

ISO, the world's largest developer of international standards, has published 17,000 standards, of which more than 2,500 are adopted by the UAE, as part of its standards development strategies aimed at bringing local standards closer to  international specifications.

The General Assembly is open for select ISO delegations and invited representatives from international organizations. Around 230 global technical committees and 2,280 sub-committees and work groups comprising international experts and specialists develop and define standards.

ISO subsidiaries such as the International Committee on Developing Countries' Affairs (DEVCO) and TMB will also hold meetings in Dubai before forwarding their final recommendations to the General Assembly on its last meeting.

ISO membership is open for national standards organisations and authorities, but restricted to only one national authority per country.

-Ends- 

International Organization for Standardization
The ISO is the world's largest developer and publisher of International Standards. ISO, a non-governmental organization, has a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that coordinates its member countries. Currently, the ISO network is made up of national standards institutes of 157 countries, with one member per country.

Its role is to form a bridge between the public and private sectors, enabling a consensus to be reached on solutions that meet both the requirements of business and the broader needs of society. Its member institutes are from both the government or mandated by the government and the private sector.

The name is derived from the Greek Isis, meaning "equal". This name was chosen to give it a short, all-purpose name because otherwise "International Organization for Standardization" would have different acronyms in different languages ("IOS" in English, "OIN" in French for Organisation internationale de normalisation).

Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology
Established in 2001, ESMA's vision is to be the pioneering authority in the fields of Standardization, Conformity, and Metrology at regional and international levels and to establish best quality and excellence as guiding principles that support the national economy.

As a full member of the ISO, ESMA's role is to advise all stakeholders about standards development, as well as to ensure the UAE's standards are in line with scientific developments, including ISO standards.

Consistently taking into consideration the social, economic, health and safety interests of the public, ESMA makes certain that the services and products are of the quality and in

conformity with the approved standards. In addition, ESMA spreads awareness of the different standardization activities through various outlets.  ESMA's strategy supports the national economy and welcomes in a new era of excellence and quality within the UAE.

For more information, please contact:
Maysoon Baraky
Milestones Marketing Communications FZ LLC
Tel. .: 04 365 8491
Fax: 04 3678097
Mobile: 050 2561157
Email: maysoon@milestonesmc.com

© Press Release 2008 from Milestones Marketing Communications

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