World Standards Day: Date, History, Theme, Celebration

The World Standards Day is celebrated on 14th October, every year by the members of IEC (the International Electrotechnical Commission), ISO (The International Organization for Standardization) and ITU (The International Telecommunication Union). This signifies the means of paying honor to the joint efforts of the numerous experts across the world that voluntarily develop the technical agreements which are issued as International Standards. World Standards Day is a global observance held annually on October 14. World Standard Day was formally established in the year 1970 by Mr. Faruk Sünter, the then President of IES (International Organization for Standardization).

With the help of International standards, technical obstructions in international commerce can be defeated. Implementation of the world standards became a critical issue post-Industrial Revolution. Though the first international standards organization was formed in the year 1906, the most vigorous expansion of standards started when the ISO was formally found in the mid-20th century.

World Standards Day was formed by the ISO for raising the awareness of the significance of standardization to the global economy. Standardization is basically the method of development and implementation of technical standards. The conference was commemorated on October 14, 1946, in London. The ISO was envisaged during the conference.

The celebrations of World Standards Day are synchronized by different international standards organizations, including the ISO, IEC, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Employees), ITU, IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force), etc. A variety of activities are performed by national standards organizations throughout the world.

World Standards Day: Date

World Standards Day was celebrated on 14th October every year.

• 2024: 14 October, 2024 [Monday]
• 2025: 14 October, 2025 [Tuesday]
• 2026: 14 October, 2026 [Wednesday]
• 2027: 14 October, 2027 [Thursday]

The day was celebrated in collaboration by the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), ISO (International Organization for Standardization), and IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering) and IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force).

The main purpose of celebration was to make the world aware of the significance of standardization and its relevance to the economy.

Several activities throughout the globe were chosen by the stakeholders to celebrate the day. The events involved scientists, mathematicians and others from the world of standardization.

History:

World Standards Day (or International Standards Day) was founded to spread more and more awareness about significance of standardization to the international economy among the industrial sectors, consumers and the regulators.

14 October was purposely selected to mark the date, in the year 1946, when official delegates from 25 countries first met in London and made a decision to form an international organization that focuses on facilitating standardization.

Across the globe, different activities are selected by national authorities to celebrate the date. The SCC (Standards Council of Canada) which is national accreditation body of Canada celebrates World Standards Day along with the international society. It observes the day close to the international observance dates. In the year 2012, SCC celebrated World Standards Day on 12th October, Friday.

Why Is World Standards Day Celebrated?

The purpose of World Standards Day is to increase awareness about the significance of standardization to the international economy among the industry, consumers, regulators, and the government.

The capability to travel efficiently from one destination to another; adequate fresh water; worldwide access to cleaner energy; a feeling of safety and security are some of the requirements and assurances modern cities must accomplish if they want to avail a civilized quality of life to their people and stay competitive on an international level.

International Standards assist the expansion of tailor-made resolutions which can be adapted to the particular situations of a given city. They possess best practices and expert knowledge; they are also vital enablers in guaranteeing the quality and performance of goods and services. By celebrating World Standards Day, the member countries signify that they are highly motivated towards making their cities smart cities at the level of International Standards.

The International Standards facilitate the safe and smooth functioning of things at every level in the smart cities. They also provide the base for electricity access and support the ICT (Information and Communication Technologies). International Standards provide essential guidance for all characteristics of city life such as the construction of sustainable communities, improvement of waste management, intelligent transportation, and energy-efficient buildings, etc.

By celebrating the World Standards Day, member countries confirm that they are in the race of making the world a better place to live in.

How It Is Celebrated?

Since the year 1970, World International or Standards Day gets celebrated in different methods across the world. Various events like seminars, exhibitions, conference and TV and radio interviews are held by different organizations across the world. In some countries “World Standards Week” events are also held every year on or near October 14th.

By celebrating World Standards Day, tribute is paid to various volunteers globally who take part in activities related to standardization. It aimed about increasing awareness of significance of international standardization to the world economy, promoting the role of international standardization and fulfilling the needs of consumers, government, industry and business worldwide.

Initially, 3rd of October was proposed as World Standards Day by the IOS (International Organization for Standardization) in order to honor the anniversary of the primary meeting of officials from 25 countries which resulted in the creation of ISO.

The IEC (International Electro-technical Commission) joined the celebration with ISO in the celebration of World Standards Day in 1988, and the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) joined in 1993.

The US Celebration of World Standards Day:

The celebrations of the US World Standard Day was started by the Standards Engineering Society in the year 1990 which has now become a joint endeavor between the public and the private sector. The ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) co-chair the celebration and events. The event is participated by over 50 government agencies, corporations, standards development organizations, professional societies and trade associations.

The celebration of US World Standards Day includes dinner, reception, exhibitions and distribution of the Leadership Award of Ronald H. Brown Standards. The award recognizes the distinguished leadership in promoting the significant role of standardization in eradicating the global barriers to trade.

2017 World Standards Day – Paper Competition:

World Standards Day is observed each year across the world to raise awareness of the responsibility and role that standards play in the international economy. The Paper Competition on the World Standards Day is co-sponsored by SES (The Society for Standards Professionals) and the Planning Committee of the US World Standards Day. It is done with an objective to commemorate the worldwide significance of standards and to admire and appreciate selected persons in the US Standards community.

Cash awards are given away by the organizers including SES and the Planning Committee for the US World Standards Day for the top three papers submitted. The first winner receives a plaque and $2,500. Second and the third winners would receive $1,000 and $500, respectively. All the winners also get a certificate. Additionally, the winning papers will be issued in the journal of SES and Standards Engineering.

The award-winning paper must:

Highlight the importance of standards and their use. Authors are allowed to address the theme of 2017 World Standards Day that is “Smart Health- Using Smart Systems to Progress the Superiority and Deliverance of Health Care in a More Incorporated and Focused Approach.” But there is no such obligation; authors are free to choose topics that address are either domestic (US) or global topics in scope.

Additionally, the authors must produce original work which is well written and has minimal spelling or grammar errors. The article must be nicely articulated; authors may use graphs, charts, and pictures to improve the paper and support the theme.

About SES:

The Society for Standards Professionals (SES) was formed in 1947 to improve knowledge and application of standards and standardization. It was formed as the Standards Engineering Society (a not-for-profit society for professional members) to provide merits to everyone who are involved with or impacted by the standards.

The Society for Standards Professionals is an affiliate body for the United States and Canada in the IFAN (International Federation of Standards Users). SES is also an affiliate of the ANSI (American National Standards Institute). It is the only organization in North America, which is dedicated entirely towards this initiative.

It also controls the exclusive certification program for the professionals of the standards worldwide. The members of the SES are mainly involved in the growth and expansion, application and the proper use of global, regional, national, company and governmental standards. SES offers an unbiased environment where the users and developers of standards can align together for addressing the mutual concerns, prospects, and interests.

Theme:

The theme of World Standards Day for the year reveals the facts of the current age of healthcare and the future requirements of the patients and the caregivers. As the IoT (Internet of Things) evolves, for example, intelligent healthcare systems affect how to care and treatments are delivered in ways that are new to the healthcare industry.

Intelligent healthcare systems offer a dispersed environment which requires a focused precision and a level of availability and reliability and to preserve their effectiveness. Standards play a huge role in supporting the systems for improving the delivery and quality of healthcare for a more incorporated and focused approach.

This year, the U.S. would celebrate the World Standards Day by honoring the vital role and significance of standardization in the field of healthcare followed by a reception and festivity dinner at the hotel Mandarin Oriental situated in Washington, D.C. The Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award, 2017 will also be presented in the celebration.

The award has been named post the late United States Secretary of Commerce; the award mainly honors the individual who has played a key role in promoting the standardization and eliminating the global trade barriers for the year. The celebration also includes the announcement of the winners of the 2017 World Standards Day Paper Competition. The names get announced by the president of SES (The Society for Standards Professionals).

World Standards Day was formally launched in 1970 and is now observed across the globe. Every year, the activities of the U.S. are planned and managed by a planning committee. The committee consists of representatives and officials from the community of standards and conformity assessment. The AAMI (Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation) will serve as the administrating organization of the 2017 event. Every year, the celebration is co-chaired by the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology).

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Conclusion:

Standards basically help to confirm that all goods and services possess the same quality and standards irrespective of the place of manufacture. Based on the global agreement, standards help countries to accomplish various objectives such as providing a universal technical foundation for manufacturing goods, services or systems anywhere and confirming safety and performance.

According to ISO, the IEC and ITU by assisting to make at least one part of the international trading system more resourceful and effective, these three organizations can assist to make the entire market more efficient. Eventually, a proficient and resourceful market benefits everyone including the consumers, testing laboratories, governments, manufacturers, and all other members of the market.