Celebrating World Standards Day: a global commitment to a better world

In October, as autumn colors unfolded, standardizers worldwide celebrate the World Standards Day. This annual event highlights the critical role of standards in business and daily life and honors the immense contributions of the global standardization community.

Under the theme “Shared vision for a better world: Spotlight on SDG 17—Partnership for the goals”, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the National Standardization Administration of China (SAC) held a commemorative event in Beijing on October 14.

The event showcased China’s significant progress in standardization. Key achievements announced included: the public release of over 30,000 national standards earlier this year, which have garnered 150 million online views and 17 million downloads; the official launch of the Standard Intelligent Development System (SIDS); and the recognition of 76 Chinese experts with awards from IEC and ISO. Ma Dejun, Vice President of both the China Association for Standardization and the China Battery Industry Association, received the prestigious IEC Lord Kelvin Award, who became the first Chinese expert to earn this highest lifelong honor.

The event featured video addresses from Sergio Mujica, ISO Secretary-General, and Jo Cops, IEC President. Both leaders praised SAC’s active role in international standardization. Mujica encouraged Chinese experts to “actively participate in this year’s discussions and activities, as together we strive to create a better and brighter future for all”. Cops commended China as an exemplar of true partnership, stating, “Together, we have achieved much. But the road ahead is even more exciting.”

Further activities were organized by the China National Institute of Standardization (CNIS), including themed meetings, lectures, and an outdoor standards promotion event.

The 2025 ASEAN-Oriented Standardization Cooperation Forum was held in August in Nanning, which focused on “Innovative collaboration in AI standardization, empowering the building of China-ASEAN community with a shared future”. You can find more details in our SPECIAL REPORT column.

The GLOBAL VISION column presents the reports on the ISO Annual Meeting 2025, which was held in Kigali, Rwanda, on October 6-11. The meeting, themed “United for impact”, focused on advancing international standards to achieve sustainable development goals.

This season is a fruitful period of dialogues, thoughts, and exchanges, yielding significant progress for the global standards community.