The presidents of the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission and the secretary-general of the International Telecommunications Union recently highlighted the importance of international standards in a joint address.

The annual message was delivered in Geneva in honor of the approaching celebration of World Standards Day, Oct. 13. ISO President Oliver Smoot, IEC President Sei-ichi Takayanagi and ITU Secretary-General Yoshio Utsumi issued it together.

They stressed that standards are the glue holding international trade together. “The products and services shaped by international standards need to be transported, delivered, transferred or otherwise exchanged between suppliers and their customers or end users,” the address reads. “Exchange necessitates connections and interfaces. International standards harmonize the connections and facilitate exchange by ensuring smoother, swifter, safer and more economical delivery.”

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