The Innovation & Technology Commission is encouraging local businesses to participate directly in developing international standards.

October 14 is World Standards Day and this year's theme is Standards & the Citizens: Contributing to Society.

Many aspects of the modern world are now heavily dependent on standards. Bodies like the International Organisation for Standardisation, the International Electrotechnical Commission and the International Telecommunication Union develop international standards.

The Product Standards Information Bureau helps nominate interested parties to join these organisations. Click here for details.

Standards can open up markets, help environmental protection, safety, security, health and access to information and knowledge, help provide higher quality at lower costs by ensuring competition, and provide consumers with products information.

The commission also participates in major international  standards forums like the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation Sub-Committee on Standards & Conformance to keep abreast of the latest developments.

The commission continues to promote the adoption of international standards, incorporating prevailing international standards into its regulatory and procurement requirements, such as the ISO 10646 under the Electronic Transactions Ordinance to facilitate efficient information exchange between computer systems.