IEC/ISO/ITU World Standards Cooperation (WSC) holds the 20th meeting

IEC President Dr. SHU Yinbiao presided over the meeting, and World Economic Forum President Mr. Borge Brende delivered a keynote address

On February 26, the 20th meeting of the IEC/ISO/ITU World Standards Cooperation (WSC) was held online. Dr. SHU Yinbiao, President of International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and Chairman of China Huaneng Group Co., Ltd. presided over the meeting. Mr. Borge Brende, President of World Economic Forum (WEF) delivered a keynote address, touching upon topics on the current global pandemic situation, the global economic conditions, and future challenges and opportunities, and discussing how international standards can promote world economic and social development in the post-pandemic era. Relevant persons-in-charge of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) attended the meeting.

In his address, Mr. Brende pointed out that the Davos Agenda 2021 was held online for the first time in January this year. Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the meeting by video and delivered a keynote speech, calling for the rebuilding of trust together with global leaders from governments, companies and social organizations. He said, the world is facing many challenges that know no border, such as COVID-19 and climate change, and trust is key to tackling these global challenges. Currently, populism is on the rise in some areas, but multilateralism is the fundamental and effective way to solve complex problems.

Mr. Brende believes that the post-pandemic era is filled with both opportunities and challenges. The digital transformation is irreversible, and we should work to ensure internet access for more people while avoiding widening inequalities during this process. He also believes that the process of global green transition will be accelerating. Compared with conventional energy, investments in renewable energy can create three times job opportunities. The cost of renewable energy has dropped significantly. The cost for solar energy is only one-tenth and the cost for wind energy is one-seventh, compared with 10 years ago.

Mr. Brende emphasizes that international standards are helpful in efficiently allocating resources, promoting global cooperation, fostering a fairer and more effective market environment, and facilitating global trade. For example, the unified European market has achieved good synergy with consensus-based safety standards, health standards, and environmental standards etc.

Dr. SHU Yinbiao said in his concluding speech that we are currently facing many global challenges, and the way out is to strengthen international cooperation, uphold multilateralism and jointly build a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind. He believes that with the extensive use of vaccines and implementation of effective response measures, the global pandemic situation is likely to be reversed in the near future.

Dr. SHU Yinbiao believes that digital transformation and green transition are crucial to world economic development, and the core lies in technological innovation. As new technologies will continue to emerge, international standards will certainly play a greater role. Dr. SHU Yinbiao emphasizes that the three major international standardization organizations (IEC/ISO/ITU) have been working closely to resolve global challenges through international standards. The successful holding of the 20th meeting of WSC will deepen cooperation between international standardization organizations and World Economic Forum, and jointly promote world development and prosperity.

WSC was established in 2001 to promote international standardization work and enhance collaboration across IEC, ISO and ITU, and to promote and implement consensus-based international standards and conformity assessment guidelines on a global scale. Numerous successful joint activities of IEC, ISO and ITU have been held under the auspices of WSC, including the World Standards Day, Academia roundtables, workshops on dedicated themes (health, security, IT), and creation of a tripartite Accessibility Guide.

WSC was established in 2001 to promote international standardization work and enhance collaboration across IEC, ISO and ITU, and to promote and implement consensus-based international standards and conformity assessment guidelines on a global scale. Numerous successful joint activities of IEC, ISO and ITU have been held under the auspices of WSC, including the World Standards Day, Academia roundtables, workshops on dedicated themes (health, security, IT), and creation of a tripartite Accessibility Guide.