An archive photo
MINSK, 14 May (BelTA) – A 14-point action plan for standardization cooperation has been adopted within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The plan aims to foster collaboration among relevant specialists and create unified standard databases to facilitate mutual trade. This was the key outcome of a meeting of heads of national standardization bodies of SCO member states held in Moscow, the press service of the State Committee for Standardization told BelTA.
Representatives from Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and the SCO Secretariat participated in the event, both in person and online. The Belarusian side was represented by a delegation from the State Committee for Standardization, headed by its Chairwoman Yelena Morgunova.
The heads of national standardization bodies of SCO countries also agreed to develop a mutually beneficial dialogue, share experience in standardization, and support the creation of mutual recognition mechanisms for standards, along with their practical application in areas of mutual interest.
In this regard, the parties requested the SCO Secretariat to organize efforts to formally establish a meeting mechanism for the heads of national standardization bodies of SCO member states. The draft regulations for these meetings, reviewed during the session, were adopted as a basis for further consideration. The document is expected to be reviewed at an upcoming summit of SCO heads of state and will define a framework for systemic work in standardization for mutual benefit.
The discussion on current trends in standardization continued in a round-table format. Representatives from the Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology (Rosstandart), its institutes, and Russian technical standardization committees shared their experience in digitalization, artificial intelligence, hydrogen technologies, food safety, and the bioeconomy.
Yelena Morgunova noted the high relevance of these areas for Belarus as well. “We are currently implementing a program of advanced standardization in priority sectors of the national economy for 2025-2029. It features 126 areas for developing and updating standards, including those for digital tech and AI, industrial innovation, biological and chemical technologies, as well as innovative developments in agricultural industry and food industry. Undoubtedly, standardization needs meaningful digitalization. The primary goal is to reduce standard development time and maximize the automation of expert work, ensuring that new standards reach trending industrial sectors as quickly as possible,” she explained.
The topics discussed at the roundtable will be additionally elaborated at the expert level, and the experience of other countries in these areas will also be studied.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Yelena Morgunova held brief talks with Fu Wenbiao, a representative from the standards innovation management department of China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR). The parties noted the intensifying bilateral cooperation, including at the institutional level, and expressed confidence in its successful continuation. They also highlighted the relevance of joint work within international platforms, particularly the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
Ahead of the meeting, standardization experts gathered to prepare the agenda and documents for review. The Belarusian delegation was led by Director of the Belarusian State Institute of Standardization and Certification (BelGISS) Aleksandr Skuratov. He also held a bilateral meeting with representatives from China’s State Administration for Market Regulation and the China National Institute of Standardization (CNIS). The parties discussed in detail the draft cooperation agreement between BelGISS and CNIS, agreeing to finalize and sign it as soon as possible.
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