Shared vision for a better world: Spotlight on the UN Sustainable Development Goal 17 Partnerships for the goals
World Standards Day is celebrated every year on the 14 October and offers the opportunity to increase understanding of the importance of standardization. Most of us are not aware of how standards work or why we need them. We expect products and services to work no matter where or when we use them. A standard is a document that sets guidelines and good practice for organizations to follow, and consumers can feel confident that organizations choosing to use them take issues such as safety, accessibility, and customer service seriously.
World Standards Day pays tribute to the collaborative efforts of thousands of experts worldwide who develop the voluntary technical agreements that are published as Standards. To maximize positive outcomes for consumers, it is vital that the people who buy, use, and are impacted by goods and services are at the heart of standards development. Consumers Federation of Australia (CFA) recognises the important work of the volunteer CFA representatives who participate on Standards Australia technical committees as part of the CFA Standards Project. They ensure the impact on consumers is always a central part of committee considerations. Find out more about consumers and standards. As a consumer, access to standards can help you become more informed about what to expect from product and service providers, Standards Australia has provided FREE read only access to Australian standards via the Reader Room
There’s a role for standards in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), each SDG presents an urgent call to action, and achieving them requires our collective effort and in almost all cases, there’s a role for standards. This year the World Standards Day focus is on SDG 17 Partnerships for the goals which strengthens the means of implementation and revitalizes the global partnership for sustainable development. World Standards Day will explore how standards provide a shared framework that enables meaningful collaboration across industries, governments, and organizations to achieve common objectives. You can be part of the standards movement for a better world by learning about standards, using standards, contributing to developing standards and advocating for standards.
Standards are essential to achieving the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and creating a fairer, more sustainable world. The 2030 Agenda adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.