The Gulf Standardization Organization (GSO) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and a regional adoption agreement with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), on the sidelines of the 88th meeting of the General Assembly of the Commission currently being held in Edinburgh, Scotland. The MoU and the agreement were co-signed by GSO president Eng. Nawaf bin Ibrahim Al Manea, and the IEC Secretary-General of the Commission Philip Metzger. The president of the Gulf Standardization Organization (GSO) explained that the MoU of aims to enhance communication and cooperation between the two sides and covers many areas, including the exchange of technical information in the fields of electrotechnical standardization, capacity building programs, and the exchange of expertise, which contributes to the adoption of international electrotechnical standards, and special conformity assessment services in response to market requirements and facilitating global trade, and expanding the participation of expe rts and specialists in member states in the various committees and related activities of the committee, and enhances the participation of the organization in the meetings of the General Assembly, the Conformity Assessment Council, and the general meetings of the Standardization Board. He explained that the regional adoption agreement of the organization aims to adopt the standard specifications issued by the International Electrotechnical Commission at the level of the member states of the organization, and grants them the right to access the list of international standards issued by the committee, including all their original texts. He added that signing the Memorandum of Understanding and the Regional Adoption Agreement with the International Electrotechnical Commission support the current achievements between the organization and the committee, as the organization has adopted about 6,000 standard specifications issued by the International Electrotechnical Commission, which constitute 20 percent of the to tal Gulf standard specifications, which have so far reached more than 28,000 Gulf standard specifications and technical regulations, within the framework of the organizations strategic direction to adopt international standard specifications and support international standardization with the aim of facilitating trade exchange, and in line with the practices of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The Gulf Standardization Organization (GSO) signed last year a delegation agreement to translate and sell translated standard specifications through signing a tripartite agreement between the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the member states of the Gulf Standardization Organization, with the aim of supporting the Arabic language and providing standard specifications in Arabic on a specialized international platform that contributes to the ease of applying these specifications by beneficiaries in the member states of the organization. The agreement also allows the Gulf Standardization Organization to be granted the right to translate and sell standard specifications issued by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in Arabic. The International Electrotechnical Commission aims to achieve the global use of international standards and conformity assessment services that ensure the safety, efficiency, reliability and interoperability of electrical, electronic and information technologies, to enhance international trade, facilitate broad access to electricity and enable a more sustainable world. Source: Qatar News Agency