FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 2007-01-16

Francophone standards bodies call for increased presence of French

A group representing francophone standards bodies recently met in Paris with top officials from the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) to encourage the increased presence and use of French within the international standards community. The parties agreed to strengthening cooperation between the organizations and increasing the participation of francophones within standardization.

Abdou Diouf, Secretary-General of OIF welcomed Kevin McKinley, Deputy Secretary General of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and delegates from the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), the Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ) and the Association française de normalisation (AFNOR) on December 13, 2006.  Mr. Diouf, who also served as President of Senegal from 1981 to 2000, acknowledged the strategic value of standardization, placing particular emphasis on the role of standards in the areas of social and economic development.

The delegation resolved to increase the availability and timeliness of French versions of ISO standards and to increase opportunities for greater participation of francophone experts in standards development.

SCC, BNQ and AFNOR introduced the group’s Standardization and la Francophonie project for developing countries. The joint initiative will provide a support network to facilitate the participation of francophone countries in standards, particularly those from the developing world. A number of other standardization bodies, including those representing Senegal, Morocco and Tunisia, have confirmed their participation in establishing this new network. For its part, OIF announced the creation of a focal point within its organization to support initiatives of the francophone standardization community.

For complete details, visit the OIF website. 

The Standards Council of Canada is a Crown corporation with the mandate to promote efficient and effective standardization in Canada. It facilitates the development and use of national and international standards and offers accreditation services with the goal of enhancing Canada’s economic competitiveness and social well-being. For more information on the SCC its programs, visit www.scc-ccn.ca or email [email protected].

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The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie is an international organization of French-speaking countries and governments. The OIF’s primary mission is the promotion of the French language as an international language and the promotion of worldwide cultural and linguistic diversity in the era of economic globalisation. To learn more about the OIF, visit www.francophonie.org.

The Bureau de normalisation du Québec is an agency of the Government of Québec and is one of four standards development organizations accredited by SCC. For more information, visit www.bnq.qc.ca.

The Association française de normalisation (AFNOR) is France's standardization body and is SCC's counterpart in France. Visit www.afnor.fr.

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