General News of Monday, 13 October 2003

Source: GNA

World Standard Day to be celebrated.

Accra, 0ct 13, GNA - This year's 34th World Standard Day would be celebrated under the theme: "Global Standard for Global Information Society" on October 14.

A statement issued on Monday by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) said the day aims at paying tribute to the collaborate efforts of thousand of experts world-wide, who develop the voluntary technical agreements that are published as international standards.

The statement added, "the society that this generation is building is the Information Society, promising fundamental change in all aspects of our lives."

It said, but for the benefits to be truly equitably distributed, then its reach must be global.

It noted that the convergence between Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have a direct bearing on almost every aspect of social development, from education through healthcare, international relations and technology transfer to poverty reduction.

The statement focuses on the theme: "Global Information Society" and is signed by Dr. Sei -ichi Takayanagi, President of International Electro Technical Commission(IEC), Mr Oliver Smoot, President (ISO) and Mr Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary General of International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

It noted that ICT has its origins in mature societies and play an important role in developing countries.

The three noted that the challenge is how best to employ the tools for the information society to achieve developmental goals on a global scale and maximizing the benefits while minimizing obstacles and barriers.