Part II: Standardization organizations with a continental level.

General Introduction:

The specialized organizations issuing standards on the continental level may be a few, so we will review with you only two models of these organizations. These organizations are representative of the continents of Africa and Europe.

1-      African continent, and has an organization "African Organisation for Standardisation - ARSO"

The African Organization for Standardisation, formerly the African Regional Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) traces its genesis to the unfolding events and the prevailing mood of the African socio-political and economic Pan-Africanism of the 1970s and the culmination of which at a Conference held at the historic and important city of Accra, Ghana.

The idea of a continental standardisation body had received considerable impetus from the buoyant and optimistic mood that characterised the post-independence period in most of Africa. The mood then, under the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), was one of pan-African solidarity and collective self-reliance born of a shared destiny with standardisation viewed as a guidepost of the destiny and bedrock of African Economic Integration Agenda and a route to linking up of the fresh Africa’s economy with the rest of the world and to deliver the African Common Market for economic prosperity of the continent.

The ARSO Council in its 39th Session in July 2009 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia redefined the strategic Mission and Vision of ARSO towards fulfilling the needs of the African standardisation in accordance with the ARSO Strategic Framework 2009-2014, which seeks to respond to the challenges of globalisation in the African continent.

Vision

To be an excellent standardisation centre that promotes trade and industry.

Mission

To facilitate intra-African and global trade through providing and facilitating the implementation of harmonised standards.

Core Values

• Integrity
• Value for Employees
• Team Work
• Passion for Creativity and Innovation
• Customer Focus

In carrying out its mandate, ARSO seeks to:

• harmonize national and/or sub-regional standards as African Standards and issue necessary recommendations to member bodies for this purpose;
• initiate and co-ordinate the development of African Standards (ARS) with references to products which are of peculiar interest to Africa;
• encourage and facilitate adoption of international standards by member bodies;
• promote and facilitate exchange of experts, information and co-operation in training of personnel in standardisation activities;
• co-ordinate the views of its members at the ISO, IEC, OIML, Codex and other international Organizations concerned with Standardisation activities.
• create appropriate bodies in addition to the organs of the organization for the purposes of fulfilling its objectives.

European continent, and has an organization