Discours du Ministre des PMS lors de « ISO workshop on Leadership and Management Programme »

Sunil Bholah a pris la parole lors de la cérémonie d’ouverture d’une atelier de travail organisé par l’International Organization for Standardization en collaboration Mauritius Standards Bureau sur le Leadership and Management Programme le 26 novembre 2019.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to address you this morning on the occasion of the opening ceremony of the ISO workshop on Leadership and Management Programme organized by the International Organization for Standardization in collaboration with the Mauritius Standards Bureau.

On behalf of the Government of Mauritius and in my own name, I wish to extend a warm welcome to all the overseas delegates and resource persons who have travelled all the way to attend this workshop. I hope you will be able to spare some of your precious time to visit Mauritius. I also wish to thank the International Organization for Standardization for choosing Mauritius for this workshop. It is indeed a matter of pride and prestige to host this ISO flagship event. This gives Mauritius its rightful place in the fraternity of ISO Members and will evidently further consolidate our relationships as regards international standardization.Ladies and Gentlemen,

On 1st January 1995, Mauritius Standards Bureau became a full Member of the International Organization for Standardization. It marked a new beginning for the Bureau as it opened the door for international standardization. This was in consonance with the Government policy to adhere to WTO-driven trade liberalization process and to eliminate and reduce technical barriers to trade through the use of international standards and harmonized standards.

This event was a game-changer for the Mauritius Standards Bureau as it kick-started a long and fruitful journey for collaboration, cooperation and partnership between our two institutions.

It is worth mentioning that the building at Moka which houses MSB purpose-built laboratories and offices was inaugurated in the presence of the late Secretary-General of ISO Dr Lawrence Eicher and the late President of ISO, Mr E. Möllmann.

It would be appropriate here to briefly highlight the collaboration between ISO and MSB during the last two decades.

In 2012, the Bureau hosted the ISO Regional Workshop on Stakeholder Engagement and Participation in Standardization which enlisted the participation of Standards Bodies from several African countries. The workshop provided an overview of the importance of international standardization as a key enabler for unlocking world markets, promoting technical progress and ensuring sustainable development.

In the same year the Mauritius Standards Bureau conducted a study on the economic benefits of standardization in Mauritius in collaboration with ISO to determine the contribution of standards to the national economy and industrial productivity. The report of the study and similar reports from other countries have been published by ISO in a compendium.

Similarly, MSB is in the process of developing the National Standardization Strategy of Mauritius based on a framework established by ISO. As a first step, an intensive consultation has been conducted to assess the needs and demands of our stakeholders. The strategy will map out the standardization activities of the country for the coming five years and will support the socio-economic development of Mauritius.
The Mauritius Standards Bureau has also benefitted from an ISO Project Sponsorship Programme to be a Member of the CASCO Working Group 46 for the development of the International Standard ISO/IEC 17029 on General Principles and Requirements for validation and verification bodies. The Acting Director of the Mauritius Standards Bureau attended all the meetings of the Working Group for the full cycle development of that standard. The standard has been recently published. This was a first milestone for Mauritius and its National Standards Body.

The Mauritius Standards Bureau was also invited by ISO at the 34th ISO CASCO Plenary Meeting and Workshop this year to share its experience as a Member of ISO Working Group 46 with other National Standards Bodies from developing countries.

The Mauritius Standards Bureau has also the privilege to get the support and partnership of ISO within its Action Plan for Developing Countries to define the content of a CASCO toolkit which will provide the technical underpinnings to public policies to facilitate trade and enhance ease of doing business.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Overcoming the steep curve of learning is one of the major challenges of National Standards Bodies in developing countries. Without a strong and
synergistic partnership with world-class standards bodies and ISO, it would be impossible for standards bodies to scale up their capacities and capabilities.

It is useful to recall that out of 164 Standards Bodies affiliated to ISO over 120 are from developing countries.

These national standards bodies will not be able to derive benefits from international standardization unless they build their capacity and participate more actively in the development of international standards. Most of these national standards bodies like the Mauritius Standards Bureau are “standards takers”. They should make the shift and become “standards setters”. To this end, ISO should enlist the participation of its Members from developing countries in Technical Committees or Working Groups.

It is comforting to note that ISO has renewed its commitments for capacity building and inclusive international standardization in its Strategic Plan 2030. The Workshop on Leadership and Management Programme is a step in the right direction as leadership and management are key elements which determine the success of a country and an organization.

Ladies and Gentlemen

It is often said that the standards and conformity assessment infrastructure of a country is anchored in the social, economic and cultural realities of that country. In this sense the Mauritius Standards Bureau has evolved in response to the economic, industrial and social needs of Mauritius. It has continuously provided the scientific and technical underpinnings to the economic and industrial operators to boost the economic growth, bolster regional and international trade, promote the welfare of the citizen and protect the environment.

The Bureau has adopted a horizontal approach to standardization whereby Metrology, Standards Development and Conformity Assessment services are provided under a single roof. This model is adequate and suitable given the limited technical and financial resources available.

It is widely acknowledged that Mauritius is today at the cross-road of its development path. The strategies and policies which propelled the nation from a low-income economy to a middle-economy have outlived their purposes and are inadequate for the next phase of its development. A new Economic Model including innovative strategies are required to fuel the economic growth and uplift the standard of living of the citizens. A new development plan has already been elaborated to transform Mauritius into a high-income economy while ensuring inclusive growth and sustainability.

My Ministry is in the process of reviewing the National Export Strategy with the main objective of establishing the building blocks and engines of growth of the future. The strategy outlines the roadmap for the development of key sectors having high export potential.

The next phase of development will no doubt pivot on the strengthening of the standards and conformity assessment infrastructure as a competitive tool to spur growth and create gateways for trade in the complex world of market access and market acceptance.

Ladies and Gentlemen

With these remarks, I have now the pleasure to declare the ISO Workshop on Leadership and Management open and wish all the participants fruitful deliberations.

Thank you.