INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR STANDARDIZATION - ISO

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies. Mission

Members
National Standards bodies (i.e. British Standards Institute-BSI, American National Standards Institute-ANSI, Association Française de Normalisation-AFNOR) from some 130 countries, one from each country.

Background
ISO was established in 1947.

Funding

• member subscriptions (80 %) and
• revenues from the sale of the Organization's standards and other publications (20%).

Structure
The General Assembly is constituted by a meeting of the officers and delegates nominated by the member bodies. Correspondent members and subscriber members may attend as observers. The President is the Chairman of the General Assembly. ISO’s operations are governed by the Council, consisting of the Officers and eighteen elected member bodies. The Council reports to the General Assembly.

The Council appoints the Treasurer, the twelve members of the Technical Management Board, and the Chairmen of the Policy Development committees. It also decides on the annual budget of the Central Secretariat.

The Central Secretariat acts as secretariat to the General Assembly and the Council

Technical Management Board
The Technical Management Board consists of national representatives from many sectors, including industry, research, consumer representatives etc.

• It reports to and, when relevant, advises Council on all matters concerning the organization, coordination, strategic planning, and programming of the technical work of ISO.
• It examines proposals for new fields of ISO technical activity, and decides on all matters concerning the establishment and dissolution of technical committees.

Staff
The Central Secretariat has a full-time staff of 160 - the technical work of ISO is highly decentralized, carried out in a hierarchy of 2850 technical committees, subcommittees and working groups. Some 30 000 experts participate in meetings each year.

Headquarters
Geneva

Fields of activity

• Worldwide progress in trade liberalization
• Global standards for emerging technologies
• Promoting standards in developing countries

ISO Standards of interest to the hospitality industry
ISO 9000 - a series of standards for Quality Management and Quality Assurance.
ISO 14000 - an international Environmental Management standard.
ISO 22000 – Food Safety Management Systems
ISO 26000 – Guidelines for Social Responsibility

Relationship with IH&RA

• IH&RA obtained official Liaison Status with TC 34 supervising the implementation of ISO 22000 on Food Safety Management Systems.
• IH&RA has regularly attended the annual meetings of COPOLCO, ISO’s Committee on Consumer Policy. A sub-group of this consumer-led committee decided in 2004 to focus on Priority Areas for Consumers in the Standardisation of Tourism Services despite information from IH&RA that the hotel & restaurant industry is already one of the most heavily regulated industry sectors in the world.
• This work by the sub-group has led to the establishment of a Technical Committee TC228 on Standards for Tourism Services, despite concerted opposition from IH&RA, HOTREC and other industry partners.
• IH&RA, HOTREC & other industry bodies are actively lobbying to have accommodation and catering removed rom the Scope of Activities of TC 228.

Key contacts:
Mr. Alan Bryden, Secretary General
Mr. M. A. Smith, Director, Standards Dept.

COPOLCO
Mrs. Dana Kissinger-Matray , Secretary
Address:
1, Rue de Varembé – Case Postale 56
CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland
Tel: 41 22 749 01 11
Fax: 41 22 733 34 30
Web site: www.iso.org
E-mail: