ISO certification for export-oriented items stressed

PESHAWAR: Experts have underscored the need for International Organization for Standardization (ISO)’s certification to bring Pakistani manufacturing products, especially export-oriented items, up to international standards to enhance the country’s export and ensure maximum access to the global market.

They laid emphasis on the issue during an awareness workshop on ‘ISO Standard Certification.’

The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and Riphah International University Islamabad had organized the activity here at the Chamber’s House on Friday.

Besides, the chamber’s other office-bearers, other traders and industrialists were present at the awareness seminar.

SCCI President Hasnain Khurshid presided while Riphah International University Islamabad Principal Investigator Prof Dr Nawar Khan was the keynote speaker and moderator.

The ISO certification is a seal of approval from a third party that a company runs to one of the international standards developed and published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Hasnain Khurshid said the ISO certification was essential to bring the export-oriented local items to international quality and at the global market.

He called for the modernization of ISO certification and simplifying the process to facilitate the business community.

Emphasizing the need for quality improvement and focusing on standardisation, other speakers called for bringing Pakistani manufacturing products up to international standards so that these could compete in the global market.

This, they argued, would not only enhance the country’s export as export items would gain high recognition at the world level.

Dr Nawar Khan in his session briefed the participation of different categories of ISO standardization, the significance of the ISO certification and Pakistan’s national and international position in this regard.

The official said there was a huge potential of ISO, which should be exploited efficiently as that could help Pakistani manufacturing products with competition in the global market in a befitting way. As the novel coronavirus pandemic had badly hit all sectors, Dr Nawar said it was witnessed that the process of ISO certification was slowed down during pre and post the Covid-19 scenario. The experts called for improving technical, financial and managerial efficiency to meet international standards for obtaining world recognition of the Pakistani exports.

The policy would not only enhance local exporting items to the European Union, the United States and rest of the global market but also boost up their demand, the experts said.

Dr Nawar Khan said Pakistan had inked a number of international protocols/treaties on Sustainable Development Goals wherein reflection of ISO was also seen.

Therefore, he said the importance of ISO certification was increasing with the passage of time. The SCCI chief thanked the RIU Islamabad for organising an awareness session on such a crucial theme.