ANSI Delegation participates at COPANT General Assembly.
Press Release Summary:
Representatives of standards communities from North, Central, and South America gathered in Mexico City last month for Pan American Standards Commission Assembly 2010. At the General Assembly, a resolution was passed for an ad-hoc strategic planning group comprising representatives from ANSI and Brazilian, Cuban, Canadian, and Colombian standards bodies. In conjunction with COPANT meetings, ANSI and AENOR discussed future areas of cooperation and plan to sign MOU.
Original Press Release:
ANSI Delegation Participates at April 2010 COPANT General Assembly
Related workshop addresses new trends in international standardization
Representatives of standards communities from North, Central, and South America gathered in Mexico City last month for the Pan American Standards Commission (COPANT) Assembly 2010. Held over the period of April 26-30, the Assembly was hosted by the Dirección General de Normas (DGN), Mexico's national standards body.
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) president and CEO S. Joe Bhatia led the 24-member U.S. delegation, which included representatives from ANSI member organizations including industry, standards and code developing organizations, and the U.S. government.
"As ever, this year's COPANT Assembly provided an excellent forum to advance standardization activities in the Americas," explained Mr. Bhatia, who also serves as COPANT vice president. "By sharing information and keeping one another informed of the latest priorities we are addressing in our own nations, we can work together to facilitate global trade and disseminate the latest technologies and best practices, helping to assure better quality of life throughout our region."
At the General Assembly, a resolution was passed for an ad-hoc strategic planning group comprising representatives from ANSI and the Brazilian, Cuban, Canadian, and Colombian standards bodies. Led jointly by Mr. Bhatia and COPANT executive secretary Kory Eguino of Bolivia, this group will review the current Commission's current strategic plan and recommend any updates or needed modifications to bring the plan up to date with the Commission's objectives.
Ms. Eguino also provided a draft of the redesigned and improved COPANT website layout, which will serve as a portal and allow COPANT members to be better informed and connected.
During the course of the meeting, COPANT members demonstrated support for the nomination of ANSI delegate James E. Matthews III of Corning Inc. as vice president of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and chairman of the IEC Standardization Management Board (SMB).
In conjunction with the COPANT meetings, the ANSI delegation held a bilateral outreach meeting with AENOR, the Spanish national standards body. ANSI and AENOR discussed future areas of cooperation and plan to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in order to maintain the ongoing dialogue.
On Tuesday, April 28, the Forum of IEC National Committees of the Americas (FINCA) and DGN co-hosted a workshop to discuss important and timely issues affecting the standards bodies of the Americas. The Workshop on New Trends on International Standardization addressed topics such as Energy Efficiency, presented by the IEC; Smart Grid, presented by Gene Eckhart of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA); Nanotechnology by Sonya Bird of Underwriters Laboratories (UL); Green Initiatives for an Eco World by Luis Ordonez, ASTM International's Mexico Office representative; and The Impact of Emerging Environmental and Energy Standards in Factory Automation Product Development by Alec McMillan of Rockwell Automation, among others.
The COPANT General Assembly and related meetings were valuable and productive events for the ANSI delegation, providing extensive opportunities for active engagement and information exchange between international stakeholders. The 2011 COPANT General Assembly will be held in Santiago, Chile. Further information, including a date and exact location, will be announced as it becomes available. For more information, contact Jessica Hychalk, ANSI manager, international policy, regional and bilateral programs (202.331.3622; jhychalk@ansi.org).
Who's Who in COPANT?
Argentina: Instituto Argentino de Normalizacion y Certificacion (IRAM)
Barbados National Standards Institution (BNSI)
Bolivia: Institute Boliviano de Normalizacion y Calidad (IBNORCA)
Brazil: Asociacion Brasileira de Norma Tecnicas (ABNT)
Standards Council of Canada (SCC)
Chile: Institute Nacional de Normalizacion (INN)
Colombia: Instituto Colobiano de Normas Tecnicas y Certificacion (ICONTEC)
Costa Rica: Instituto de Normas Tecnicas de Costa Rica (INTECO)
Cuba: Oficina Nacional de Normalizacion (NC)
Dominican Republic: Direccion General de Normas y Sistemas de Calidad (DIGENOR)
Ecuador: Instituto Ecuatoriano de Normalizacion (INEN)
El Salvador: Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACYT)
Grenada Bureau of Standards (GDBS)
Guatemala: Comision Guatemalteca de Normas (COGUANOR)
Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS)
Honduras: Consejo Hondureno de Ciencia t Tecnologia (COHCIT)
Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ)
Mexico: Dirección General de Normas (DGN)
Panama: Comision Panamena de Normas Industriales y Tecnicas (COPANIT)
Paraguay: Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia y Normalizacion (INTN)
Peru: Instituto Nacional de Defensa de la Competencia y de la Proteccion de la Propiedad Intelectual (INDECOPI)
Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards (SLBS)
Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards (TTBS)
Uruguay: Instituto Uruguayo de Normas Tecnicas (UNIT)
USA: American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
