SABS Hosts ROSStandart and signed MOU regarding Standards.

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICAN REPUBLIC, January 30, 2024

South African Bureau of Standards Hosted the Federal Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology (GOST-R) at SABS' head office in Pretoria. The GOST- R delegation led by their CEO Mr Anton Shalaev was welcomed by SABS' ACEO Mr Lungelo Ntobongwana and Head Standards division Dr Sadhvir Bissoon.

The focus of the engagement was to strengthen our cooperation in the field of standardisation underpinned by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between #GOST-R and the SABS.

The elements of cooperation include the exchange of information on #standards, relevant publications and research programmes; exchange of experiences, experts and skills within the scope of standardisation and hosting of joint initiatives including seminars on key sector topics such as #ClimateChange, #Transportation, #DigitalTransformation among others. ??

One of the priority projects to be initiated is the “Digitalization of Standardisation” in which the parties have agreed to setup a working group to share experiences, skills, case studies and knowledge on transitioning to the digital world of standardisation. The world of standardisation is evolving at a rapid pace and as National Standards Bodies (NSB's) we need to keep up to speed with the requirements of our stakeholders and customers to maintain our relevance and value proposition. ?

The agreement is expected to enhance our cooperation as National Standards Bodies in delivering international best practices and providing operational excellence in a highly dynamic ecosystem of standardisation.

Who is GOST R

In May 2004, the State Committee for the Russian Federation for Standardization and Metrology (anno 1925) was transformed into the Federal Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology (GOST R).

Today the Federal Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology (GOST R) is the Federal Executive Body, implementing inter-industry coordination and functional regulating in the fields of standardization, metrology and conformity assessment.

The Federal Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology (GOST R) holds the function of National Standards Body in the Russian Federation and represents Russia in international (and regional) organizations for standardization.

GOST R has 1,600 staff members, manages 285 Technical Committees and 40,000 national Russian standards.

Direct translation from GOST R website Article

Link to Russian Article: https://www.rst.gov.ru//newsRST/redirect/news/1//9296

A Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of standardization between #Rosstandart and the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) was signed by the head of Rosstandart Anton Shalaev and the acting CEO of SABS Lungelo Ntobongwana during the working visit of the delegation of the Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology to the Republic of South Africa.

The strengthening and expansion of cooperation in the field of standardization for the development of the economy and trade relations were discussed within the framework of a bilateral meeting between the delegations of the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Africa. The Russian delegation included representatives of the central office of the agency, its subordinate Federal Agency for Technical Regulation, the Institute of Standardization, as well as employees of the Embassy and Trade Representation of the Russian Federation in the Republic of South Africa.

The agenda of the meeting included discussions on cooperation within the BRICS format, including the activities of the Working Group on Information Exchange under the chairmanship of Rosstandart. It is worth noting that this issue was also discussed on the sidelines of an online meeting of the heads of national standardization bodies of the BRICS countries held in November last year. The relevance of the Working Group's activities is due to the expansion of the BRICS composition as of January 1, 2024, with the inclusion of Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia.

The parties also discussed issues related to the digitalization of standardization and exchanged best practices in this area. An agreement was reached at the meeting to establish a working group on digitalization to enhance the efficiency of standards application in this field, as well as to exchange experiences - South African colleagues expressed interest in documents on standardization in the electric and hydrogen transport sectors, as well as in the mining industry.

The key item on the meeting's agenda was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of standardization. The purpose of signing the document is to establish a mechanism for cooperation in standardization, technical documentation, and other areas of mutual interest to the two countries.

According to the Memorandum, Rosstandart and SABS will exchange information on existing national standards required for goods transported or imported between the two countries, consolidate positions at the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission, provide national standards for the harmonization of standards for mutual recognition, as well as organize seminars, conferences, joint training programs, and much more. An separate aspect of cooperation envisaged by the Memorandum is the exchange of experience in the development of national standards.

The head of Rosstandart, emphasized that the Memorandum will serve as a tool for further productive interaction between the national standardization bodies of the two countries, and therefore, for the development of trade-industrial relations, economy, and business.