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28-518: The collaboration under WSC is intended to avoid duplication of efforts, promote consistency, and facilitate the interoperability of standards across different sectors. The organizations share information and coordinate their activities to address emerging challenges and technological advancements in a rapidly evolving global landscape. The WSC has played a crucial role in the development and maintenance of thousands of international standards across various sectors, ensuring consistency and interoperability on

56-503: A belief that harmonization could reduce compliance costs and simplify the process of meeting requirements. With potential to reduce complexity for those tasked with testing and auditing standards for compliance. A harmonised standard is a European standard developed by a recognised European Standards Organisation: European Committee for Standardization (CEN), European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC), or European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). It

84-494: A global scale. Through the development of standards, the WSC has contributed to the promotion of innovation by providing a framework for the adoption of new technologies and best practices worldwide. International standards developed under the WSC help facilitate global trade by providing a common set of rules and specifications that businesses and industries can adhere to, ensuring product compatibility and quality. WSC activities have led to

112-477: A proliferation of private standards, some of which could be primarily seeking monetary gain and may have sabotaged sustainability standards and certification . International standards organizations express that standardization plays a crucial role for the realization of the UN SDGs in their strategies and activities for sustainability. Similar to reducing and preventing the proliferation of private standards in

140-558: A single international standard , ISO 22000 , was proposed in 2007 and 2020 as a harmonized standard approach used by the public sector. On both occasions, the Global Food Safety Initiative rejected the proposal because promoting ISO 22000 would mean reducing the power of global retailers in terms of control over standards. Private corporations are not allowed to be members or have voting rights over international standards , because they are consensus-based. Whereas it

168-725: A standards setter relates to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). One of their funders, the Bezos Earth Fund exerted influence on SBTi to relax their position on carbon offsets. This resulted in an open letter from SBTi staff to the Board of Trustees disagreeing with the decision. Standards setting organizations who do not follow a consensus model or the WTO principles for international standards development are vulnerable to corporate lobbying, especially when they are receiving funding from

196-416: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This standards - or measurement -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Harmonization (standards) Harmonization is the process of minimizing redundant or conflicting standards which may have evolved independently. The name is also an analogy to the process to harmonizing discordant music. Harmonization

224-626: Is an IEC international standard, IEC 62680-1-3. This was reaffirmed at the G7 Hiroshima Summit 2023, where cooperating on international standards setting with a commitment to collectively support the development of open, voluntary and consensus-based standards that will shape the next generation of technology. Harmonization of regulatory standards is seen by economists as a key component in reducing trade costs and increasing interstate trade. Where importing-market standards are harmonized with international standards, such as those from ISO or IEC,

252-548: Is an independent, not-for-profit, standardization organization operating in the field of information and communications . ETSI supports the development and testing of global technical standards for ICT-enabled systems, applications and services. ETSI was set up in 1988 by the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations ( CEPT ) following a proposal from the European Commission (EC). ETSI

280-805: Is created following a request from the European Commission to one of these organisations. Harmonised standards must be published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). In the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector, companies initially formed closed groups to develop private standards , for reasons which included competitive advantage. An example being the phrase " embrace, extend, and extinguish " used internally by Microsoft which led to legal action taken by United States Department of Justice . In response, governments and intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) recommended

308-561: Is different from standardization . Harmonization involves a reduction in variation of standards, while standardization entails moving towards the eradication of any variation with the adoption of a single standard. The goal for standard harmonization is to find commonalities, identify critical requirements that need to be retained, and provide a common framework for standards setting organizations (SSO) to adopt. In some instances, businesses come together forming alliances or coalitions, also referred to multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSI) with

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336-514: Is diverse and includes all the key stakeholders of the ICT sector: private companies, research entities, academia, government and public bodies as well as societal stakeholders. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Micro-Enterprises (MEs) represent more than a quarter of ETSI's total membership. The list of current members can be found on the ETSI website. Membership contributions are calculated depending on

364-456: Is possible to have a controlling interest and exert influence if they promote private standards because they are non-consensus. In the environmental sector for “net zero”, corporations continue to promote private standards over international standards . This allows the creation of new terms that are non-consensus and do not follow terms which are defined in international standards such as ISO 14050 Environmental management Vocabulary. An example

392-670: Is supported by international standards such as ISO supporting public policy initiatives. An example is regulators creating the International Medical Devices Regulatory Forum (IMDRF) and promoting the Medical Devices Single Audit Program (MDSAP). This uses an international standard , ISO 13485 Medical devices — Quality management systems — Requirements for regulatory purposes. World Bank Group explain that private standards cannot be used in technical regulation and have to be moved into

420-524: Is the Global Food Safety Initiative which is a private organization that promotes harmonization using a benchmarking process that results in recognition of multiple scheme owners using private standards . The harmonization approach for multiple private standards has led to criticism from various organizations including the Institute for Multi-Stakeholder Initiative Integrity and The International Food and Agribusiness Management Review. For food safety,

448-583: Is the officially recognized body with a responsibility for the standardization of information and communication technologies (ICT). It is one of the three bodies officially recognized by the European Union as a European Standards Organisation (ESO), the others being CEN and CENELEC . The role of the ESOs is to support EU regulation and policies through the production of harmonised European Standards (ENs) and other deliverables. The standards developed by ESOs are

476-549: Is the term “insetting” that has been introduced by the private sector, despite it not being part of IWA 42 Net Zero Guidelines. This approach is an obstacle to standard harmonization and received criticism from the New Climate Institute (NCI), where companies are successfully lobbying the standards setting organizations (SSOs) who use private standards to rubber-stamp the inclusion of insetting claims within their net zero pledges. Another example of corporate lobbying of

504-518: The harmonization of technical specifications, reducing trade barriers and promoting fair competition in the global marketplace. The standards developed by the participating organizations contribute to enhancing the safety, quality, and reliability of products, services, and systems across various industries. WSC has been involved in addressing emerging technologies and challenges, such as those related to information and communication technologies (ICTs), renewable energy, and sustainability. The IEC, one of

532-722: The information and communication technologies (ICT) sector, governments and IGOs recommend international standards in the food sector. This includes the World Health Organization , the International Trade Centre , UNIDO , the World Trade Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization . With the public sector recommending standardization over private sector attempts for harmonization, IGOs are encouraging corporation led coalitions to surrender

560-464: The WSC ensures that these standards align with broader international efforts to create a consistent framework for smart grid implementation. By establishing common guidelines, the IEC, along with ISO and ITU, contributes to the global development and deployment of smart grid technologies, promoting energy efficiency and sustainability on a worldwide scale. This article about an international organization

588-420: The control they have over private standards . By promoting international standards and standardization instead of harmonization, the private sector can avoid fragmentation and accusations of undue influence and lobbying in the standards setting and multistakeholder governance process. European Telecommunications Standards Institute The European Telecommunications Standards Institute ( ETSI )

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616-548: The different ETSI technical groups (Technical Committee (TC), ETSI Project (EP), ETSI Partnership Project (EPP), Industry Specification Group (ISG), and Special Committee (SC). ETSI's Cloud Group aims to consider standardisation within cloud computing and conformity with interoperability standards in this field. In October 2023, ETSI reported a data breach. Hackers stole a database containing information on ETSI’s online users. ETSI has more than 900 member organizations worldwide from 65 countries and five continents. Its community

644-484: The negative effect on developing-country exporters is substantially lessened, or even reversed. The US Government Office of Management and Budget published CircularA-119 instructing its agencies to adopt voluntary consensus standards before relying upon private standards . The circular mandates standard harmonization by eliminating or reducing US agency use of private standards and government standards. The priority for governments to adopt voluntary consensus standards

672-428: The only ones that can be recognized as ENs. ETSI develops standards in key global technologies such as: GSM , TETRA , 3G , 4G , 5G , DECT . ETSI’s standardization activities are organized around sectors: Home & Office, Better Living with ICT, Content Delivery, Networks, Wireless Systems , Transportation, Connecting Things, Interoperability, Public Safety and Security. Technical activities are carried out in

700-719: The organizations within the WSC, has been actively involved in developing international standards for smart grids. Smart grids integrate advanced communication and information technologies into traditional power grids to enhance efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. IEC standards, such as those in the IEC 61850 series, address the interoperability and communication requirements for substation automation within smart grids. These standards help utilities and manufacturers develop systems that can seamlessly communicate and operate across different equipment and devices, leading to more efficient and reliable energy distribution. The collaboration within

728-453: The private sector. In the sustainability sector, the ITC created a Standard Map as an informational tool in an attempt to harmonize and group together voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) . With over 300 sustainability standards mapped, and financial opportunities with fees that are associated to private standards , this may have led to a perverse incentive . The unintended consequence being

756-496: The public standardization system before they can be used as the basis for technical regulations. In comparison to the public sector , where governments, IGOs and regulators work towards a harmonised standard , there are instances where private sector promote harmonization of multiple standards. An example is the private organization ISEAL Alliance accepting multiple schemes as community members using private standards who commit to their code of good practice. Another example

784-574: The use of international standards which resulted in standard harmonization. Examples include the Linux operating system, Adobe portable document format ( PDF ) and the OASIS open document format (ODF) being converted into ISO and IEC international standards. In 2022, EU legislation was passed for all mobile phones, tablets and cameras sold in the EU requiring a USB-C charging port by 2024. The USB Type-C Specification

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