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FAQs -->What is ISO?

FAQ:   ISO - who or what is it?

ISO = International Organization for Standardization.  (So why not 'IOS'?  Because it is based in Switzerland.)

Their aim is to promote the development of standardisation and related activities throughout the world, in order to facilitate international exchange of goods and services, and help develop cooperation in intellectual, scientific, technological and economic fields.

The results of ISO's technical work are published as International Standards.  ISO 9001 is just one of the 18,500 standards they have developed.  Around 1100 new ones are published each year.

What ISO does do

• ISO oversees and co-ordinates the development, review and publication of standards

And what ISO does not do

• ISO does not do any certification audits - the organisations who do are called certifiers or accreditation bodies or registrars
• ISO does not issue certificates - certifiers do this
• ISO does not control certification - this is performed independently of ISO by other organisations.
• ISO is not a government body.  

The central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, coordinates a worldwide network of national standards bodies, one in each country who is a member of ISO. At last count, there were 162 members (in 2011). 

Unlike the United Nations,  ISO members are not delegates of national governments. Many member bodies are part of the government structure of their country or mandated by their government, while many other members are very definitely from the private sector.  This puts ISO in a unique position, to be a bridge between various parties to find consensus on solutions that will meet what business requires, as well as the broader society needs of stakeholder groups such as consumers and users (ie, you and me).

See the ISO website for much useful information, including more details on ISO, and why standards are important.

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