The Belarusian State Committee for Standardization (Gosstandart) and ASTM International (American Society for Testing and Materials) have signed a memorandum of cooperation on the sidelines of the 42nd General Assembly of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in Cape Town, BelTA has learned.

The memorandum was signed by Gosstandart Chairman Valentin Tataritsky and Vice President for Global Cooperation of ASTM International Teresa Cendrowska.

The parties will share information experience in developing standards, participate in technical and professional training programs, conferences, and workshops. The memorandum provides for use of ASTM standards as a basis for developing Belarusian standards while observing copyrights. Belarusian specialists will also sit on ASTM International technical committees and take part in reviewing draft standards.

ASTM International is an international organization which develops and publishes ASTM standards for materials, products, systems, and services in various fields. At present, the portfolio of the organization includes over 12,000 standards. More than 5,000 ASTM standards have been adopted as national outside the United States, over 60 countries use ASTM standards as the basis for their legal frameworks. The organization includes over 32,000 members who represent enterprises, users, consumers, governments, and academies of over 100 coutnries.

The two-day session of the 42nd General Assembly of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) highlighted ISO development through 2030. The program of the General Assembly featured a wide platform for discussion with the focus on economic, environmental, technological and social factors.

On the sidelines of the assembly, the Belarusian delegation held several meetings and talks to discuss stepping up cooperation, including with European Standardization Organizations CEN and CENELEC, national standardization agencies of Poland, the UAE, and Turkey. Gosstandart Chairman Valentin Tataritsky also took part in a working meeting of heads of the CIS national agencies for standardization.