ISO-A trusted partner for development donors

ISO has published a new brochure demonstrating what makes it such an efficient and effective partner for aid donors when creating and implementing technical assistance and training programmes for developing countries.

ISO – A trusted partner for development donors notes that donor organizations with funds approved for assisting developing countries often have to wrestle with a dilemma: how to ensure that the aid is well spent, that it will make a positive and lasting difference?

With concrete examples, the brochure outlines ISO's successful track record in meeting typical criteria of donors such as the following:

- Will the programme for which funds are donated really contribute to capacity building, achieving economic growth and alleviating poverty?
- Does the programme provider have a good reputation and a proven track record?
- Are the programmes offered driven by continual improvement so that their relevance to current development challenges is maintained?
- Is it the aid beneficiary who defines his requirements and helps shape the programme?
- What metrics are in place to measure the positive impact of the programme?

Because three-quarters of the 160 national standards bodies (NSBs) that make up the ISO network are from developing countries, the organization has a deep understanding of the needs of this group of countries. There is increasing realization among policy makers in developing countries that international trade, which contributes to economic growth and alleviation of poverty, is underpinned by the adoption and application of international standards in all spheres of economic activity.

ISO has been implementing technical assistance programmes targeted at its members from developing countries since the early 1980s. It carried out more than 250 activities during the period 2005-2009 and more than 12 000 participants from developing countries have benefited.

Around CHF 6 000 000 have been spent directly on the implementation of these activities, excluding the operational costs borne by the ISO Central Secretariat and its dedicated team within the Development and Training Services (DEVT) unit which plans and executes them. The volume of ISO's technical assistance programme nearly quadrupled between 2005 and 2009 to reach more than CHF 2.2 million in 2009.

ISO's technical assistance programme has been guided by the ISO Action Plan for developing countries 2005-2010. Consultations of all ISO's developing country members worldwide are now going on to shape the Action Plan 2011-2015.

ISO – A trusted partner for development donors is published in English (ISBN 978-92-67-10520-8) and French (ISBN 978-92-67-20520-5). It is available free of charge (fee for postage and handling) from the ISO Central Secretariat through the ISO Store or by contacting the Marketing, Communication & Information department (see right-hand column). It can also be obtained from ISO national member bodies (see the complete list with contact details). The booklet can also be downloaded as a PDF file free of charge from the ISO Website