Delegates from the Americas and other parts of the world are expected to gather in Barbados to attend the Pan American Standards Commission (COPANT) General Assembly, from April 23 to 26, 2023.
The high-level meeting, which will be held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill, St. Michael, will be attended by Secretary General of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Sergio Mujica, and President of COPANT, Mauricio Céspedes.
Key presentations will be delivered by notable experts from ISO, and the British Standards Institute, Brazil, Costa Rica, United States of America, and the Caribbean. Critical issues surrounding innovation, digital transformation, sustainable development, climate change and global solutions to mitigate against associated events will be among the topics to be discussed.
Director of the Barbados National Standards Institution (BNSI), Haydn Rhynd, underscored the importance of the four-day General Assembly. He added that the meeting is coinciding with the BNSI’s 50th anniversary celebrations, where the promotion of quality as a competitive strategy will be highlighted.
Mr. Rhynd continued: “The joint event presents significant opportunities for this country, specifically in promoting the sustainable economic development of Barbados and the wider region; strengthening ties between Barbados and the Americas, and offering exposure to new global development projects and grant funding.”
He explained that prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Barbados, through the BNSI, lobbied to host the COPANT General Assembly in 2022, and was successfully granted the opportunity.
“However, given the spread of COVID-19, which caused several countries and organisations to restrict travel and meetings, and taking into account the health and safety of delegates, the COPANT Board of Directors agreed to Barbados hosting the General Assembly in 2023,” Mr. Rhynd pointed out.
COPANT is a non-profit civil association with complete operational autonomy. It functions within the current standards environment as a key hemispheric institution, seeking to harmonise standards and facilitate the proper functioning of a free trade area of the Americas. It comprises the National Standards Bodies of the Americas, which has 32 active members and nine adherent members.