THE Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) on Thursday hosted a one-day stakeholder engagement session in collaboration with the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) under the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Quality infrastructure Programme, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).

Together with these organisations the GNBS is embarking on the development of a National Standardisation Strategy (NSS).

As a national standards body, the GNBS has been a key partner in the adoption, development and implementation of national, regional and international standards in Guyana.

Over the last year alone, 33 national standards were approved for agriculture, tourism, petroleum, and other sectors. Additionally, 210 copies of more than 600 available standards were sold for implementation by various industry partners during 2024.

The Executive Director of the GNBS, Trevor Bassoo in his remarks during the opening ceremony said that while he acknowledges that standards are voluntary, he is certain the growth path of Guyana’s economy will come to use more of these standards.

He said: “I’d like to point out that GNBS has been working in standards development, not only at a national level, but also at regional and international levels. Particularly, we work closely with organisations such as CROSQ and the ISO to ensure that your voices are reflected in the standards developed by these organisations.”

Bassoo explained that this project provides a roadmap for the GNBS to effectively utilise standards towards building economic growth and social progress, guided by the framework of safety, quality, and reliability.

He noted that collaboration between government, industry, academia, consumers and other stakeholders will ensure that standards developed over the next year will meet the needs of all parties.

Meanwhile, in congratulating the GNBS, the Chief Executive Officer of CROSQ, Sharonmae Smith-Walker, said the project is also being implemented in six other CARICOM Member States, Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Haiti, St Kitts and Nevis, and Suriname.

Smith-Walker explained that a national standardisation strategy allows Guyana to align its national standards with international best practices. This, she noted, is important because it harmonises national and regional strategies with what exists in the rest of the world.

“This will enable seamless integration of Guyanese products into international value chains, creating greater trade opportunities for the country. The standardisation strategy is a critical tool to protect as well, the wellbeing of Guyanese citizens through better quality, local products, and services; and more importantly, to safeguard your constituents from poor quality imports,” the CROSQ CEO said.

In 2022 CROSQ revised its standardisation strategy, the regional standards development priority plan. This plan seeks to guide the direction of regional standards development work over the next few years and to ensure that we manage the expectation of Member States and provide a basis for efficient and effective resource utilisation.

According to Smith-Walker, it is hoped that standardisation efforts will not be duplicated but will ensure that member states have a clear strategic direction that will ensure that the priorities are supported by the applicable national, regional, and international standards.

Some of the key topics of discussion included: insights into the development of the National Standardisation Strategy; validation of findings from desk research; and sharing organisational priorities to shape standards aligned with Guyana’s economic, social, and environmental goals.