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The annual meeting of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/Technical Committee 176 (TC 176) officially opened in Hong Kong today (November 23). This is the first time that this ISO Technical Committee on quality management and quality assurance has held its meeting in Hong Kong.
The meeting is hosted by the Innovation and Technology Commission, which is a correspondent member of the ISO, and co-organised by the Hong Kong Council for Testing and Certification and the Hong Kong Productivity Council.
ISO/TC 176 is responsible for standardisation in the field of quality management, and also for quality management standardisation in specific sectors. The globally recognised ISO 9001 standard, which sets out the criteria for a quality management system, can be adopted by all kinds of organisations, large or small, regardless of their field of activity. The standard helps to ensure that customers get consistent and good quality products and services, which in turn brings about many business benefits. ISO 9001 is widely used in Hong Kong and around the world. In fact, there are over 1 million companies and organisations in more than 170 countries certified to ISO 9001. There are currently 14 certification bodies in Hong Kong which are accredited by the Hong Kong Accreditation Service to provide ISO 9001 certification services.
This is the 31st annual meeting of ISO/TC 176 and 88 meeting sessions are scheduled from November 21 to 28. About 200 experts from more than 40 economies are attending these meetings.
The Permanent Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, and the chairperson of ISO/TC 176, Mrs Katie Altoft, officiated at the opening ceremony today at the Hong Kong Science Park. Mr Cheuk welcomed delegates to Hong Kong and said, "The ISO/TC 176 meeting provides a good opportunity for us to learn from experts, strengthen our external ties, and introduce Hong Kong's testing and certification services to leaders." He added that it is especially meaningful to host the annual meeting in Hong Kong right after a new version of ISO 9001 (ISO 9001:2015) was published.
The 31st meeting will close after the plenary meeting on November 28.
Ends/Monday, November 23, 2015
Issued at HKT 10:05
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