This year's 41st ISO General Assembly and the 52nd DEVCO meeting were held in the Swiss city of Geneva, September 24-29.

The ISO General Assembly 2018 is about sharing knowledge and innovating new ideas on how International Standards can make the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development a reality. Challenges like climate change, pollution and poverty don’t stop at borders. Many of the these challenges have been included in the United Nations Development Agenda 2030 with its Sustainable Development Goals. As an organization founded on the idea of ​​helping people work together across national, technological, economic and social frontiers, the role for ISO is clear. By providing a roadmap for policy makers, businesses and institutions, International Standards can help achieve a more sustainable future.

A series of round tables were organized during the Assembly,: Trends in international trade and the role of standards; Technology, Standards and Innovation; International Standards supporting the Sustainable Development Goals; Engaging policy makers and government.

The session of the Committee for Developing Countries (DEVCO) was particularly interesting, where the participants were roused by the words of guest speaker Christine Loew, Director of the UN Women Liaison Office. Loew addressed a number of topics related to global inequality, and the role of women. 

Like the General Assembly, the session of the Committee for Developing Countries, was accompanied by a series of interesting workshops: Stakeholder Engagement - focus on SMEs; Standards and public procurement; Teaching standards – curricula for higher education.

 Bosnia and Herzegovina was represented by the Director and Deputy Director of the Institute for Standardization of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Aleksandar Cincar and Borislav Kraljević.