Every year on October 14, members of IEC, ISO and ITU celebrate World Standards Day, which honors the joint efforts of thousands of experts around the world in developing voluntary technical agreements that are published as international standards.

The message is dedicated to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 3) with this year's motto - Accessible and safe healthcare for all.

Access to quality healthcare is a human right and essential to sustainable development. SDG 3 aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. 

International standards and conformity assessment play a crucial role in reaching the targets of SDG 3. They provide a global framework that facilitates adoption of digital health technologies, research and development, manufacturing, and maintenance of healthcare devices and systems, ensuring that effective, safe and reliable medical devices, health services and systems are accessible to a broad swath of the global population.

They also provide the basis for effective policy making and regulation that encourages collaboration in view of improving healthcare outcomes. 

As digital health technology develops, IEC, ISO and ITU standards help ensure that systems are secure and the privacy of patients is protected.  
We stand united to work together to accelerate the United Nations 2030 Agenda, with standards for the SDGs, and our ‘shared vision for a better world’.