ASTM and Belize Bureau of Standards Sign Memorandum of Understanding

National Standards Bodies Report on MOU Activities with ASTM

ASTM International and the Belize Bureau of Standards have signed a memorandum of understanding. James A. Thomas, president, ASTM International, and José Trejo, director, Belize Bureau of Standards, signed the MOU on Feb. 3. This is the 73rd MOU that ASTM has signed with a national or regional standards body.

nitiated in 2001, ASTM International's MOU program promotes communication between ASTM International and national standards bodies worldwide, fostering awareness of the standardization systems of all parties involved. The purpose of the program is to increase greater worldwide participation in the ASTM standards development process and facilitate the development of national standards that will aid health, safety, and environmental and economic conditions. More information on the MOU program can be found on the ASTM International website (www.astm.org/GLOBAL).

Morocco

Established in 1970, the Service de Normalisation Industrielle Marocaine (SNIMA) coordinates all national standards development activities in Morocco. SNIMA and ASTM signed an MOU in 2003.In 2010, eight ASTM standards were referenced in Morocco regulations, and more than 60 ASTM standards were consulted or referenced in the development of Morocco national standards.

Nicaragua

The Dirección de Tecnología Normalización y Metrología has been the national standards body of Nicaragua since 1998. DTNM has adapted, adopted or referenced more than 200 ASTM International standards since the MOU was signed in 2005.

In 2010, DTNM consulted more than 35 ASTM International standards for the preparation of Nicaragua national standards and used an additional 14 ASTM standards as reference documents.

Pakistan

The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority, under the Ministry of Science and Technology, reports that several ASTM International standards were adopted as Pakistan national standards in 2010. PSQCA signed an MOU with ASTM in 2008.

Established to advise the Pakistan government on standardization policies, programs and activities to promote industrial efficiency and development as well as for consumer protection, the Standards Development Center of PSQCA currently oversees approximately 15,000 standards for various sectors, including agriculture, food safety, chemicals, electronics, mechanical testing, textiles, weights and measures, and more.

More than 100 ASTM standards were adopted as Pakistan national standards over the past year.

Peru

Peru's Instituto Nacional de Defensa de la Competencia y de la Protección de la Propiedad Intelectual (INDECOPI) works to promote fair and honest competition in the Peruvian economy and to protect consumers' rights and intellectual property like trademarks, copyrights and patents.

ASTM International and INDECOPI signed an MOU in 2003. More than 250 individuals from Peru participate on one or more of ASTM's 141 technical standards developing committees.

In 2010, more than 25 ASTM International standards were adopted as identical or equivalent Peruvian national standards, and close to 100 ASTM standards were referenced in the development of Peruvian standards.