Grenada, Vietnam and the Gulf Cooperation Council Mark MOU Success in Annual Reports

The national standards bodies of Grenada and Vietnam, as well as the Gulf Cooperation Council, have provided annual reports that indicate the continued success of their memorandums of understanding with ASTM International. Reports are supplied each year by the 69 national standards bodies that have MOUs with ASTM International.

Grenada

Established by Standards Act No. 6 in 1989, the Grenada Bureau of Standards (GDBS) is a corporate body within the Ministry of Finance, Trade and Industry that oversees national standards, provides for the testing and calibration of precision instruments, encourages standardization in commerce and trade, and offers standards-related consultation services to government and industry. GDBS signed an MOU with ASTM International in 2008. Since then, GDBS has referenced 47 ASTM standards in the development of Grenada national standards. Most of the standards come from ASTM Committees C01 on Cement and C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates and are used in the construction sector. GDBS currently oversees 139 national standards, with 24 of those standards used in legislation."The Grenada Bureau of Standards has successfully implemented programs to improve the quality of materials used in construction in Grenada, and the success of these programs mainly depends on the bureau's ability to test the various materials used in this sector," says L. Simeon Collins, director, GDBS. "The use of ASTM International standards and test methods has provided the confidence and reliability in the results produced by the bureau's material testing laboratory and, in turn, has generated great success in the bureau's programs. GDBS will continue to develop programs in other areas with the help of standards from ASTM International."

Vietnam

In 2009, STAMEQ, the national standards body of Vietnam, continued the successful partnership with ASTM International that began with the signing of an MOU in 2004.STAMEQ has been known as the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality under the the Ministry of Science and Technology (formerly the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment) since 1995. STAMEQ oversees the country's management of standardization, metrology and quality as well as representing Vietnam in international and standardization organizations such as ASTM.In the years since the MOU between ASTM and STAMEQ was signed, STAMEQ has adapted, adopted or referenced more than 2,000 ASTM International standards for petroleum, aviation fuels, gasoline, road construction, paint, metals, rubber, roofing materials, coal and more. Forty ASTM standards covering various sectors were consulted in the development of Vietnam national standards in the last year alone. Through the MOU, ASTM International members and staff have had the opportunity to exchange information and conduct technical training courses through meetings both at ASTM and STAMEQ headquarters. In 2010, a representative from STAMEQ, Mr. Nguyen Van Khoi, participated in ASTM's Standards Expert Program, an intensive one-month training program at ASTM headquarters in West Conshohocken, Pa., that is offered as part of the ASTM MOU program.

Gulf Cooperation Council

The partnership between the Standardization Organization of the Gulf Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GSO) and ASTM International that began with the MOU signing in 2006 continues to be strong.GSO prepares, approves and publishes Gulf Cooperation Council standards for goods and products, and works with the standardization organizations in member states to develop their production and service sectors; promote intra-GCC trade; protect consumer, environmental and public health; and encourage GCC agricultural products and industry. The six members of GSO are Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.Fifty-six ASTM International standards were adopted as GSO standards in 2009. GSO has also taken part in various training sessions offered by ASTM International to MOU members, including programs on cement and concrete, paint standards, amusement park safety and tire standards. In November 2009, ASTM staff traveled to Dubai to participate in the Open Forum on the International Best Practices for Standardization, which was sponsored by GSO."Adoption of ASTM International standards and the harmonization of ASTM and GSO standards boost trade between the GCC states and the United States," says Dr. Anwar Al-Abdullah, secretary general of GSO.

The ASTM Memorandum of Understanding Program

Initiated 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 at www.astm.org/GLOBAL.