The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the World Bank Group announced  (10 Mach 2016) the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to help increase countries’ awareness and involvement in the development, adoption and use of international standards that promote open, fair and transparent trade.

The MoU serves as the foundation for future cooperation in the areas of knowledge generation and dissemination; encouraging research and promoting awareness; improving monitoring and evaluation; and enhancing capacity around international standards that give countries the opportunity to participate in global trade and that contribute to economic development, social progress and protection of the environment.