Shanghai Declaration highlights the role of quality in addressing global challenges

Tuesday, 19 September 2017

Shanghai, 16 September 2017 – The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has taken part in the second China Quality Conference from 15 to 16 September under the theme, “Quality: Improve the Supply Side, Usher in a New Era”. The conference was jointly organized by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) of the People’s Republic of China and the Shanghai Municipality.

UNIDO’s intervention highlighted the important role of quality and related quality infrastructure to address today’s challenges. In his presentation, Bernardo Calzadilla-Sarmiento, Director of UNIDO's Department of Trade, Investment and Innovation, highlighted the need for a demand-driven approach to ensure the sustainability of the services provided.

“Quality can be a catalyst for competitiveness and global market access,” said Calzadilla-Sarmiento.

During the conference, a Declaration of Quality was issued highlighting the importance of quality and quality infrastructure in addressing global challenges. The Declaration calls for:

· deepened cooperation in quality infrastructure and the elimination of technical barriers to trade;

· the promotion of exchange and integration of quality cultures with the spirit of inclusiveness and equality;

· the promotion of the innovation of quality technology and the establishment of a platform to ensure shared benefits;

· the encouragement of the sharing and exchange of the best practices in quality; and

· joint help for small and medium-sized enterprises to improve quality so as to promote their integration in international markets and global value chains.

In particular, the Declaration stresses the importance of quality-related training, education and research, vocational and higher education, which will result in a better skilled workforce. This is in line with UNIDO’s work, which has focused on capacity building through training and skills development in the area of quality infrastructure development. Quality infrastructure is now mainstreamed at the highest political level, and UNIDO’s role in raising awareness about its importance is widely recognized and acknowledged. Quality infrastructure contributes to numerous areas of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Declaration also calls for establishing long-term institutional arrangements, including an international organization for quality development, to improve quality and facilitate global governance.

The international conference was attended by more than 680 participants from governments, quality institutions, international organizations, private sector and academia from 37 countries worldwide.

For more information about the Shanghai Declaration of Quality (in Chinese), please refer to:

http://www.aqsiq.gov.cn/zjxw/zjxw/zjftpxw/201709/t20170918_497937.htm

For more information about UNIDO's presentation, please contact:

Bernardo CALZADILLA-SARMIENTO

Director, UNIDO Department of Trade, Investment and Innovation

（新闻原文链接：http://www.unido.org/news/press/shanghai-declaration.html）