SLBS Observes World Standards Day 2024
On October 14, 2024, the Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards (SLBS), joined the rest of the world in observing World Standards Day. The theme for World Standards Day this year was “Shared Vision for a Better World: Incorporating SDG 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.” The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a group of goals which the United Nations hopes to achieve by the year 2030. The main focus for 2024 is “Achieving industry, innovation and infrastructure through AI”.
At an activity held at the SLBS Conference Room the Bureau launched its first SLBS Activity Book. This book introduces our children to the role of Standards and its uses in everyday life. It demonstrates how standards add value to products and services and how standards improve lives.
In attendance were management and staff of the SLBS, the Chairman of the Standards Council Mr. Peter Lorde. Representatives of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Health. Mr. Andre Charles; Head of the Standards Development Department also highlighted the collaborative work the SLBS does with its colleague agencies.
Minister's Address for World Standards Day 2024
Fellow Saint Lucians,
The Ministry of Commerce and The Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards (SLBS) are pleased to join the members of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), celebrate World Standards Day on 14th October 2024.
World Standards Day has the theme for the past three years “ Shared Value for a Better World” while highlighting a different Sustainable Development Goal each year.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, forms an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which provides a shared blueprint for an equitable future — peace and prosperity for all people and the planet.
The UN SDG’s serve as an urgent call to action by countries to participate in a global partnership for the benefit of both developing countries as well as our more developed counterparts.
While the SDGs are an agreement between nations and governments, the objectives cannot be met by governments alone. Success requires active participation from all sectors within our island. From individuals to governments, from public sector to civil society, non-profit organizations and private enterprises. We need to find new ways to work together to make this simple dream a reality.
Through ingenuity, creativity, technology, education and innovation we develop new ways of working and living in a fashion that aims to foster growth, inclusivity, sustainability, equality and equity. This means that while the SDGs need our institutions both public and private for them to be achieved and fulfilled, our institutions also have a symbiotic relationship with the SDGs in that they need progress to be made with these goals in order for them to survive and thrive in the future. The viability and survivability of our environmental and social systems is directly related to the achieving of these goals, opening new risks but also new opportunities.
With the geopolitical climate as is right now, coming off the heels of the COVID 19 pandemic, wars, and the increasing effect of climate change, the SDG’s are more relevant now than when approved in 2015. We now need to look ahead and draw up the road map leading towards a brighter sustainable future.
Today, World Standards Day 2024, the Standards Organizations throughout the world have chosen to focus on SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, with a special emphasis on how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming our society through the power of International Standards.
As Minister, I proudly recognize SLBS for leading the charge by developing standards together with the international community, achieving consensus on how new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence grow and proliferate within the community.
While some of these standards accelerate the development of AI technologies, they also drive innovation and strengthen resilient infrastructure that fosters sustainable industrial growth. International Standards ensure interoperability, security, and sustainability, fostering global collaboration to accelerate innovation through AI.
Another way AI is destined to innovate is also within the education sector.
Students now have a teacher at their fingertips that can answer some of the questions they may ask or even suggest innovative ways to tackle their problems. AIs with their encyclopedic knowledge base can help students and businesses thrive, opening new doors in developing solutions to better our lives.
As we push towards a greener tomorrow the power of AI can help us with our small developing island becoming more sustainable. The Ministry of Sustainable Development recently launched their Transition to Electric Mobility program to introduce Electric and Hybrid vehicles which will aid in the reduction of our carbon footprint by reducing greenhouse gases from exhaust as well as curb our reliance on fossil fuels. With a project like this is there any question as to how the country can benefit from the Internet of Things (IoT) by having a smart AI directing traffic to prevent and avoid congestion.
Within our push for renewable energy, be it wind, solar or geothermal, having a grid controlled by an AI will help in optimizing the flow of electricity allowing us to have to spend less on our electricity bill, keeping more money in our pockets.
We are aware that the introduction and expanding usage of AI in small islands states will create shifts in the Labour market with enhanced productivity optimization through automation. However, it is important to understand that such a strategy can only be implemented through a Comprehensive Policy Framework. That is where the standards being developed and adopted by the Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards come in. The ICT industry will have to take an eco-system approach, partnering with a broad range of stakeholders to unlock the potential of AI and digital solutions to drive economic and sustainable development.
Such is the broad role standards play in our lives today. Standards touch every aspect of our everyday life. Yet some of us do not see or understand the full range of our dependence on them. We look forward to working together to achieve our goals of 2030 to create a better tomorrow for our people. This we will do by raising the very standards that we live and are governed by. As we reflect on how standards and the lack thereof affect your lives, we have a renewed appreciation for what is needed to emerge for a Brighter Tomorrow.
I wish to extend a sincere thank you to the people of Saint Lucia and the volunteers on the technical committees, who have helped develop and shape national standards.
Let me therefore wish you a Happy World Standards Day 2024.
I thank you.
