Christoph Winterhalter, CEO of DIN [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The present pandemic has shown that today, more than ever, global efforts are needed not only in overcoming unprecedented, life-threatening situations but also in generally achieving global objectives like those defined by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

At their centre are 17 goals, which recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and foster economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

I am extremely glad that ISO has already picked up this idea as part of its implementation plan for its Strategy 2030 in order to define a process for the development of global standardization roadmaps and to identify relevant topics where this complementary strategic planning is needed and initiated as first pilots.

I am sure that some of the SDGs including topics like Smart Farming or Smart City Governance that are on the agenda of this year's Qingdao Forum on International standardization would benefit from such an approach where the ISO, IEC and ITU are working together in a well-coordinated way.

Considering the large experience and strong global influence on international standardization of the People's Republic of China, your commitment and active contribution will be essential for the success of such an activity.