ISO Announces New Arabic Edition of the International Standard for Quality Management Systems
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has announced the new edition of the international standard for Quality Management Systems, ISO 9001:2026, with the Arabic version released simultaneously with the international edition. This milestone enhances access to international standards in Arabic and enables organizations and professionals across the Arab region to benefit from global best practices in quality management systems. It also reflects the successful cooperation and integration among Arab countries in the field of standardization.
On this occasion, H.E. Eng. Jabor Mohamed Al-Naimi, President of the GCC Standardization Organization (GSO), emphasized that this achievement represents an important step toward making international standards more accessible to users and relevant stakeholders across Arab countries. He noted that this will support the adoption of global best practices in quality management, improve institutional performance, and enhance competitiveness.
H.E. explained that the Arabic version is the result of joint efforts by members of the ISO Arabic Translation Management Group (ISO/TMB/ATMG), which is responsible for managing and implementing the translation of international standards into Arabic. The Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOS) serves as the Group’s technical secretariat, while GSO actively participates in its activities as the committee’s rapporteur. Arab standardization bodies and experts also contributed to the translation process and its technical and linguistic review.
He added that this achievement represents a successful model of joint Arab cooperation in standardization and enhances access to technical knowledge in Arabic, helping expand the use and implementation of international standards. He further emphasized that this accomplishment is the result of coordination and integration among the various technical and executive parties involved.
ISO 9001 is one of the world’s most widely adopted quality management system standards. ISO 9001:2026 represents the sixth edition of the standard and follows the periodic review of the previous ISO 9001:2015 edition. The new edition includes updates aimed at improving the clarity of requirements, facilitating their implementation, and ensuring their relevance to contemporary business environments. It also places greater emphasis on leadership, quality culture, and ethical behavior, while providing greater clarity in addressing risks and opportunities and improving alignment with other management system standards.
The standard is developed, reviewed, and maintained by ISO/TC 176/SC 2, the ISO technical subcommittee responsible for quality management systems and their supporting documentation. The United Kingdom, represented by the British Standards Institution (BSI), serves as the technical secretariat of the subcommittee.
GSO previously adopted earlier editions of ISO 9001 as a Gulf Standard. The update of the adopted Gulf Standard in accordance with the new edition has also been included in the 2027 work plan of the GCC team for Management Systems and Sustainable Development.
