GSO Organizes the Third Annual Forum for Standardization Ambassadors

The GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) organized the Third Annual Forum for Standardization Ambassadors on 19 October 2025 at its headquarters in Riyadh.
The forum coincided with the celebration of World Standards Day 2025, held under the theme “Partnerships to Achieve Goals,” and witnessed broad participation from standardization ambassadors, specialists, and experts in quality, standards, and innovation.

In his opening remarks, H.E. Eng. Nawaf bin Ibrahim Al-Mana, President of GSO, welcomed the participating ambassadors and affirmed that since its establishment, GSO has pursued a strategic approach centered on building effective and sustainable partnerships with national, regional, and international entities.
He noted that the Standardization Ambassadors Initiative reflects this approach by engaging various segments of society to promote awareness of standards, quality, and sustainable development, thereby contributing to improving quality of life across the GCC member states.

The forum began with a welcome speech by Mr. Khalid Al-Shehri, Head of the Standardization Ambassadors Initiative at GSO, who expressed his pride in the growing role of the ambassadors in promoting a culture of standardization among all segments of society. He highlighted the initiative’s evolution into a leading Gulf model for voluntary community work in the field of standards and quality.

The forum’s program featured several working papers and specialized presentations addressing key topics such as:

• The role of standards in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• The “Mutabiq” system as a tool for institutional integration to ensure product safety.
• The Gulf Conformity Mark (G-Mark) as a bridge of trust towards a secure Gulf market; and
• An inspiring academic success story presented by a Standardization Ambassador under the title “My Journey from the GSO Standardization Ambassadors Initiative to a Doctorate Degree.”

An open discussion session entitled “Partnership and Development” followed, during which the ambassador’s shared views and suggestions for advancing the initiative, reviewed challenges and opportunities, explored methods to measure the social impact of their activities, and discussed support, training, and motivation mechanisms. The session also showcased several success stories that had a tangible impact within workplaces and society.

At the conclusion of the forum, participants expressed their appreciation to GSO for its continued support of the Standardization Ambassadors Initiative and reaffirmed their commitment to furthering voluntary efforts to spread a culture of quality and safety across the Gulf region.

GSO, in turn, emphasized its dedication to developing and implementing the outcomes and recommendations of the dialogue session in alignment with the GSO Strategy 2026–2030, which seeks to establish standardization as a fundamental pillar of economic integration and as a driver for enhancing quality of life in GCC member states.