Dubai Chamber discusses cooperation with GCC Standardisation Organisation

Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry agreed to host a joint training workshop in cooperation with the Riyadh-based GCC Standardisation Organisation (GSO) this year to build and develop the capabilities and skills of private sector personnel engaged in standardisation and its related activities for GSO and its member states.

The training workshop will also discuss the technical constraints faced by the SMEs in the industrial and commercial sectors concerning the applicable specifications and standards practised in the GCC states.

The agreement came during a meeting held recently at the Chamber premises between H.E. Essa Al Ghurair, Dubai Chamber Board Member and Chairman, Al Ghurair Resources, and H.E. Nabil A. Molla, Secretary General, GSO, in the presence of Mr. Atiq Juma Nasib, Senior Director, Commercial Services Sector, Dubai Chamber.

The meeting, which was also attended by Eng. Ahmed Muati Al-Mutairi, Director of Technical Services Department, GSO, Mr. Saleh Abdullah Lootah, Managing Director, Al Islami Foods, Mr. Mahdi Al Mazim, Members Services Director, and Mr. Hassan Al Hashemi, Director, External Relations, Dubai Chamber, discussed ways of cooperation in various industrial, commercial and services sectors as well as consumer protection.

They also agreed to support industrial growth in the GCC region and to facilitate intra-regional trade through the removal of barriers while enhancing communication and exchange of experiences, building the infrastructure for quality trading and to enrich the joint GCC action in standardisation.

Lauding the role of Dubai Chamber in leading the growth of trade and commerce in the region, H.E. Molla stated that the idea behind the training programme is to consolidate the GSO’s strategic relations with Dubai Chamber and to broaden its outreach on standardisation to the targeted sectors throughout the GCC.

He further stated that presently there are 6,700 GCC standards as his organisation was working to admit 14,000 more in the coming three years until 2015, adding that the joint workshop with Dubai Chamber will help provide insights to the business community on how to get the correct information on standards and their implications on services and products.

On his part, Mr. Nasib said that raising awareness of Dubai businesses in GCC standardisation was very important for Dubai Chamber stating that the training workshop will introduce them to the specifications and implications of standardisation while enhancing the competitiveness of their products in the regional and international markets.

He praised the cooperation ties between Dubai Chamber and the GSO stating that bringing the private sector in contact with the organisation will help to create a transparent dialogue on the requirements of standard specifications and how to improve the quality of their industries and products and make them more widespread in global markets.

Mr. Nasib also stressed on Dubai Chamber's commitment to support all initiatives that contribute to stimulate the performance of its members while benefiting their business interests in the emirate.