World Standards Day
Environment And Standards Together

By Lalit Kumar Vaidya

EACH year 14th October is celebrated as the World Standards Day by the members of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Aim

The aim of World Standards Day is to raise awareness of the importance of global standardisation to the world economy and to promote its role in helping meet the needs of business, industry, government and consumers worldwide. The international event pays tribute to the thousands of volunteers around the world who participate in standardisation activities.

The first World Standards Day was celebrated on 14 October, 1970.

The decision for World Standards Day to be celebrated jointly by both ISO and IEC members was taken in 1988.

ITU joined ISO and IEC for the Standards Day message in 1993.

This year, the Day’s slogan is "The Environment and Standards: Close Together." The greatest and certainly one of the most significant challenges of the new century is our environment: how to protect it, how to manage it better.

International standards, based on international consensus, have for many years been a primary tool in resolving a number of environmental issues.

International standards enhance production efficiency, facilitate communication, improve market transparency, increase the quality, reliability, compatibility and effectiveness of goods and services and further basic policy objectives related to health, safety and environment. ISO 9000 series of quality management system and ISO 14000 environment management system standards are the examples of international standards which has influenced in products, services and environment.

International standards provide globally applicable solutions. They are cost effective and allow all countries to take advantage of the knowledge and experience gained in the more advanced economies. One major advantage that international standards offer in dealing with environmental issues is that they are for voluntary adoption by anyone-individuals, businesses or governments – meaning that they can be used and acted upon before legal requirements are introduced.

ISO, the IEC and ITU also have an important responsibility as well as an active role in helping developing and newly industralised countries to become environmentally conscious while contributing to make their own future economically and environmentally stable whether it is in management, product, system, process, measurement of testing standards-or indeed by faciliatating sustainable development through the spread of standardised telocommunication. Each organisation has its part to play and each works with a host of others to have the widest possible consensus as well as the most globally beneficial effect.

Hundreds of standards already exist dealing with specific questions such as the sampling, testing and analysis of air, water and soil. Thousands more covering a multitude of physical products, increasingly in the electrical, electronic and telecommunication spheres, already contain information and recommendations on environmental aspects like materials, industrial processes, recycling and waste disposal. Many of these will also have an important role in current efforts to help consumers with standardised, clear and easily understood eco-labelling.

Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) is the national standard body of Nepal. Since Nepal became an ISO member in 1989, it has been celebrating World Standards Day with various programmes. Since its inception in 2033 BS, NBSM has been engaged in formulating Nepal standards laying down variety parameters for the production of goods in the country. These standards are prepared by the technical committee represented by divers interest groups including scientists, technologists, manufacturers and purchasers concerning government agencies and consumers.

Standards prepared by the technical committee are then approved by the Napal Council for Standards. The Bureau has published over 620 Nepal Standards covering product specification, method of test, code of practice, sampling method, terminology, management system, etc. Of these 10 standards are of direct relevance to the environment.

For the implementation of Nepal Standards, the Bureau is operating a quality certification marks scheme which is also called Nepal Standards Mark scheme. Under the scheme interested manufacturers are granted license to mark their product with NS mark after the Bureau is satisfied if the requirements are met and relevant to the concerning Nepal Standards.

Over 32 products are covered under Buerau certification marks scheme through 95 licenses. Out of 620 voluntary Nepal Standards concerning health and safety of people, only six of them have been made mandatory. They are deformed steel bar, ordinary portland cement, mineral water, code of practice of LPG cylinder, hand made wool for carpet and corrugated sheet for house roofing.

Quality today is stressed as a strategy to compete in the national and international market therefore NBSM has adopted series of ISO 9000 quality management system standards which have become the minimum quality standards that companies should acquire in order to prove their commitment to quality. In order to give priority to quality, NBSM has already started NS-quality award which is given on World Standards Day.

Impact

The informed, realistic and responsible way in which ISO, IEC and ITU are addressing environmental issues that affects us all will have a growing impact on society’s response to meeting its own expectations. The environment and international standards are perhaps to meeting its own expectations, more than just close together. They are inextricably linked.

Development Of Humanism

By Mani Nepali Paneru

THOUGH humanism got its modern form recently, its origin is as old as human evolution. Ten million years ago human-like apes known as Homininis roamed in the grassland of Africa. They were different from other apes because they could stand upright, had smaller teeth and bigger brains. They could think and they had sense of cooperation. Ability to think and sense of cooperation are the unique possessions of men, which have separated them from other animals. Man can think and imagine. The world of imagination can lead one both to creation and destruction, truth and falsehood. Bertrand Russell in his book The Conquest of Happiness wrote, "Unhappiness is very largely due to mistaken views of the world, mistaken ethics, mistaken habits of life. This mistake is most likely to occur when one has the close-ended approach in place of open-ended approach. Man should be let alone to think and explore the baffling mystery of the world."

Positive Role

Although religion has played very positive role to groom human civilisation to gradual modernity, it also spoilt many opportunities of development. Instead of teaching to be independent thinker and doer, it just compelled one to became a helpless timid creature left with the uncertain fate of reward and punishment after death Jesus. Socrates and Buddha however had given utmost value to human beings. Buddhism was the first philosophy about art of living that laid emphasis not on prayer but on controlling one’s mind and one’s desire. Although some dogmatic religious leaders accuse humanism to be a polite word for atheism, most humanists of 118th century believed good created nature without miracle Humanist leaders of traditional religions such as the Hindu and the Christan are admired by humanists and have influenced our though. Liberal Christan denomination such as the Quakers and Unitarians and Universalists have many humanist members.

If we were to trace the roots of modern humanism to some particular ancient philosophical system, we might as well choose Epicureanism. Its founder Euicures challenged the religious traditions of his day declaring clearly that the superstitious fear of hellfire was a major cause of human misery in the here and now. For Renaissance humanists, there was nothing out dated or outworn about the writings of Plato, Cicero or Livy. The Renaissance as a package of art and humanism moved north of the Alps around 1,500 AD. There, the ideas took on peculiarly local flavours. It is a term feely applied to a variety of beliefs, methods and philosophies that place central emphasis on the human realm. The history of humanism is complex but enlightening. The term was first employed by 19th century German scholars to designate the Renaissance emphasis on classical studies in education. No discussion of humanism can have validity without understanding humanities. Humanities meant the development of human virtue in all its forms to its fullest extent. The term thus implied not only such qualities as are associated with modern word humanity-understanding, benevolence, compassion merry but also such more aggressive characteristics as fortitude judgement, prudence, eloquence and even love of honour.

Now agnosticism has become the standard in humanist’s circles. Roger Bacon and other developed scientific method for studying nature Democratic ideas of John Locke and Thomas Jefferson, contributed significantly in the development of humanism. The spirit of humanism is manifested in the Declaration of Independence, US constitution and Bill of Rights. Humanists such as John Stuart Mill, Susan Anthony and Margaret Sanger led the struggles for the rights of women, minority and workers. Bertrand Russell, Thomas Dewey and other developed humanist philosophy and education. Thought lacking performance itself, humanism in large measure established the limit and provided the medium for the rise of modern thought. An imressive variety of major developments in literature, philosophy, art, religion, social science and even natural science had their basis in humanism or were significantly nourished by it. Whatever its weaknesses and inner conflicts, the humanistic movement was heroic in its breadth and energy, remarkable in its aspirations.

Raja Jai Prithvi Bahadur Singh of Nepal has been accepted as one of the pioneers of the humanist movement. He had a unique and clear concept of what is humanism.

The training of the mind is a protracted course of self-correction. Every man is capable. Of it and none should neglect it. Such a course of life leads to humanism, a higher degree of humanity which is a kin to divinity itself. Animality developed and modified is humanity. And humanity cherished and chastened is divinity. Man is already divine, and it only needs an opening and an opportunity for expression. Sages and saints are god-men who have, by self effort and self-discipline, gained the experiences of the divinity within them. They act without motives of self, speak without attachment and think for the benefit of all. They have no pains and no miseries; they have steadied their minds through the realisation of men’s commonness with the rest. To them, petty feelings to not appeal, and mean motives had no attraction. They live and move as leaders among men, claimed by all and revered by all.

Social bickering have no weight for them, and worldly possessions have no value. They are content and happy, as they live as much for other as for themselves. Physical pains get rejected by them, while their bodies subjected to their will become adamant against opposing causes. Misery is of men’s making arising out of his wrong perspective of the world and his wrongly directed action.

Humanism is a cure to it certain to rescue mankind from the petty quarrels and competitions of society, and raise of above all causes of physical ailments. Man under it becomes happy-not happy by subordinating and owing others, but happy by conquering and correcting his mind, and looking on the world as but the presentation of a common intelligent entity that is in him and them. Realisation of that oneness leads to real happiness; but the idea of separateness brings about happiness that is painful in the end.

Man has the means in his own mentality, and, it he uses it steadily and steadifastly, he can render himself and others also really happy. The world then would be a better world, not the world of quarrels but of peace; not of hate but of love; not of division but of concordance. East will be a brother unto others, and each developing his powers and possessions to the utmost and utilising them for himself and the rest, all would make slow but steady progress.

Fitter place

The world would be a fitter place to dwell in; and humanity, weaned from animality, would be clsoes to divinity.