Structure and governance

ISO is an independent, non-governmental organization made up of members from the national standards bodies of 177 countries.

Our members play a vital role in how we operate, meeting once a year for a General Assembly that decides our strategic objectives. Our Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, coordinates the system and runs day-to-day operations, overseen by the Secretary-General.

The General Assembly

The General Assembly is the overarching organ and ultimate authority of the organization. It is an annual meeting attended by our members and our Principal Officers.

The ISO Council

The ISO Council is the core governance body of the organization and reports to the General Assembly. It meets three times a year and is made up of 21 member bodies, the ISO Officers and the Chairs of the Policy Development Committees CASCO, COPOLCO and DEVCO. The Council has direct responsibility over a number of bodies reporting to Council:

• The President’s Committee advises Council on matters decided by Council.
• Council Standing Committees address matters related to finance (CSC/FIN), strategy and policy (CSC/SP), nominations for governance positions (CSC/NOM), and have oversight over the organization’s governance practices (CSC/OVE).
• Advisory groups provide advice on matters related to ISO’s commercial policy (CPAG) and information technology (ITSAG).
• CASCO provides guidance on conformity assessment.
• COPOLCO provides guidance on consumer issues.
• DEVCO provides guidance on matters related to developing countries.
• The ISO/IEC governance bodies may be established jointly by the ISO Council and the IEC Board. 

Membership to the Council is open to all member bodies and rotates to make sure it is representative of the members community.

Technical Management Board (TMB)

The management of the technical work is taken care of by the Technical Management Board, which reports to Council. This body is also responsible for the technical committees that lead standards development and any strategic advisory boards created on technical matters.

ISO Governance structure

Partners

We work closely with two other international standards development organizations, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU). In 2001, ISO, IEC and ITU formed the World Standards Cooperation (WSC) in order to strengthen the standards systems of the three organizations. The WSC also promotes the adoption and implementation of international consensus-based standards worldwide.

In addition, we also have a close relationship with the World Trade Organization (WTO), which particularly appreciates the contribution of International Standards to reducing technical barriers to trade.

ISO also works with United Nations (UN) partners. For example, we liaise with UN specialized agencies that carry out technical harmonization or give technical assistance, including the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

In total, ISO collaborates with over 700 international, regional and national organizations. These organizations take part in the standards development process as well as sharing expertise and best practices.