RIYADH: Governor of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization Saad bin Othman Al-Qasabi launched the fourth edition of the Forum of Standards in Industry, in the presence of Osama bin Abdulaziz Al-Zamil, deputy minister of industry and mineral resources, and Yasin Zülfikaroğlu, secretary-general of the governing council of the Standards and Metrology Institute for the Islamic Countries. Al-Qasabi gave a speech for the occasion, during which he noted that standard specifications support major industries such as health, education, entertainment and connectivity services. He added that they also enhance services such as volunteering, social responsibility and occupational safety and health. He said: “Standard specifications play a key role in supporting the national economy and strengthening global competitiveness. They are crucial in improving the quality and safety of products in the markets since they are one of the most important pillars of the quality infrastructure. “We are experiencing an important development for the concept of presenting services and giving them global attention as they are considered some the main sources of national income. They represent 30 to 35 percent of the Kingdom’s gross national product, prompting the national standardization organizations to compete in order to develop standard specifications that improve the quality of services,” he added. He noted the role of the specifications in improving visual communication, keeping pace with technological developments and guaranteeing the safety of infrastructure. The forum is organized by the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization under the theme “video standard specifications create a new global phase,” in conjunction with World Standards Day 2019. The forum’s sessions discussed the role of specifications in protecting national products and enhancing exports, as well as their importance in achieving competitiveness and improving quality of service.