KABUL: Chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund, the meeting of the High Standards Council was held today, approving 24 standards, his office said in a statement.
The meeting was attended by the Director General of the National Standards Authority, Mullah Faizullah Tamim, permanent members of the council, and representatives from the private sector, the statement said.
According to the statement, Mullah Baradar said that Afghanistan is taking its initial steps toward economic growth and development and emphasized the necessity of aligning products and services with national and international standards to compete regionally and globally.
“Standards ensure the quality and credibility of products and production and enable them to compete in national, regional, and global markets and gain international recognition,” the statement quoted Baradar as saying.
Mullah Baradar said: “Every standard adopted and implemented in Afghanistan fundamentally contributes to the country’s economic growth and sustainable development”.
The deputy PM Baradar stressed that the council’s primary responsibility is not just to introduce standards but also to ensure their effective implementation.
The effective implementation of standards will lead to harmonization in production, expansion of trade, prevention of unnecessary costs, and time savings, Baradar said, adding that it will facilitate the transfer of new technologies from developed countries to Afghanistan.
He also asked all national entrepreneurs and industrialists to provide high-quality products and goods to the public, keeping in mind the standards approved by the Supreme Council for Standards.
In the meeting, 24 new standards were presented for discussion by the technical committee of the National Standards Authority, which were all accepted by the relevant teams.
The standards are related to food, construction, petroleum, chemical and plastic goods as well as textiles.