The 11th governing board meeting of the South Asian Regional Standards Organisation (SARSO) was successfully concluded on Thursday at the BSTI Headquarters in Dhaka after a two-day session.
The meeting, held on Wednesday and Thursday, was chaired by SARSO Chairperson and BSTI Director General (Secretary) Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution Kazi Emdadul Hoque, according to a press release.
Delegates from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives participated in the meeting both physically and virtually, reflecting broad regional engagement.
During the session, the board reviewed SARSO’s performance for 2025 and approved the Technical Management Board report. Members also finalised the organisation’s action plan for 2026, setting out priorities for the coming year.
Key decisions were taken regarding the strengthening of global partnerships through memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and the formation of new Sectoral Technical Committees aimed at improving coordination on standards development across member countries.
The meeting also focused on enhancing cooperation among South Asian nations in the area of standardisation to facilitate smoother trade and improve product quality benchmarks across the region.
In his closing remarks, Chairperson Kazi Emdadul Hoque urged member states to work together to eliminate technical barriers to trade and to harmonise quality standards across South Asia.
He emphasised that stronger regional cooperation in standardisation would help improve competitiveness, ensure consumer safety, and promote smoother cross-border trade among member countries.
The meeting concluded with consensus on advancing collaborative efforts and strengthening SARSO’s role as a key regional platform for standard harmonisation.
