Russia/Newly Independent States (NIS) Standards Related Activities

The Global Standards and Information Group in the Standards Services Division has been involved in a range of cooperative programs involving the Russian Federation,Ukraine, Georgia, and other countries of the Former Soviet Union. The overall goal was to facilitate harmonization of standards-related practices and support increased trade. Activities included technical training to familiarize key officials with relevant U.S standards, conformity assessment and regulatory practices in specific sectors; engaging in comparison and harmonization activities with Russia/NIS counterpart agencies; and assisting these officials in developing confidence in the technical adequacy of U.S., international and other widely-used standards.

In the past, NIST has provided the U.S. co-chair for the U.S.- Russia Standards Working Group under the Joint U.S.-Russia Business Development Committee. This Working Group is the primary vehicle for the two sides to exchange information on standards development and conformity assessment practices and activities in the two countries to facilitate harmonization and increase trade. Meetings of the Working Group have exposed Russian government participants to a wide range of U.S. standards developers (SDOs), providing them with an opportunity to pursue follow-on activities with their technical counterparts. With NIST assistance, two SDO's - the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) - have translated key standards into Russian.