14/10/2026
PRESS RELEASE
COMMEMORATION OF THE 2026 WORLD STANDARDS DAY
Every year, on 14th October, the MBS joins the members of the world standards community in commemorating the World Standards Day. Globally, the commemoration of this day is led by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), as a way of paying tribute to the collaborative efforts of the thousands of experts worldwide, who develop voluntary technical agreements that are published as International Standards.
The standards community worldwide commemorate the day in their respective countries led by National Standards Bodies and other bodies affiliated to these international standards setting bodies.
The global theme for the 2026 World Standards Day is “Shared Vision for a Better World: Spotlight on Strategic Development Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy”. The theme recognizes that reaching global climate and energy goals is impossible without cooperation and technical consensus among the public and private sectors who join together in formulating standards that provide the essential benchmarks for safety, quality, and interoperability of renewable technologies such as solar grids, low-voltage direct current (LVDC) networks and wind systems to scale rapidly and reach underserviced communities.
In Malawi, there has been an increase in the use of affordable and clean energy technologies ranging from solar generated electricity, climate smart cook stoves and solar lamps, among others, which currently serves a lot of households, schools and hospitals both in the urban and rural areas.
The 2026 World Standards Day message highlights the role of technical standards in driving progress across key energy initiatives by establishing quality and safety guidelines for off-grid microgrids, ensuring grid stability, interoperability, and safe energy storage integration for variable sources like solar and wind power, modernizing rural electrical infrastructure, and powering remote regions and enabling fair market competition and reducing trade barriers to lower the cost of green tech deployment worldwide.
Achieving SDG 7 directly impacts healthcare, education, economic growth, and climate resilience. By aligning regulatory frameworks with international standards, governments and private sector partners can build sustainable infrastructure that benefits communities equitably.
Emphasis needs to be made that addressing SDGs in an inclusive way is absolutely necessary to strengthen societies, making them more resilient and more equitable. Recognizing that International Standards are the backbone of addressing these global issues, the entire standards system is built on collaboration, where stakeholders are involved in coming up with mitigating measures through standards setting.
To ensure inclusivity in the process of standards development at national level, the MBS established a number of Technical Committees, where different stakeholders collaborate in coming up with relevant standards that are aimed at addressing issues in the various sectors of the economy.
As a member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the MBS joins the international community in commemorating the 2026 World Standards Day. In Malawi, the day will be commemorated whilst recognizing that collaboration is key to the achievement of the SDGs.
In Malawi, the SDGs are supported through the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy III (MGDS III) which aims at building a productive, competitive and resilient Malawi. Among others, standards play a key role in the implementation of MGDS III and the Malawi 2063.
It is in this spirit that the MBS will engage different stakeholders to participate in the commemoration of this year’s World Standards Day through displays of clean energy technologies by public and private sectors related, and a stakeholders’ conference on 14th October 2026 at the MBS Head Office in Blantyre.
The MBS has also organized a debate for public Universities that offer courses in clean energy technologies on the day, to provide learners with an opportunity to explore and discuss the role of standards for clean energy technologies in Malawi's socio-economic development, and in particular, towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7.
The MBS looks forward to the participation of the stakeholders that have been invited to the World Standards Day commemoration, and continues appreciating the efforts and expertise that all stakeholders play in the national standards development process.
A Happy World Standards Day to all.
DIRECTOR GENERAL
MALAWI BUREAU OF STANDARDS
