Introduction
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has served
in its capacity as administrator and coordinator of the United
States private sector voluntary standardization system for
more than 80 years. Founded in 1918 by five engineering societies
and three government agencies, the Institute remains a private,
non-profit membership organization supported by a diverse
constituency of private and public sector organizations.
Throughout its history, the ANSI Federation has maintained
as its primary goal the enhancement of global competitiveness
of U.S. business and the American quality of life by promoting
and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity
assessment systems and promoting their integrity. The Institute
represents the interests of its nearly 1,000 company, organization,
government agency, institutional and international members
through its office in New York City, and its headquarter in
Washington, D.C.
ANSI does not itself develop American National Standards
(ANSI); rather it facilitates development by establishing
consensus among qualified groups. The Institute ensures that
its guiding principles -- consensus, due process and openness
-- are followed by the more than 175 distinct entities currently
accredited under one of the Federation's three methods of
accreditation (organization, committee or canvass). In 1999
alone the number of American National Standards increased
by nearly 5.5% to a new total of 14,650 approved ANS. ANSI-accredited
developers are committed to supporting the development of
national and, in many cases international standards, addressing
the critical trends of technological innovation, marketplace
globalization and regulatory reform.
ANSI promotes the use of U.S. standards internationally,
advocates U.S. policy and technical positions in international
and regional standards organizations, and encourages the adoption
of international standards as national standards where these
meet the needs of the user community.
ANSI is the sole U.S. representative and dues-paying member
of the two major non-treaty international standards organizations,
the International Organization for Standardization (ISO),
and, via the U.S. National Committee (USNC), the International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
ANSI was a founding member of the ISO and plays an active
role in its governance. ANSI is one of five permanent members
to the governing ISO Council, and one of four permanent members
of ISO's Technical Management Board. U.S. participation, through
the U.S. National Committee, is equally strong in the IEC.
The USNC is one of 12 members on the IEC's governing Committee
of Action and the current president of the IEC is from the
United States.
Through ANSI, the United States has immediate access to the
ISO and IEC standards development processes. ANSI participates
in almost the entire technical program of both the ISO (78%
of all ISO technical committees) and the IEC (91% of all IEC
technical committees) and administers many key committees
and subgroups (16% in the ISO; 17% in the IEC) . As part of
its responsibilities as the U.S. member body to the ISO and
the IEC, ANSI accredits U.S. Technical Advisory Groups (U.S.
TAGs) or USNC Technical Advisors (TAs). The U.S. TAG's (or
TA's) primary purpose is to develop and transmit, via ANSI,
U.S. positions on activities and ballots of the international
technical committee.
In many instances, U.S. standards are taken forward, through
ANSI or its USNC, to the ISO or IEC where they are adopted
in whole or in part as international standards. Since the
work of international technical committees is carried out
by volunteers from industry and government, not ANSI staff,
the success of these efforts often is dependent upon the willingness
of U.S. industry and the U.S. government to commit the resources
required to ensure strong U.S. technical participation in
the international standards process.
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