10 October, 2019. Bridgetown, Barbados. As the world celebrates the standards that enable seamless video production and sharing, on World Standards Day, October 14, 2019, the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ), likewise be acknowledging these breakthroughs for the Caribbean with the launch of a digital promotional campaign.

The campaign, part of the Caribbean Development Bank-funded project “Strengthening of the Regional Quality Infrastructure”, is set to be launched using social media and online platforms of CROSQ, as well as the National Standards Bodies (NSBs) of Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Lucia and Suriname. Those five countries have been part of the CDB project being implemented by CROSQ.

As part of the project, the Member States of Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and Suriname are on the path to having National Quality Policies (NQPs) by the end of the year, while Saint Lucia and Suriname have laboratories that are being assisted with accreditation within the same period. Through other initiatives, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia and Dominica are also in the process of developing NQPs.

CROSQ Project Coordinator, Mr. Terry Hutchinson explained that the project has been very fast-paced with great participation, led by the NSBs in each country, towards finalising the policies that will guide the development of quality services and procedures.

“The critical thing about the development of an NQP, is that there has to be complete involvement of all sectors of society – from government to private sector and civil society because in each case these bodies and institutions are the ones that will have to guarantee the necessary steps are put in place to implement the directives created. It is intended that each policy will be a living document that will help develop countries’ trading abilities and ultimately their sustainability on a national, regional and international stage.

“It is a fact now in the international community that investment into developing all the systems of quality by donors is increasingly dependent on a country’s ability to prove that it has a sustainable plan for how it is developing its internal infrastructure in this regard. So countries in CARICOM that have NQPs stand a much greater chance of not only knowing how they want to plan their own development but in articulating what kinds of assistance they will need to do so,” said Mr. Hutchinson.

CROSQ Technical Officer – Communication and Information, Ms. Latoya Burnham said this is why the campaign was so important. She noted that the quality promotional materials being released will be relevant and accessible to all the standards and quality institutions in CARICOM.

“What we want to do, beginning on World Standards Day is to acknowledge the role video and all technology plays in our development of quality at the national and regional level. So this campaign will utilise digital platforms and animation to underscore why an NQP and national involvement in its development and implementation is so critical. The campaign will also explain to our CARICOM populace why they need to demand quality products and services in everyday life and especially in consumption.

“We’ve also looked at the two main developing areas of production – agriculture and tourism, and developed a pack of tools, information really, that can help processors and stakeholders in those two industries understand better how they can ensure their businesses and practices are driven by quality. We are very aware that our region needs trade to be sustainable, so we are trying to prepare our industries and sectors, beginning with these two, to be more competitive within the spheres where they operate,” she added.

The theme of World Standards Day 2019 is “Video Standards Create a Global Stage”, and around the world, including within the Caribbean, quality-based organisations like National Standards Bureaux of CARICOM will be marking the day with activities aimed at creating awareness of the development and use standards in general.

The digital awareness campaign being kicked off by CROSQ will be visible on the organisation’s websites: crosq.org and qfactor.crosq.org; Twitter: @crosqcaricom; Facebook – @crosq.caricom, as well as on the popular business platform LinkedIn and video platform, YouTube. The Antigua and Barbuda Bureau of Standards; the Grenada Bureau of Standards, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards; the Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards and the Suriname Standards Bureau will also be posting information on their websites and social media. The public is encouraged to tune in and follow for a clearer understanding of how quality can impact their lives for the better.

Captions:

• Mr. Terry Hutchinson, CROSQ Project Coordinator.
• Ms. Latoya Burnham, CROSQ Technical Officer, Communication and Information
• A screen capture of the Q-Factor animation to be released on World Standards Day.

For more information, please contact:

Ms. Latoya Burnham

CROSQ Technical Officer, Communication and Information

Tel: (246) 622-7671

Email: latoya.burnham@crosq.org