Promoting Cooperation on Standards, Metrology and Quality with the UAE and Saudi Arabia

Post date: Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024 | 14:19 - View count: 233

During the official visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, the Ministry of Science and Technology, accompanying Minister Huynh Thanh Dat, engaged in a bilateral meeting with the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) and signed a Technical Cooperation Agreement with the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) on October 29, 2024.

Enhancing Halal Cooperation with the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT)

At the meeting, Omar Al Suwaidi, the Deputy Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of the UAE, expressed his pleasure in welcoming the delegation from the Ministry of Science and Technology, including the Minister and representatives from the National Quality Measurement Standards Committee and other officials, to the UAE.

Based on the Memorandum of Cooperation signed in 2023 regarding quality measurement standards, both sides agreed to further enhance cooperative activities in the future, particularly in the Halal sector. In discussions with the UAE delegation, Minister Huynh Thanh Dat appreciated the cooperative relationship and mutual support between the two parties. He expressed hope that the UAE would increase technical support for the Halal Certification Center under the National Quality Measurement Standards Committee (STAMEQ) of Vietnam, which is under the Ministry of Science and Technology; enhance the exchange of experts between the two countries as an important factor for developing related activities; and seek cooperation opportunities in assessing product compliance before export to meet the UAE market’s requirements. The Minister also expressed a desire to receive consensus and feedback from the UAE Deputy Minister to actualize these plans in the near future. The Ministry of Science and Technology has assigned the National Quality Measurement Standards Committee as the focal point to implement specific cooperation plans with the UAE.

At the end of the meeting, Minister Huynh Thanh Dat extended an invitation and expressed the hope of welcoming the leadership of the UAE MoIAT to visit and work at the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam in the near future.

The Minister of Science and Technology – H.E Mr. Huỳnh Thành Đạt, along with the Vietnamese delegation, took a photo with the H.E. Eng. Omar Al Suwaidi, the Undersecretary of MoIAT (standing in the middle).

MoIAT is a government agency established in July 2020 based on the merger of the functions of the Office of the Minister of Advanced Technology, the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA), and the Industrial Affairs Department of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. MoIAT is responsible for developing policies and legislation related to promoting research and development, science and technology, and innovation; establishing a framework for developing export industries; and enhancing the national quality infrastructure system of the UAE. MoIAT also serves as the regulatory authority for Halal certification activities in the UAE.

Signing of the Technical Cooperation Agreement with the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO)

On the afternoon of October 29, 2024, a solemn signing ceremony for the Technical Cooperation Program agreement between the National Quality Measurement Standards Committee (the Committee) and SASO took place at SASO’s headquarters, witnessed by Minister of Science and Technology – Mr. Huynh Thanh Dat.

In discussion with Mr. Saad Alkasabi, President of SASO, the Minister highly appreciated the potential for cooperation between the two agencies in the field of quality measurement standards, especially Halal. Under this Agreement, the two Parties plan to cooperate in the following areas: standards and standard training, conformity assessment, legal measurement and industrial measurement, testing and laboratories, calibration, information exchange, mutual recognition among conformity assessment organizations, digital transformation of quality infrastructure, expertise exchange, delegation exchange, workforce training, Halal-related fields, and promoting the involvement of stakeholders.

Both parties believe that the signing of this agreement on such a special occasion will establish a foundation for the National Quality Measurement Standards Committee and SASO to implement practical cooperation activities in the coming time, positively contributing to the friendly relations between Vietnam and Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) was established under Royal Decree No. M/10 dated April 17, 1972, as an entity with legal status and an independent budget. SASO is a government agency responsible for all matters related to standardization, measurement, and quality in Saudi Arabia. SASO represents Saudi Arabia in various international and regional organizations and forums in the field of quality measurement standards while closely collaborating with the private sector, government agencies, and other stakeholders to develop the quality infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.

Some images from the working session on the afternoon of October 29, 2024:

Overview of the bilateral working session at SASO headquarters.