Event to Include High-Level Representatives of ANSI, USAID, USTR, and the Department of Commerce

NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)  – American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standards Alliance initiative will hold its Inaugural U.S. Event on Thursday, September 26, 2013, in Washington, DC. The afternoon ceremony and reception are intended to provide an overview of the Standards Alliance partnership and its objectives in facilitating trade growth and standardization infrastructure in developing countries.

The Standards Alliance was announced by USAID in November 2012 as a new funding facility to provide developing economies with concrete assistance in capacity building, with a specific focus on the effective implementation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement. In a partnership between ANSI and USAID, over the next three years experts from the U.S. standardization system will be coordinated to implement training and other technical assistance in up to ten interested countries.

Following opening remarks from ANSI president and CEO S. Joe Bhatia, attendees at the Inaugural Event will hear a keynote address from Eric Postel, assistant administrator for USAID's Economic Growth, Education and Environment Bureau. Other high-level speakers include representatives of the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), as well as ANSI vice president for international policy Gary Kushnier. A cocktail reception will follow the ceremony, providing participants with an opportunity to discuss the initiative and other related matters in a relaxed, interactive setting.

The Standards Alliance U.S. Inaugural Event will be held on September 26 from 4:00 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the FHI 360 Conference Center (2005 Florida Avenue, NW). All interested representatives of government agencies, industry, and the greater standardization community are encouraged to attend. Attendees must RSVP to standardsalliance@ansi.org by Monday, September 23, 2013.

For more information, download the event flyer. To learn more about the Standards Alliance program, visit standardsalliance.ansi.org.

About ANSIThe American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is made up of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.

The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and is a U.S. representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

About USAIDThe American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for over 50 years. Our assistance develops the markets of the future; long-time aid recipients have become strong trade partners and are the fastest growing markets for American goods. USAID is developing partnerships with countries committed to enabling the private sector investment that is the basis of sustained economic growth to open new markets for American goods, promote trade overseas, and create jobs here at home. For more information, please visit www.usaid.gov.

SOURCE American National Standards Institute

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