On the eve of the World Standards Day 2003, the Government has reiterated its support for the information and communications technology sectors in adopting international standards.

The theme for this year's event is Global Standards for the Global Information Society.

The occasion is celebrated every year by members of major international standards organisations, such as the International Organisation for Standardisation, International Electrotechnical Commission and International Telecommunication Union.

Recognising the importance of information and communications technologies, the organisations have been promoting their development through the adoption of international standards to simplify their use, reduce costs and open markets, in turn bridging the digital divide between developed and developing economies.

The Government has been taking part in standardisation activities of the ISO and ITU. For implementation of e-government services, the administration has been using international standards, or standards widely adopted in the information and communication industry.

The Government's regulatory requirements for electrical and electronic devices are also mostly based on international standards developed by the IEC and its International Special Committee on Radio Interference.

To help local businesses apply international standards, the Information Technology Commission maintains a library with 120,000 standards issued by the ISO, IEC and standard bodies of Hong Kong's major markets, and offers a technical enquiry service.

It also operates a Standards Sales Service for the purchase of originals and photocopies of standards from overseas standard bodies.