UAE leaders, ASTM International board participate in Outreach Day

Dubai and Abu Dhabi government and industry leaders partnered with the ASTM International board of directors to host 20 events during Outreach Day.

Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Federation of UAE Chambers hosted a special event to announce ASTM International's 100th memorandum of understanding. The Gulf Standardization Organization (GSO), in addition to all GCC nations, have joined the program over the past few years.

“Voluntary and technical standards are all around us, and they give confidence to people and organizations to go about their daily lives,” U.S. Ambassador to the UAE Barbara Leaf said. “Once people begin to learn about what standards are and why they are important, it is easy to realize that they are essential for products and services to be traded with consistency, predictability and reliability.”

Thomas was honored with a framed letter in appreciation of his dedication and leadership shown up and through his pending retirement. The letter was signed by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and presented by Leaf and Christian Reed, executive director for the Middle East and Africa at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

An amusement-ride standards workshop and another event were offered Oct. 16 to conclude the week’s activities at NYU-Abu Dhabi.

The Standards and Codes for Sustainable Construction Workshop in Dubai, highlighted by a discussion among government and industry leaders, was hosted Oct. 13 and sponsored by ASTM International, the International Code Council, and the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration.

As part of “Discover America” month, the U.S. Embassy supported several of the events during Outreach Day.