List of fundamental

principles of
the ISO system

iso.org
List of fundamental principles
of the ISO system

2 List of fundamental principles of the ISO system

Introduction

The object of the organization Consistent with ISO’s mission, this policy
document sets out a non-exhaustive list of
is defined in the ISO Statutes1 fundamental principles of the ISO system
which provide that: which all ISO members2 commit to comply
with and actively promote. These principles
“The object of the organization shall be to
are in line with the World Trade Organization
promote the development of standardization
Technical Barriers to Trade principles for
and related activities in the world with a view
the development of international standards3
to facilitating international exchange of goods
– transparency, openness, impartiality and
and services, to improving the management
consensus, effectiveness and relevance,
of business processes, to supporting the
coherence, and development dimension.
dissemination of social and environmental best
They also demonstrate ISO’s commitment
practices and to developing cooperation in the
to the implementation of the United Nations
spheres of intellectual, scientific, technological
Sustainable Development Goals.
and economic activity.”

ISO has adopted successive

strategies to support the
Hierarchy of norms
implementation of its mission
which has been intangibly The Statutes are the highest governing
document of the organization and are under
reiterated in the different
the responsibility of the General Assembly.
strategies. The latest definition The Statutes are implemented by means of the
of ISO’s mission is provided in Rules of Procedure which shall be consistent
the ISO Strategy 2030: with the Statutes. The Rules of Procedure are
under the responsibility of Council. The Rules
“Through our members and their stakeholders, of Procedure are complemented by additional
we bring people together to agree on policy documents which cover various
International Standards that respond to important matters for the organization and
global challenges. […] ISO provides a neutral which shall be consistent with the Statutes and
platform where experts the world over come Rules of Procedure. The policy documents are
together to develop and agree on standards. approved by Council or the General Assembly.
The building of consensus across multiple
levels establishes trust and credibility in our
organization, and the International Standards
The ISO fundamental principles define rights
we produce, that make us a global leader
and responsibilities for the ISO membership, as
in our field.”
set out in the following table.

1 Article 2, ISO Statutes, 19th edition.

2 ISO members are member bodies, correspondent and subscriber members. The entire document refers to ISO members; it should be noted, however, that in certain cases
tles, rights or responsibilities do not apply to correspondent members or to subscriber members.
3 Decision of the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade Committee (second triennial review), Annex 4: Decision of the committee on principles for the
development of international standards, guides and recommendations with relation to Articles 2, 5 and Annex 3 of the agreement.

List of fundamental principles of the ISO system 3

List of fundamental
principles of the ISO system

1
Topics Principles Rights Responsibilities

Consensus, due PRINCIPLE 1

process and
national delegation The principles of consensus and due process organized and safeguarded by ISO members, who
are responsible for casting all national/country votes in the ISO standards development4 and policy
development processes, in accordance with the national delegation principle.

Ultimate representative a) Only one ISO member per country is recognized by ISO. Each ISO member can be assured that it is
of ISO nationally the ultimate representative of ISO for its own country.

National representation i. ISO members undertake to be the organization most broadly representative of standardization in
their country, providing open and consensus-based representation of their country’s views in both
technical and policy- related matters. An ISO member may delegate its membership rights and
obligations to other organizations in its country if it so wishes but remains responsible to the other
members of ISO for its primary responsibilities.

Financial responsibility ii. ISO members pay their dues to maintain the ISO infrastructure, including the core function costs
of the ISO Central Secretariat, according to subscription levels decided by the General Assembly.

Compliance with iii. ISO members shall comply with the ISO policy documents approved by the General Assembly
policy documents and Council.

4 In the framework of the New Rights Programme approved by Council, correspondent and subscriber members may participate as P-members (with voting rights) in up to five
committees for a five-year period (Council Resolution 43/2019).

4 List of fundamental principles of the ISO system

Topics Principles Rights Responsibilities

ISO governance role b) ISO member bodies have the right to seek appointment or election to ISO’s governing bodies,
i.e. Council and the Technical Management Board (TMB). They may be appointed or elected as
members of these bodies according to democratic procedures set out in the ISO Statutes and
Rules of Procedure.

ISO governance i. When serving as elected representatives of the ISO membership on Council or the TMB,
responsibilities representatives shall:

• Act on behalf of the membership as a whole

• A
 ttend and actively participate in the meetings of the governance bodies to which they were
elected
• Vote on all questions submitted for approval

Compliance with ii. In matters pertaining to strategic and policy development initiatives of the Organization, and to
Council decisions the rules applied to its members in financial and commercial matters, ISO members shall respect
the decisions of Council.

Compliance with iii. In matters pertaining to the delineation of work between ISO technical committees (TCs) and
TMB decisions the performance and assignment of TC and subcommittee (SC) Secretariats, ISO members shall
respect the decisions of the TMB.

Distribution and sales c) ISO members may reproduce or distribute the publications and documents of the organization
protected by copyright.

Intellectual property i. All members shall take appropriate actions to ensure the correct use of the ISO name and
responsibilities trademark (logo) in their country, and to prevent unauthorized use or sale of the content
of ISO publications in any form.

List of fundamental principles of the ISO system 5

2 Topics Principles Rights Responsibilities

Procedures PRINCIPLE 2
for standards
development The principle that an ISO TC/SC must follow authorized procedures in carrying out its work, and that the
consensus of the relevant TC/SC members must be supportive of any special procedural exceptions
proposed for authorization by the TMB or Council.

Participation a) ISO members5 have the right to participate in any standards development work which is intended to
in standards result in the approval of an ISO standard or other ISO deliverable. They also have the right to appeal,
development within time limits set by the Council, against any action or inaction of a technical committee or the
TMB, with final appeals being decided by Council.

National consultations i. For the ISO work in which they choose to participate, ISO members are expected to organize
national consultation mechanisms, according to their national needs and possibilities, which
prepare national positions that reflect a balance of their country’s national stakeholders’ interests
and are presented by their national delegations for consideration by relevant ISO TC/SCs (or other
technical bodies established by the TMB).

Compliance with ii. When participating in the standards development work of ISO, ISO members are obliged to
ISO/IEC Directives adhere to procedural rules established by the TMB. These rules may be different in various cases,
depending on the kind of deliverable being developed, or for specific standards (e.g. fast-track
procedures, or special-case procedures applicable to particular standards development or
adoption objectives).

Vote and comment b) ISO members have the right to comment and participating (P) members of an ISO committee have
the obligation to vote, within specified time limits, on any ISO deliverable, according to voting
rules and procedures approved by ISO (on a one-vote-per-country basis with negative votes
requiring justifications).

Respect result i. ISO members must respect the results of ISO’s consensus-building processes, i.e. a general
of consensus agreement characterized by the absence of sustained opposition by any important part of the
concerned interests and by a process that involves seeking to take account of the views of all
parties concerned and to reconcile any conflicting arguments.

Committee leadership c) ISO member bodies have the right to seek appointment as Secretariats of ISO TCs and SCs in
accordance with the rules set out by the TMB. They may do this on behalf of another organization
in their country, but remain responsible for the effective discharge of the responsibilities accepted.

5 This right extends to subscriber members exclusively within the framework of the New Rights Programme approved by Council.

6 List of fundamental principles of the ISO system

3Topics Principles Rights Responsibilities

National adoptions PRINCIPLE 3

and ISO publications
The principle that ISO members6 have the right to adopt, and are encouraged to adopt, any
ISO standard or other ISO deliverable as their own national standard.

Distribution and sales a) ISO members may distribute and sell national adoptions of ISO standards without paying royalties
or additional fees to ISO/CS or to any other members.

Royalties i. When selling ISO publications which are not adopted as national standards, ISO members are
required to pay royalties to ISO/CS according to rules established by Council.

7 In certain cases, subscriber members may benefit from this right exclusively within the framework of the New Rights Programme approved by Council.

List of fundamental principles of the ISO system 7

International Organization
for Standardization
ISO Central Secretariat
Chemin de Blandonnet 8
1214 Geneva, Switzerland

We care about our planet.

This brochure is printed on recycled paper.
© ISO 2023
All rights reserved
ISBN 978-92-67-11280-0 iso.org