STANDARDS&DIGITALTRANSFORMATIONGoodGovernanceinaDigitalAge©UNIDO,14October2021TheworldisinthemidstoftheFourthIndustrialRevolution(4IR)poweredbydigitaltechnologiesthataretransformingsociety,economiesandtheenvironment.Increasinglyconnectingobjects,machines,peopleandtheenvironment,thedisruptivenatureofthesetechnologicalinnovationsmakesitdifficulttoplanforandanticipatethefuture.Whatisclearisthattheseismicshiftthatdigitaltransformationbringshasmajorimplicationsforsustainabledevelopment.Timelyandharmonizedstandardscanplayapivotalroleinshapingthedigitaltransformationprocess,complementingregulationsandcontributingtodigitaltransformationgovernance.Standardscanfacilitatetheongoingdigitalizationofindustrybyenhancingproductivityandefficiency,promotingcompatibilityandinteroperabilitybetweenproductsandprocessesthroughcommonlanguage,whileguaranteeingminimumlevelsofqualityandsafety.Furthermore,standardscanserveasacceleratorsofchangeastheypromoteinnovationandtheuptakeofnewdigitaltechnologiesandspreadknowledgethroughcodification.Thisbrochure,introducesabroaderpublicationdevelopedbytheUnitedNationsIndustrialDevelopmentOrganization(UNIDO),whichdescribesdigitaltransformation,itskeydriversandtheimplicationsforthreeoftheSustainableDevelopmentGoal(SDG)pillars—people,prosperityandplanet.Italsohighlightstheroleofstandardsindigitaltransformationgovernance.Areviewoftheinternationalstandardslandscapewasundertakenforsevenofthemost-trendingdigitaltechnologiesofthe4IR.Whilestandardizationreflectsthedifferentfeaturesandscopeofimpactsof4IRtechnologies,thispublicationidentifiestheessentialcriteriatounderstandhowtodevelopappropriateandeffectivestandardsfordigitaltransformationworldwide.Basedonthereview,furtherconsiderationisgiventowhatgoodgovernanceprinciplesarenecessaryforguidingthedevelopmentofstandardsinthedigitaltechnologylandscapetoensurethatthetechnologiesremainhuman-centeredandalignedtothegoalsofsustainability.Revolutionsandchangehavemarkedhumandevelopment.Whatdistinguishesthe4IRfromprevio...
