Officials from Afghanistan National Standards Authority (ANSA) presented their annual performance report on Wednesday and said 805 standards affecting various sectors were ratified in the last solar year, 1402 (April 2023 to March 2024).

Officials said the standards set were related to cultural, economic, environmental, land, climate, and geographical domains. In addition, six codes were formulated in the fields of urban development, engineering, and the design of buildings, bridges, highways, and roads.

The Authority emphasized its successful collaboration with regional and international organizations, which led to the formulation of 105 standards, the finalization of 91 standards across various sectors, and the establishment of norms for 4,932 vehicles.

These efforts are among the most significant accomplishments of the authority in the past year, officials said.

Since the inception of the High Council of Standards, 24 standards have been ratified in areas including quality management systems, agricultural products, food, construction materials, petroleum products, textiles, leather, chemicals, and plastic derivatives.

According to the officials, over the past year, 3,787,415 tons of petroleum products, liquefied gas, and derivatives were imported through national ports, of which 128,811 tons were found to be non-compliant with established standards.

Similarly, 7,380,572 tons of construction materials were imported, with 152 tons identified as non-compliant.

ANSA is currently an active member of international organizations such as ISO, IEC, SMIIC, SARSO, and ECO RESCOM.

Over the past year, seven draft procedures and two regulations have been prepared to streamline the Authority’s operations, with finalization expected shortly.

Key priorities for the upcoming year include the formulation of 110 new standards across various sectors, strengthening coordination with international organizations in standard development, signing cooperation agreements with Turkmenistan, Iran, and Uzbekistan, issuing quality certificates, finalizing legislative drafts, monitoring the implementation of standards, and the completion of the Standard Law and Metrology Law.