标准让世界更畅通
IEC主席：
雅克.里吉斯
ISO主席：
阿兰.莫里森
ITU主席：
哈马德.图尔
全世界至少有6亿5千万人身患某种残疾；同时，发达国家已有四分之一的人口年逾六旬，到2050年，大多数发展中国家的老龄人口也将达到这个比例。
随着全世界老龄化人口的不断增加，以及残障人士越来越希望在社会、政治、经济生活中拥有平等的权利，让世界更畅通、无障碍就越来越成为人们关注的问题。让老年人和残疾人像身体健全的人一样能够顺利地获取和交流信息，这与他们方便地使用电梯、进入大楼、外出旅行以及安全地使用某个装置同样重要。
无障碍并不仅仅是老年人或残疾人关注的问题。我们任何人在人生的某个阶段，都有可能经历暂时的行动不便。在这种情况下，即使是日常简单的活动都可能变得十分复杂和困难。这时，国际标准能有效地指导生产商和服务提供商，设计和制造出方便所有人使用的产品。
——按照国际标准科学设计的轮椅坡道，对推着婴儿车的新妈妈将十分方便；
——开关按钮很大的设备，让手部受伤的人更容易操作；
——能够紧急制动的传感器，可以让背部受伤而行动迟缓的人经过感应门时停止关闭，从而避免事故；
——电话键盘数字5上的小圆点，可以让寻找数字变得更容易，比如能为刚做完眼科手术的病人提供方便。
国际标准有助于我们每个人更加便捷地使用产品、进入建筑物和接受服务。这些国际标准包含了对安全的考虑、人类工效学原则和协商一致的检测方法等，从而更有助于提高产品和服务的无障碍性。标准还为技术创新在发达国家和发展中国家的推广提供了平台，促进市场更快地发展，推动全球贸易。
无论是今天还是未来，IEC、ISO和ITU携手致力于提供一个完善的标准化体系，为设计者、制造商和政策制定者提供帮助，让世界变得更加安全、更加畅通无阻。
Standards make the world accessible for all
At least 650 million people globally are affected by some kind of disability; one quarter of all citizens in developed countries are 60 or older and, by 2050, most developing countries will have caught up.
Accessibility is increasingly an issue as the world population ages and people with disabilities demand equal access to social, political and economic life. For them, as well as for the able-bodied, access to information and communication is as important as is the ability to use an elevator, enter a building, travel, or safely turn on and use a device.
But accessibility is not only an issue for the elderly or disabled. Anybody at any stage in life can experience temporarily reduced accessibility. When that happens, simple, everyday activities can become very complicated. International standards give manufacturers and service providers the guidelines on how to design products accessible for all.
—— well designed wheelchair ramp conforming to an international standard may turn out to be really useful for a new mother with a baby carriage
—— device with a large switch may make things easier for someone with an injured hand
—— sensor stopping doors from closing can prevent accidents when a back injury impairs movement
——The little dot on the number 5 on a phone keypad makes it easier to find numbers – a boon in the first days after an eye operation.
International standards facilitate everybody’s access to products, structures and services. They include safety considerations, ergonomics and harmonized test methods all geared to increase accessibility. Standards also provide a platform for the dissemination of technological innovations both in developed and developing countries. They help markets to grow faster and increase global trade.
IEC, ISO and ITU coordinate their work and offer a system of standardization that helps designers, manufacturers and policy makers to make the world safer and more accessible for all, today and tomorrow.