(Credit - WAM)
UAE Takes 5th Place Globally in UNIDO Industrial Quality Index
The UAE has secured fifth place globally and first in the MENA region in the 2026 Quality Infrastructure for Sustainable Development Index (QI4SD), issued by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) alongside the International Network on Quality Infrastructure (INETQI). The global ranking evaluates economies with a gross domestic product between USD 100 billion and USD 1 trillion across five core metrics: standardization, metrology, accreditation, conformity assessment, and quality policy.
Global standards alignment drives local trade growth
National efforts spearheaded by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT), in coordination with federal, local, and private sector partners, have established a unified regulatory framework that impacts commercial manufacturing directly across the country. The country has adopted approximately 29,000 national standards, with 92% directly aligned with international benchmarks to streamline exported goods through foreign ports.
This unified quality structure gives local manufacturers direct support when expanding into international target markets, including countries linked through Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements. Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Dr. Sultan Al Jaber stated that the national ecosystem strengthens product quality, supports incoming industrial investment, and reinforces domestic manufacturing goals under Operation 300bn and Make it in the Emirates.
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology Jasem Al Nowais highlighted that MoIAT is focusing on helping local industrial entities utilize these regulations to satisfy technical and compliance standards across domestic and export markets. Assistant Undersecretary for Standardization Affairs Dr. Farah Al Zarooni also oversees the ongoing alignment of these standardization measures. The global ranking announcement coincided with World Quality Day on November 12.
