🗓️ On 4 November 2026, the UNIDO Global Quality Forum was convened in Vienna for the first time. A Russian delegation, comprising representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Mission, is participating in the event. The Forum under the theme «Trust, Trade and Transformation through Quality,» has brought together about 700 participants, inter alia government officials, including at the ministerial level, as well as representatives from specialized international organizations, the private sector, industry associations and the scientific community. The meeting focuses on enhancing quality and implementing sectoral standards within the industrial and related sectors, technical regulation, metrology, certification and international accreditation, the development of robust quality infrastructure and the impact of these issues on global trade. In his opening remarks, UNIDO Director General Gerd Müller highlighted the need to strike a careful balance: ensuring high product quality and the effective implementation of industry standards without creating unjustified trade barriers, while simultaneously supporting the industrialization process in the developing world. Delegates agreed that comprehensive measures to improve the quality of the whole spectrum of manufactured goods are a vital driver for economic development and modernization. 🇷🇺 In Russia, the areas of standardization, technical regulation and metrology are traditionally considered strategic State priorities, serving as a foundation for achieving technological leadership and national sovereignty. This issue is also addressed within the framework of UNIDO project activities for partner countries, which are funded through the Russian voluntary contributions.