General Information
The Pan American Standards Commission, better known by its Spanish acronym COPANT, is a private, non-profit association that promotes standardization and related activities for its members bodies of the Americas region

Objectives
The object of COPANT shall be to promote the development of technical standardization and related activities in its member countries with the aim of promoting their commercial, industrial, scientific and technological development in benefit of the economic and commercial integration and the exchange of goods and services, while facilitating cooperation in the intellectual, scientific, economic and social spheres

Standardization Policy
The COPANT Council gathered in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, in April 1999, approved the Standardization Policy, studied by the TMC - Technical Management Commission, with the changes proposed by the Council.

a) COPANT shall encourage and facilitate the direct adoption of COPANT and International standards as national standards by its members;

b) COPANT may develop regional standards in relevant subjects for the specific interests of its members, in as much as the need for them has been clearly demonstrated. COPANT shall avoid, as far as possible, the duplication of work in the development of standards.

c) COPANT shall encourage the participation of its members in an articulated and coordinated manner in the international standardization works, including training of the staff of its member bodies.

d) When there is the required interest by its members and as a means to avoid the multiplication of efforts, COPANT may adopt international standards as regional standards.

e) COPANT shall gradually and increasingly make available, electronically, the information related to international standardization, allowing access to its members mainly in the subjects of interest to the region.

f) COPANT shall promote the communication among its members to avoid the duplication of translation work in the countries of the region.

g) COPANT shall seek mechanisms for the coordination and integration with the activities carried out by Sub-regional Organizations (NAFTA, MERCOSUL, ANDEAN COMMUNITY, CARICOM, etc.) so as to unify policies in the field of standardization.