The ISO9000 series of standards is perhaps the most popular generic international standard in use today.

Over 75 nations have already adopted and recognized it. Many organizations have utilized ISO9000 as a standard to create their quality systems.
ISO's purpose is to facilitate international trade by providing a single set of standards that people everywhere would recognize and respect. The term ISO 9000 refers to a set of quality management standards. ISO 9000 currently includes four core standards: ISO 9000:2000, ISO 9001:2000, ISO 9004:2000 and ISO 9001:2000 contains requirements, while ISO 9000:2000 is the QMS fundamentals & vocabulary ISO 9004:2000 is the guideline for performance improvement and ISO 19011 is the guideline for quality & environment auditing. ISO first published its quality standards in 1987, revised them in 1994, and then republished an updated version in 2000. These new standards are referred to as the "ISO 9000 2000 Series of Standards".
ISO 9000 is important because of its international orientation. While the content itself is useful, it alone does not account for its widespread appeal. Currently, ISO 9000 is supported by National Standards bodies in over 120 countries. This makes it the logical choice for any organization that does business internationally, or serves customers who demand an international standard of quality.