The Brazilian Technical Standards Association, usually rendered in Portuguese as Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas (ABNT) is a private non-profit organization and the normative body which is responsible for technical standards in Brazil, and intends to promote technological development in the country. Brazilian national standards published by the association are named Norma Brasileira and abbreviated NBR. The ABNT was founded on 28 September 1940. It was officially adopted by the Brazilian government in 1962. It is a founding member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the Panamerican Standards Commission (COPANT) and the Asociación Mercosur de Normalización (AMN). The ABNT is the exclusive representative of Brazil in the international organizations ISO and IEC and in the regional entities COPANT and AMN.