ISO 27500:2016 is intended for executive board members and policy makers of all types of organizations (whether large or small) in the private, public and non-profit sectors.

It describes the values and beliefs that make an organization human-centred, the significant business benefits that can be achieved, and explains the risks for the organization of not being human-centred. It provides recommendations for the policies that executive board members need to implement to achieve this. It sets out high-level human-centred principles for executive board members to endorse in order to optimize performance, minimize risks to organizations and individuals, maximize well-being in their organization, and enhance their relationships with the customers. The importance of organizational policy to address human-centredness is emphasized.

ISO 27500:2016 is not a management system standard. It is not intended or appropriate for certification purposes or regulatory or contractual use.

ISO 27500:2016 is not intended to prevent the development of national standards that are more specific or demanding.