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WTO NEWS: 2000 NEWS ITEMS

Geneva 19-20 July 2000
Centre William Rappard

Workshop on technical assistance and special and differential treatment in the context of the TBT Agreement with a primary focus on technical assistance

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Background and objective of the workshop

1. At the First Triennial Review of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (1997), the TBT Committee held discussions on technical assistance and special and differential treatment (G/TBT/5). The Committee noted that certain Members, especially developing country Members, encountered difficulties in the implementation and operation of the Agreement. Technical assistance should be provided to requesting Members, particularly least developed country Members, on the preparation of technical regulations, the establishment of national standardizing bodies, regulatory bodies, or bodies for assessment of conformity, the methods by which technical regulations of other Members could best be met, the participation in the international standardizing bodies, and the access to systems for conformity assessment, with a view to increasing the overall effectiveness of the TBT Agreement. The Committee noted that technical assistance activities of the WTO should be coordinated with those of other international and intergovernmental organizations. In this respect, special attention should be given to the development of human and institutional resources, in particular with respect to conformity assessment procedures.

2. The Committee agreed to invite Members to exchange information regarding the implementation of the provision on technical assistance, including to communicate to the Committee annually any information concerning their national and regional technical assistance programmes. Members that required technical assistance were invited to inform the Committee of any difficulties they encountered in the implementation and operation of the Agreement and the kind of technical assistance they would need. Other Members were invited to contribute to the technical assistance process by sharing their experience in the implementation and operation of the Agreement. The Committee also agreed to consider including in its work programme, which could be taken up and reviewed during the Second Triennial Review, the following matter: “the use of measures to engender capacity building in developing country Members, including the consideration of measures relevant to transfer of technology to these countries, for the purpose of preparation and adoption of technical regulations, standards or conformity assessment procedures, taking into account their special development, financial and trade needs”.

3. In order to follow up on what has been discussed and agreed by the Committee at the First Triennial Review, as well as to promote information exchange, and to facilitate discussion on technical assistance in the lead-up to the Second Triennial Review (to be conducted before the end of year 2000), at its meeting of 25 February 2000, the Committee agreed to hold a Workshop on Technical Assistance and Special and Differential Treatment.

4. The Workshop would provide the opportunity for Members that require technical assistance to inform other Members and relevant organizations of any difficulties they encounter in the implementation and operation of the Agreement, and the kind of technical assistance required. At the same time, Members and international organizations which provide technical assistance in the TBT area could make use of this occasion to communicate with the Committee any information concerning their technical assistance programmes. The objective is to help better target technical assistance, avoid duplication and promote further cooperation and coordination among donor Members and organizations, aiming at developing efficient and effective technical assistance programmes in the various areas related to the TBT Agreement.

5. Speakers will be invited from both developed and developing country Members from different regions and relevant organizations. Topics of the presentations will focus on problems and needs with respect to the implementation and operation of the Agreement by developing country Members, in particular least-developed country Members, and their participation in international standardizing bodies, access to systems for conformity assessment, development of human and institutional resources and other capacity building issues.

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Structure of the workshop

6. There will be four sessions in the Workshop, dealing with matters concerning the following items:

(i) implementation and administration of the TBT Agreement;
(ii) international standards;
(iii) conformity assessment procedures; and
(iv) capacity building.

7. Each session will contain presentations, comments from the floor and round table discussions. Speakers and participants at the round table discussions will be from the following groupings:

(i) developing country Members;
(ii) developed country Members; and
(iii) relevant international and regional bodies.

8. The first day of the Workshop will focus on fact-finding concerning problems and needs encountered by developing country Members. In each session, after presentations by representatives of developing country Members, time will be allocated for comments from the floor. At the end of day one, moderators will sum up the presentations and comments made under each session on relevant problems and needs of developing country Members.

9. The second day will focus on solution-seeking to address the relevant problems and needs expressed. Based on the summing up of the first day, at each round table, participants will be invited to provide information on existing technical assistance activities addressing the problems and needs identified, assess those problems and needs, comment on existing technical assistance programmes, and suggest possible solutions. Discussions in each round table will then take place to seek practical solutions and ways on how best to target technical assistance.

10. The results of the Workshop are intended to be fed back to the Committee for its information. Members will be free to propose and consider possible further actions which may be included in the Second Triennial Review of the TBT Agreement at the end of the year 2000.

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Content of the workshop

Session one: Implementation and Administration of the TBT Agreement

This session will address the difficulties faced by developing country Members and their needs concerning the implementation and administration of the Agreement, including also the following elements:

(i) submission of statements under Article 15.2;
(ii) notification obligations;
(iii) setting up of national enquiry points;

(iv) implementation of the Code of Good Practice for the Preparation, Adoption, and Application of Standards; and
(v) preparation of technical regulations, establishment of national standardizing bodies, regulatory bodies or bodies for assessment of conformity.(1)

Session two: International Standards

This session will address issues relating to:
(i) the possible difficulties encountered in relation to the use of certain international standards/guides; and
(ii) the participation in international standardization activities(2).

Session three: Conformity Assessment Procedures

This session will address issues relating to:
(i) the acceptance of conformity assessment results;
(ii) the development of operational conformity assessment procedures;
(iii) access to regional/international systems for conformity assessment; and
(iv) capacity building in relation to conformity assessment procedures(3).

Session four: Capacity Building

This session will focus on:
(i) the development of human and institutional resources;
(ii) ways by which technical regulations and standards of export markets could best be met; and
(iii) other capacity building matters(4).

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Programme of the workshop

First day
9.00-9.30 Registration
9.30-9.40 Welcome
  Mr. Paul-Henri Ravier - Deputy Director-General
9.40-9.50 Opening statement
  Mr. John Adank - Chairman of the TBT Committee
Session one Implementation and administration of the TBT Agreement
  Moderator: Ms. Dara Williams (Australia)
9.50-10.50 Presentations:
  Speakers from developing country Members, including least developed country Members, which may experience difficulties in the implementation and administration of the Agreement
  Mr. Felipe Urresta – Director, Institute for Standards, Ecuador
  Dr. Kasirye-Alemu – Executive Director, Uganda National Bureau of Standards
  Ms. Rula Madanat – Jordan Institute for Standards and Metrology
  Mr. Roberto Paiva – Head of Department of Foreign Trade, Chile
10.50-11.20 Comments from the floor
Session two International standards
  Moderator: Mr. Martin Loken (Canada)
11.20-12.30 Presentations:
  Speakers from developing country Members addressing their relevant problems, needs and experience in this area
  Ms. Carmen Quintanilla Madero – Direccíon General de Normas, Mexico
  Mr. Martin Kellermann – Deputy President, South African Bureau of Standards
  Mr. Gene Hutchinson – Managing Director, Botswana Bureau of Standards
  Mr. Fabio Tobón – Director, Institute of Standards and Certification, Colombia
  Mr. Ruzain Idris – Department of Standards, Malaysia
12.30-13.00 Comments from the floor
Session three Conformity assessment procedures
  Moderator: Mr. Otto Th. Genee (Netherlands)
15.00-16.00 Presentations:
  Speakers from developing country Members addressing their relevant problems, needs and experience in this area.
  Mr. Ali A. El-Nagger – President, Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality Control
  Mr. P. S. Das – Director-General, Bureau of Indian Standards
  Mr. Beer Budoo - Director, Mauritius Accreditation Service
  dMs. Margareth Lafin – National Institute of Metrology, Standardization and Industrial Quality, Brazils
16.00-16.30 Comments from the floor
Session four Capacity building
  Moderator: Mr. Mohan Kumar (India)
16.30-17.30 Presentations:
  Speakers from developing country Members, including least developed country Members addressing their relevant problems and needs.
  Mr. Alvaro Riveros Tejada – Vice Minister, Ministry of Industry and Internal Commerce, Bolivia
  Ms. Beatrice Mary Mutabazi – Deputy Director, Tanzania Bureau of Standards
  Ms. Sarah Saeed – Ministry of Commerce, Pakistan
  Mr. Futurzeab Asgedom – Chairman, Board of Management of Quality and Standards Authority, Ethiopia
17.30-18.00 Comments from the floor
  Summing up of the first day
   
Second day
Session one Implementation and administration of the TBT Agreement
9.30-10.30 Moderator: Ms. Dara Williams (Australia)
  Summing up of the relevant problems and needs
  Round Table Discussions:
  A participant from developed country Members to share experience in the implementation and administration of the Agreement and on their technical assistance activities which aim at resolving the relevant problems and meeting the needs of developing country Members in this respect
  Ms. Suzanne Troje – USTR, the United States
  A representative from the WTO Secretariat and a participant from a regional body on their technical assistance activities which aim at resolving the relevant problems and meeting the needs of developing country Members in this respect
  Mr. Alexander Keck – WTO Secretariat
  Ms. Barbara Kotschwar – Organization of American States
  Speakers from developing country Members, including least developed country Members, commenting on the relevant technical assistance activities and suggesting possible solutions to the problems and needs identified
  Mr. Felipe Urresta (Ecuador), Dr. Kasirye-Alemu (Uganda), Ms. Rula Madanat (Jordan) and Mr. Roberto Paiva (Chile)
10.30-11.15 Comments from the floor and conclusion of the session
Session two International standards
11.15-12.15 Moderator: Mr. Martin Loken (Canada)
  Summing up of the relevant problems and needs
  Round Table Discussions:
  A participant from a developed country Member on their relevant national and regional technical assistance programmes and their experience in this area
  Mr. Juichi Nagano – MITI, Japan
  Participants from international and regional standardizing bodies on their technical assistance programmes and activities which aim at resolving the relevant problems and meeting the needs of developing country Members
  Dr. Lawrence Eicher, Secretary General, ISO
  Mr. Anwar El-Tawil – Secretary, DEVCO-ISO
  Mr. Alan Maislisch – IEC
  Mr. David Byron – FAO/CODEX
  Mr. Graeme Drake - PASC
  Speakers from developing country Members commenting on the relevant technical assistance activities and suggesting possible solutions to the problems and needs identified
  Ms. Carmen Quintanilla Madero (Mexico), Mr. Martin Kellermann (South Africa), Mr. Gene Hutchinson (Botswana), Mr. Fabio Tobón (Colombia) and Mr. Ruzain Idris (Malaysia)
12.15-13.00 Comments from the floor and conclusion of the session
Session three Conformity assessment procedures
14.30-15.30 Moderator: Mr. Otto Th. Genee (Netherlands)
  Summing up of the relevant problems and needs
  Round Table Discussions:
  Participants from developed country Members on their relevant national and regional technical assistance programmes and experience in this area
  Mr. John Gilmour – National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia
  Dr. Eberhard Seiler – Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Germany
  Participants from international, regional conformity assessment systems and relevant international organizations on their technical assistance programmes and activities which aim at resolving the relevant problems and meeting the needs of developing country Members
  Mr. David Stanger – Chairman, Laboratory Liaison Committee, International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC)
  Mr. Takashi Ohtsubo – International Accreditation Forum (IAF)
  Mr. John Donaldson – Chairman, ISO/CASCO
  Mr. Octavio Maizza-Neto – Quality, Standardization and Metrology Branch, UNIDO
  Speakers from developing country Members commenting on the relevant technical assistance activities and suggesting possible solutions to the problems and needs identified
  Mr. Ali A. El-Nagger (Egypt), Mr. P. S. Das (India), Mr. Beer Budoo (Mauritius), and Ms. Margareth Lafin (Brazil)
15.30-16.15 Comments from the floor and conclusion of the session
Session four Capacity building
16.15-17.15 Moderator: Mr. Mohan Kumar (India)
  Summing up of the relevant problems and needs
  Round Table Discussions:
  A participant from a developed country Member on their national and regional technical assistance programmes in this regard.
  Mr. Brian Jenkinson – The European Commission
  Participants from international and regional bodies on their technical assistance programmes and activities which aim at resolving the relevant problems and meeting the needs of developing country Members.
  Mr. Ian Dunmill - Assistant Director, OIML
  Ms. Elizabeth Boggs Davidsen – Inter-American Development Bank
  Mr. John Wilson – The World Bank
  Mr. Shyam Gujadhur – International Trade Centre
  Speakers from developing country Members commenting on the relevant technical assistance activities and suggesting possible solutions to the problems and needs identified
  Mr. Alvaro Riveros Tejada (Bolivia), Ms. Beatrice Mary Mutabazi (Tanzania), Ms. Sarah Saeed (Pakistan), Mr. Futurzeab Asgedom (Ethiopia)
17.15-18.00 Comments from the floor and conclusion of the session
   
  Conclusion of the workshop
  Report of the Chairman to the Committee

For more information:

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The Chairman's summary report
Session reports of the moderators

Notes:

1. At the First Triennial Review, the Committee reiterated the importance of Members fulfilling their obligations for the implementation and administration of the Agreement, and urged them to submit their statements under Article 15.2 in accordance with the requirements contained in the relevant decisions (G/TBT/1/Rev.6). The Committee noted that the issue of the submission of statements under Article 15.2 involved two elements, namely the submission of the statements, and the arrangements for the implementation and administration of the Agreement. Certain Members might face difficulties in providing the information and need clarification of the notification requirements. Certain Members might also encounter difficulties andproblems regarding the measures and arrangements to ensure the implementation and administration of the Agreement by relevant authorities and non-governmental standardizing bodies. The Committee agreed that an exchange of information and experience among Members would help to identify such problems and difficulties, and provide assistance to those Members seeking it. In order to ensure the submission of statements under Article 15.2, and to improve the implementation and administration of the Agreement, the Committee agreed to invite those Members who have not submitted such information to indicate any difficulties and needs in this respect, so that technical assistance may be provided as appropriate. Back to text

2. At the First Triennial Review, the Committee noted that difficulties might be encountered in relation to the use of certain international standards … . There was a need to examine these difficulties … . An examination of these issues would also need to consider the extent to which the special development, financial and trade needs of developing country Members had been taken into account, and the kind of technical assistance that might be needed in this respect. The Committee emphasized the importance of Members playing a full part, within the limit of their resources, in the preparation by appropriate international standardizing bodies of international standards … The Committee noted, however, that concerns had been expressed by certain Members, in particular developing country Members, on the difficulties they encountered in this respect. Taking account of the considerations outlined above, … the Committee agreed to explore ways and means of improving the implementation of Articles 2.6, 5.5, 11.2, 12.5 and paragraph G of the Code with a view to enhancing Members' awareness of, and participation in, the work of international standardizing bodies. Back to text

3. At the First Triennial Review, the Committee noted that in order to further the objectives of Articles 5 and 6, including in particular the need to avoid the creation of unnecessary obstacles to international trade due to conformity assessment procedures, and with a view to making recommendations to remove any unnecessary duplication of conformity assessment, the Committee agreed to review the role of regional and international systems for conformity assessment as covered by Article 9 and how these systems could contribute to solving the problems of multiple testing and certification/registration for traders and industries, including in particular small and medium size enterprises. This exercise will also address … the possible technical assistance needed for developing countries to develop operational conformity assessment procedures within the context of Articles 11.6, 11.7 and 12.5.
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4. With the view to operationalize and implement the provisions of Article 12, at the First Triennial Review the Committee agreed to consider including the following matter in its future programme of work, which could be taken up during the next three years and reviewed during the Second Triennial Review of the Agreement: The use of measures to engender capacity building in developing country Members, including the consideration of measures relevant to transfer of technology to these countries, for the purpose of preparation and adoption of technical regulations, standards or conformity assessment procedures, taking into account their special development, financial and trade needs. Back to text