TBT@20: Reducing Trade Friction from Standards and Regulations 4 November 2015

 

The first Panel set the stage with a look back at key challenges posed by the negotiation of the TBT Agreement and the early days of the TBT Committee (Juan-Antonio Dorantes Sanchez, former TBT Chairperson, Mexico). Participants also heard what WTO accession to the WTO TBT Agreement entailed for a large developing member (Mr LIU Yuhua, DDG of the Department of WTO Affairs, Ministry of Commerce of China). Two perspectives from academia were heard; one legal (Professor Joost Pauwelyn), one economic (Professor Jacques Pelkmans). The session was moderated by Aik Hoe Lim (Director, Trade and Environment Division, WTO).
Audio

 

This Panel engaged the users of the TBT Agreement, beyond governments. The speakers (from industry, trade associations, a standards body and a consumer representative) were asked to answer the following key questions: why does TBT matter for them, how do they engage with governments, and what challenges matter most in this area? The panel included brief interventions from the following speakers: Pär Stenmark (IKEA), Dominique Taeymans (Nestlé), Bev Postma (Food Industry Asia Remarks), Jane Ngige (Kenya Flower Council), Dr Scott Steedman (British Standards Institution, BSI) and Sadie Homer (Consumers International). This session was moderated by Devin McDaniels (Trade and Environment Division, WTO).
Audio

 

This panel engaged the practitioners: government experts who regularly participate in the TBT Committee. The panel looked ahead: what is coming in the next 20 years on the subject of standards and regulations? Speakers on the panel included: George Opiyo (Uganda), Fabrizio Sacchetti (EU), Jennifer Stradtman (US) and Xinhua Sun (China). This session was moderated by Erik Wijkström (Trade and Environment Division, WTO).
Audio