WORL D TRAD E
ORGANIZA TIONG/TBT /W/186
14 October 2 002
(02-5529)
Committee on Technical Barrie rs to Trade
A COMPILATION AND SUMMARY OF TH E RESPONSES1RECEIVED
TO THE QU ESTIONNAIRE F OR A SURV EY TO ASSIST
DEVELOPING C OUNTR Y MEMBERS TO IDENTIFY
AND PRIORITISE THEIR SPECIFIC
NEEDS IN THE TBT FIELD
Note by the Secr etariat
This document has been prepared unde r the Secretariat' s own
respon sibility and without prejudice to the positions of Membe rs
and to their rights and obligations unde r the WTO
At the 20-21 June 2002 meeting of the Committee, the Secreta riat was requested to compile
and summariz e the responses received to the questionnaire for "a Survey to Assist Developing
Country Memb ers to Identify and Prioritise their Specific Needs in the TBT Field" (G/TBT/W/178).
This note has b een p repared responding to that r eque st.
This note compiles the first 28 submissions. It summarize s the "current situation", the
"specific problems, difficulties and/or interests" and the "technic al assistanc e and/or coop eration
activit ies requir ed" in relation to the implementat ion of and benefiting from the Agre ement as well as
capacity building. Prioritisation of needs of individual submission s are contained in Annex 1 of this
note.
1The responses provide d are intended to assist the Committee to further develop its technical
cooperatio n program me. These responses shall bear no legal implication on the status of implementatio n by
Members, norimply that Members have to underta ke further commitments, nor do they prejudice Members'
positions with respect to the Agree ment o r rights an d obligations thereu nder.
I. IN RELATION TO T HE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE T BT AGR EEMENT
A. GENERAL IMPLEMENTATION A ND ADMINISTRATION ISSUES
1. Submiss ion of the statements o n the imp lementation a nd admi nistrat ion of the Agreement u nder Article 15.2
- To submit the statement following the guidelines contained in document G/TBT/1/Rev.7 to provide the information covered and
specified
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
-No work has yet bee n done.
-Has notified.
-The statement is under preparation.
-Lack of understanding on w hat it means by
submission of statements under Article 15. 2.
-Not all elements in the g uidelines have been
put in place.
-A special agency has been ide ntified to be
responsible for this subject or a tec hnical
committee has been c reated to wo rk on this.-No specific go vernme nt agenc y is responsible f or this.
-No mechanism has been put in place to impleme nt the
Agreement.
-The b odies concer ned are not in volve d.
-Difficult to incorporate the meth odolo gy and
proced ures requi red for the implementation and
administration of t he Agreemen t into legislation.
-Difficult to identif y technical regulation proposals at
local gover nmental levels.
-Lack ofinvent ory of technical regulatio ns and the
agencies involve d.
-Lack ofcapacity and human resources to maintain a
proper inventory of all existing regulations and to
classify and analyze them (e.g. byHS and I CS num bers).
-No proce dure exists to publish draft regulations in
official Journals (i.e. only adopte d ones are pu blished).
-Lack oftechnical capacity (e.g. capacity for provi ding
docume nts in langua ges other tha n the national o ne).-Advice from international experts to assist the competent
bodies for the impleme ntation o f the Agr eement.
-Capacity building (e.g. human and institutional resou rces) for
the implementation and administration of the Agre ement
(including the transpa rency provisions and participation in
international standar dization).
-To share experience with other Mem bers (e.g. on relevant laws
and legislation).
-Training worksho ps for regulato ry authorities on the rules to be
observed inthe preparatio n, adoption and application of
regulations takin g into account special cases of the existing
national reg ulations.
-Assis tance to make an invento ry of tech nical regulatio ns.
-Assis tance to orga nize and handle TBT notifications.
-To improve technological resources to manage the information
in either electronic and/or physical formats (e.g. scanners and
setting up databases) an d to p rovide links between re gulations.
I. IN RELATION TO T HE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE T BT AGR EEMENT
A. GENERAL IMPLEMENTATION A ND ADMINISTRATION ISSUES
2. Measu res and arrangements which could assist the implementat ion and administration of the Agreement by relev ant authorities and
non-governme ntal bodies:
(a) To put in place Arrang ement s (e.g. legislative, regulator y and administra tive action) to achieve an effective implementation and administration
of th e provisions o f the Agre ement
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
-Arrangeme nts (e.g. legislation, decree-
law, rules of procedu res, national
committee) exist.
-Measures exist at the central
gover nment level.
-No specific legislative action is in place
for the implementation of the
Agreement.
-Draft laws have bee n pre pared.
-The Agreeme nt has been published in
official gazette, but with no furthe r
action.
-Legislations or laws exist (e.g. natio nal
quality system or Standa rds Act).
However, they are not specifically or
completely for the purpose of the
implementation o f the Ag reement.
-Legislation exists but needs to be
reviewed to align with TBT
requireme nts.
-Need to assess the feasibility to develop
specific guidelines on regulator y best
practices.-Difficult to draft the law dueto the lack of unde rstanding
about the provisions of the Agr eement.
-Difficult to determi ne and select strategies.
-Problems in orlack of the enforceme nt onthe legislation/law
develope d for the impleme ntation o f the Ag reement.
-Curre nt laws do not effectively ensure theimplementatio n of
the Agreement by relevant authorities and non-governmental
bodies.
-Lack of capacity to review existing situation.
-Lack ofcoordination/c ommunicatio n among therelevant
agencies.
-Lack ofawareness, in depth knowledge or interest about the
Agreement b y releva nt bo dies (e.g. re gulator y auth orities).
-Problems with the systematisation and continuity in
gover nmental b odies.
-Lack ofthe conditions needed to disseminate informatio n
concernin g technical regulations and conformity assessment
proced ures (e.g. in electro nic version ).
-Lack ofexpe rtise and resou rces to implement the Agreeme nt
(e.g. the operatio n and administration e xperie nces).
-Financial, huma n andtechnical infrastructure constraints and
the mechanism nee ds to be stren gthened .-Assis tance to draft legislation and admi nistration action for the
effective implementatio n ofthe pr ovisions of the Agreeme nt.
-Training (e.g. seminar/worksh op) of personnel for the
execution/super vision of the impleme ntation o f the Agree ment.
-Training or provi de guidelines on theimplementation of the
Agreement, in particular to central government regulator y
authorities responsible for technical regulations and conformity
asses sment procedu res.
-National confe rence to ensure that all stakeh olders are aware of
their TBT obligations.
-Assis tance to review existing legislation and law forthe
implementation o f the Ag reement.
-Exchan ge ofexpe rience/technical cooperatio n among countries
with similar situation/development.
-Financial support to create the official journal/web site to
publish technical regulations and conformity assessment
proced ures.
-To impr ove transmission of information and knowled ge (e.g.
set up a comp uterized system to facilitate the flow of
informatio n between the differe nt bodies involve d).
-Training t o trade negotiato rs on W TO rules.
I.A.2.
(b) To cooper ate and coordinate at the domes tic level, and inter alia for the achievement of increased awaren ess of the TBT requiremen ts at the
national level
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
-An agenc y or committee respo nsible for
the coope ration an d coordinatio n with all
interested parties exits.
-Info rmal orad hoc coope rations exist
(e.g. among gove rnme nt agencies and
private sectors).
-A committee exists but is inactive.
-A committee is due to be set up inorder
to impro ve coo rdinatio n.
-The awareness of th e Agreeme nt is low.
-Different agencies have different levels
of awareness.
-Seminars/workshops were organize d to
raise awareness of the Agreeme nt by
relevant bo dies.
-Dissemination progra mme (containing
seminars and worksh ops with the help of
regional experts experienced inthe
implementation of the Agreement) is
under way to inform relevant bodies of
their roles, respo nsibilities as well as
obligations under theAgreement (e.g.
what a technical regulation should
contain, how technical regulations
should be drawn up, therole of the
contact point in the process). The
progra mme has promoted interests
among gove rnment bodies to obtain
informatio n onexisting regulations and
to create an inter ministerial committee.-Lack of legal man date fo r coo rdination .
-Relevant draft law is unde r preparation .
-Difficult to gathe r information to notif y and to standar dize
proced ures forthe preparation and application of technical
regulations an d standards b y local g overnmental b odies.
-Difficult to disseminate the Agreeme nt throughout the
country .
-Although a body exists to monitor theimplementation of the
Agreement, it has not been able to ensure effective
coordinatio n, in particular among non-central gove rnment
bodies.
-National policies exist but need revision to reflect recent
situations
-There areconflicts of interest in defini ng a national policy on
TBT related issues.
-Lack of interest amon g the rele vant b odies.
-Difficult to identif y the relevant bodies (e.g. conformity
asses sment bodies).
-Financial constraint to disseminate information about the
Agreement to central governme nt bodies and also tolocal and
non-gover nmental bodies and other stakeholders.
-Lack of financial mea ns to train all stakeh olders.
-Need adjustments to evolve from a protectionist system to an
open ma rket eco nomy .-To share experiences with other Membe rs on the
implementation o f the Ag reement b y local g overnmental b odies.
-Assis tance on an effective mechanism to disseminate the
Agreement thr oughout t he coun try.
-Seminars/consultations  to pro vide practical expe rience.
-Training of traine rs or tohold national aware ness
seminars/workshops to improve the understandin g of the
Agreement b y all stakeholders.
-Short regular executive workshops for high level executives of
both in dustry an d government.
-To assist the designation and training of an agenc y to
coordinate at t he natio nal level.
-Exchan ge experience with other countries (in particular with
other de velopin g cou ntries).
I.A.2.
(c) To involve all interested partie s, including governmen t agen cies, authorities, voluntary stand ards bodies, the privat e sector and other interested
parties to suppo rt implementation by n ational authori ties
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
-A special body exists for the purpose of
TBT related issues.
-There is little involveme nt on the part
of the p rivate sector.
-Only a few stakeh olders are fully aware
of the Agre ement an d actively in volve d.
-Nothing has been done (e.g. regularl y
or on an ad hocbasis).
-An institution exists but lacks of
relevant activities or does not have
adequate capacities for effective
coordinatio n.-Difficult to identif y the interested parties (e.g. lack of
informatio n/database on private firms, in pa rticular SMEs).
-Lack ofcomm unication (e.g. due tothe lack of infrastructure
to disseminate informatio n).
-Lack ofresources, aware ness (e.g. by the private sector) and
the interest (i.e. donot see the added value todedicate time
and resou rces to TBT matters).
-Absence of human resources to c oordinate stakeholde rs.
-Lack of knowledge an d awareness abo ut the Agree ment.
-Interested in establishing a national co ordination b ody.-National worksho p/campaig n on TBT t o promote aware ness.
-Need guida nce/capacity building to establish an effective
national coo rdination committee.
-Need promotion material and expert training in charge of
national coo rdination .
-Assis tance to set up the infrastructure/co mputerize d systems to
facilitate the flow of in formatio n between t he releva nt bo dies.
I. IN RELATION TO T HE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE T BT AGR EEMENT
A. GENERAL IMPLEMENTATION A ND ADMINISTRATION ISSUES
3. Participation in TBT Commi ttee activi ties
(a) To participate in Committee meetings and oth er ac tivities, e. g. triennial reviews of the Agr eement
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
-Active participation durin g the last few
years, especially during the triennial reviews
of the  Ag reement.
-Participates with the coordinatio n of a
number of relevant Ministries.
-Rarely participates. However, the mission in
Geneva follows the subject on a regular basis.
-Participates regularly by Geneva based
delegates.
-Participates by capital based ex perts.
-Participates by capital based experts on a
number of occasions.
-Is aware of theCom mittee's activities and
participates to the extent possible.
-No participation .-Lack of funds to send e xperts fr om capital.
-Administrative and financial constraints to participate
fully.
-Lack ofpolitical will and interests for regular
participation.
-Lack ofthe necessary backgro und knowledge to fully
participate.
-Coo rdination and commu nication on the subject is
inadequate f or active participation.
-Poor participation due to the lack oftranspare ncy in
the dissemination of informatio n and the lack of
internal arran gement at t he national le vel.
-TBT matters are not effectively articulated due tothe
limited number of Geneva based delegates responsible
for all WTO Ag reements.
-Difficulties in using one of W TO worki ng lan guages.
-Difficult to participate when informal meetin gs are not
held back -to-bac k with the f ormal ones.
-Lack of participation at the local g overnmental levels.-Financial support for the participatio n ofcapital based experts (in
particular, to atten d imp ortant meetin gs and activities).
-To supp ort pa rticipation thr ough Teleco nference .
-Training of expert to participate.
-Needs to coordinate all relevant bodies at the national level for
active participation (includin g raising aware ness at the local
gover nmental level o n their participation ).
-Info rmal meetings should beheld back-to -back with formal
meetings in or der to facilitate participation.
I.A.3.
(b) The possibility of using regional r epresentation fo r par ticipation
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
-Coo rdination through regio nal bodies for
participation an d for information excha nge.
-It has not been possible to implement such a
policy.
-Is not aware of regional coordinatio n
activities until recently.
-There is no regio nal coo rdination .
-Takes part in regional coordination to the
extent that fu nds are availa ble.
-Regio nal participation has not been
systematic because of financial problems.-There is no such plan .
-The competent authorities at the regio nal level are not
sufficiently organized and the region is not closely
involved in this issue.
-Better regional coordinatio n is needed to facilitate the
participation of Committee's activities and the
implementation o f the Ag reement.
-Lack of WTO Membe rship in the regio n.-Training of competent authorities so that regional Membe r States
could ha rmonize t heir p ositions on TBT issue.
-Facilitate the development of a regional coordination mechanism
(e.g. inclu ding t he rules an d metho ds).
-If the national level participation is not possible, funding should
be provided at the regional level, where Membe r States could
discuss the issues and come up with o ne view.
I.A.4. Others
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
-Adopted technical regulations of other Mem bers are
not known, as there is no specific guideline on the
notification of regulations which have alread y been
adopted.-To impr oved the WTO i nform ation mec hanisms.
-Training on use of in formation .
-Strengthenin g the in frastructure for acc essing WTO info rmation.
I. IN RELATION TO T HE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE T BT AGR EEMENT
B. TRANSPAREN CY, CONS ULTATION AND NO TIFICATION ISSUES
1. Enquiry point
(a) To establish an enquiry point( s) as a con tact point for info rmation
Current Situation Specific Pro blems, Difficulties and/or I ntere sts Technical Assistanc e and/or Coope ration Activit ies
Required
-An enquiry point has been
established and is operatio nal.
-An informal enquiry point
exists under anot her Ministry.
-There exists an enquiry point
for standar ds and another one
for tech nical regulatio ns.
- At present, there is only one
contact point for providing
SPS and TBT info rmation.
-A project and work plan are
being drawn up followin g the
outlined rec ommen ded.
-An information centre exists
to disseminate informatio n on
technical standards at the
national level.
-The traditional way to handle
informatio n and
docume ntation is overtaken
by new tech nologies.-Limited number as well as insufficient knowledge and experience of thestaff of
enquiry point and relevant regulator y agencies make it difficult toprovide
efficient and e ffective en quiry services.
-Needs to better u nderstand t he obligatio ns for the o peration o f anenquiry point.
-Inade quate g uidance a nd ad vice on how to engage othe r stakeholde rs to be aware
of and compl y with the re quireme nts.
-Limited resources to invest on sophisticated IT equipment tomaintain databases
on natio nal technical regulations, standar ds and conformity assessment
proced ures and notifications.
-Lack ofa complete set of natio nal technical regulations (in hard copy or
electronic for mat).
-High maintena nce costs for ma nagin g an e nquir y point.
-The enquiry point office also serves other purposes, so the efforts and resou rces
are diluted.
-There areisolated efforts made byvario us gove rnme nt institutions to coordinate.
However, there is a lack of anational body to u nderpin the process.
-The Enquiry point provides information only inlocal language. Toattract
interested parties it is necessary to provi de the informatio n onthe web site in
English.
-Lack of proper resources (h uman a nd equipme nt etc…)
-Difficult to provide enquir y services with regard to the identification of national
technical regulatio ns (adopted and draft ones), due tothe low level of
implementation am ong regulato ry aut horities.
-Lack ofa database on technical regulations of tradin g partners and data on
equivalence of standar ds with other c ountries.-Training and worksho p onthe Agreeme nt and on the
operation of enquir y points for staff and relevant regulatory
agencies with experts from experienced enquiry points as
speakers.
-Establish a cooperatio n relationship with other enquiry points
and organize forums toexchan ge informatio n andexpe riences
among counter parts on the impleme ntation ofthe provision of
the Agreement.
-Attachment training of experts for reasona ble perio ds with
established counterpa rt enq uiry p oints.
-Programme or information education campaign to raise
awareness among industry in order to gain supp ort to fulfil
obligations.
-Assis tance to set up a natio nal system in order to increase the
effectiveness of the operatio n of t he enq uiry point.
-Assis tance to provide the require d IT equipme nt to upgrade
the dissemination, retrieval, processing and storage of
informatio n (inclu ding todevel op a web interface of enquiry
points to facilitate transmission of informatio n andstrengthen
the notification process).
-Interested to acquire the "Expo rt Alert" system and a web
page providin g information on standards and conformity
asses sment maters to both e xporte rs and imp orters.
-Training of Person nel in the use of computer systems.
-Financing in translation and the developme nt of English
language we b site.
I.B.1.
(b) To handle reque sts and coop erate with relev ant au thorities so as to answer enquiries within an adequa te pe riod of time
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance
and/or Cooperation
Activities Required
-Con ditions are being established to cooperate with the competent
authorities and toallow respon ding to requests and questions within a
reasonable peri od of time
-Enquiries are forwar ded to the com petent b odies.
-Requests are ha ndled in coordination with the releva nt autho rities.
-If a query is within thescope of the enquiry point, it will provide response
to the enquirer directly. If it is not the case, thequery will be forwarde d to
the appropriate authority for response. Meanw hile the enquiry point will
acknowledge receipt of the query and inform the enquirer of thecontact
address of the responsible authority. Alternativel y the responsible authority
may pr ovide the answer to the e nquiry point fo r respo nse.
-A database has been develo ped containing the texts of national technical
regulations in order to facilitate the ha ndling of en quiries.
-Requests received a re answered within 5 wor king days/reasonable time.
-The period varies when a search has to be made outside the database of the
enquiry point. When the require d information is not found, the party
making the enquiry is refer red to the com petent Gove rnme nt agenc y.
-The followin g tools exist: handling of consultations, denu nciations,
comments and information, complete text requests and the dissemination of
notifications thro ugh electr onic messages to registered clients (e xport alert).
-Enquiries are limited and a re answered within t he available reso urces.-Insufficient IT capacity (e.g. hardware and software, databases and e-
mail system) to receive an d han dle inf ormation.
-Absence of a central depository for notifications to handle all
notifications received and disseminated.
-Lack ofeffective coope ration and coordinatio n among relevant
agencies to answer enq uiries within a certain period of time.
-Lack ofcoordination between enquiry point and relevant authorities.
Needs to establish working relatio nship among authorities so as to
ensure that en quiries are answered i n time.
-Inade quate competence in other relevant authorities to appreciate their
TBT respo nsibilities.  Responses from them are sometimes delaye d.
-Lack offinancial resources to train staff to deal with requests and
replies to enquiries.
-Problems of translation of enquiries from English into local langua ge
and vice versa.
-Problems in handling of docume nts in langua ges other than English,
Spanish and Frenc h.
-May not be able tomaintain performance level when work load
increases.
-Low level of utilization of the en quiry point by exporte rs.
-Responses from other enquiry points are not usually recei ved in a
reasonable peri od of time.-Provision ofhardware and
software to upgrade
databases on standards and
technical regulatio ns.
-Training for staff (e.g. on
IT and la ngua ges).
-Assis tance to create a
central depositor y for
notifications.
-Assis tance in the form of
seminars to ensure that
relevant authorities are
aware of the obligations
and to underline the need
to coordinate with the
institutions concerned.
-Technical cooperatio n
with other Membe rs.
I.B.1.
(c) Possible means tofacilitate the functioning of enquiry points (e.g. access to telecommunication network and equipment to enhan ce electronic
transmission o f information o r regional co opera tion
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
-Already available.
-Such means are limited in terms of
quantity an d quality (e.g. comp uter,
internet, web site and e-mail
access).
-Access to telephone is sufficiently
good. However there are problems
with access to the Internet and e-
mail.
-Enquiries are mostly operated by
electronic transmission (e.g. e-mail
and web site).
-Not havin g the technolog y needed
for the optimum transmission of
informatio n).
-There is nosystem for optimising
the manner in which requests are
processed (e.g. the descript ors of
the database are n ot standardize d).
-Exchan ges infor mation and
experience within t he regi on.-Lack of huma n resou rces and tech nical expe rtise.
-Insufficient compute rs and modern IT equipme nt to facilitate
communicatio n and the fu nctionin g ofthe en quiry point.
-A web-site and system exist, but ne ed re gular updatin g.
-Technical and finan cial difficulties and network access and
telecommunications problems prevent theenquiry point from
becoming fully operatio nal.
-Lack ofecon omic resou rces (e.g. the availability of IT
equipment must compete with other priorities).
-Problems with the use of e-mail and web site (e.g. diffic ult to
download docu ments).
-Use of the Internet is important to facilitate electronic
transmission of doc uments.
-Variation in the quality and content ofinformation submitted by
Members in notificatio ns resulting in confusion and difficulty in
understandi ng the notifications.
-Lack ofmechanism toexchan ge informatio n orshare
experiences among enquir y points except at workshops sponso red
by the WTO.-To train enquir y point staff through technical co-operation programmes
or advisor y services from foreign consultants/experts (e.g. on utilizing IT
means and eq uipment ).
-Technical visits or short period stays in established foreig n enquiry
points.
-Assis tance to develo p more efficient means and proce dures for
communicatio n (e.g. to strength en thenational informatio n system,
including coope ration among enquiry points and other agencies
competent to handle i nformation).
-Assis tance to purchase the equip ment needed and to acquire the
software and hardware IT infrastruct ure (e.g. database, web site and
internet con nection).
-Assis tance to upgrade the IT infrastructure inregio nal and sub-regional
bodies.
-More effectivel y targeted technical assistance and trainin g activities.
-Organize awareness seminars on the Agreeme ntwith emphasis on
notification o bligations.
-Contin uous sponsorship of WTO seminars/worksh ops to enhance
experience shari ng within the regio n.
-Publication of a WTO Bulletin or newsletter to up date what’ s happening
among Mem bers.
I. IN RELATION TO T HE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE T BT AGR EEMENT
B. TRANSPAREN CY, CONS ULTATION AND NO TIFICATION ISSUES
2. Notifications 2
(a) The designation o f a single c entral governmen t autho rity r espon sible for the implementation o f notifica tion proc edure s under the Ag reemen t3
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
-A notification
authority has been
designated.
-No autho rity has been
assigned to ensure
implementation.
-Is not yet a WTO
Member, so no
notification obligation
at the curre nt mome nt.
-Has not yet submitted
any notificatio n.
-Intend to set up a
national notificatio n
and information
system together with
issues such as raising
awareness of quality
and pr oductivity .-Absence of a law on notification o bligations at the national level.
-The authority attempts to carry out the notification work according to WTO
proced ures, but has encou ntered difficulties.
-Lack ofawareness of the relevant agencies about notification obligatio ns,
which makes the n otification p roced ures less effective and e fficient.
-Further u nderstandi ng on notification pr ocedu res is needed.
- Due to the differe nces in procedu res of regulator y bodies, in some cases,
regulations are notified late, as thenotification authority is informe d ofthe
regulations o nly after t hey ha ve bee n ado pted o r enforced.
-Lack ofcoordination between the notification authorit y and regulato ry
authorities develo ping re gulations an d conformity assessment requirements.
-Need to develop a national notification system to better coordinate
regulator y auth orities and other agencies involved .
-Lack ofhuma n resou rces as well as hardware andsoftware equipment to
facilitate the effective ope ration of notification auth orities.
-Langua ge pr oblem (in using th e WTO official lang uages).
-Lack offinancial means to obtai n the ITcapacity (e.g. a time limited access
to Internet) .
-Interests in ensuring full compliance by Membe rs with the transpare ncy
provisions of the Agree ment to a void tra de bar riers.-Officials responsible for notification will be trained under a
regional sym posia on T BT n otification/enq uiry point.
-Consultanc y to guide regulator y agencies and notification
authorities to formulate a law/directive toenforce their notification
obligations.
-Training of personnel to run the notification system andto follow
the proce dures (e. g. on job training for a perio d oftime).
-Assis tance on notificatio n pro cedures from countries of the same or
higher stages of develo pment.
-Training on notification obligations for authorities concer ned,
including regulato ry authorities (e.g. organize awareness seminars
to impro ve understandin g ofthe Agreeme nt with emphasis on
notification o bligations).
-Need capacity building for notification (e.g. in setting upand
operationalize the notification system – hardware and software).
-Financial help to upgrade ITcapacity and to translate notifications
into local lang uage.
2Articles 2.9, 2.1 0, 3.2, 3.3, 5.6,5.7, 7.2 and 7.3, G/TBT/1/Re v.7 (pages 1 1-18)3Articles 10.10 a nd 10.11
I.B.2.
(b) To put in place measur es and arran gement s to ensur e that national and sub-nati onal autho rities prep aring new technical regula tions
or procedure s for ass essmen t of con formity, pr ovide early info rmation in orde r to enable to fulfil the no tification obligations
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n
Activities Required
-Have implemented .
-No action has yet been taken. There is nolegal or
administrative proce dure to ensure central or
decentralized g overnment b odies to n otify.
-Measures exist but inadeq uate and not  e ffective.
-To ensure t hat notificatio n obligatio ns are d uly fulfilled,
a draft law regulating notification proced ures under
preparatio n.
-At the Federal Gover nment level, notifications are
being made based on information in the official journal
and onagreeme nts between the notification authority
and the re gulator y auth orities.
-Arrangeme nts to co-ordinate with relevant regulator y
authorities have been put in place through the
mechanism of anational committee to provide the
notification authority with early information to fulfil the
notification obligations. Reminders on the arrangements
are sent to reg ulatory bodies eve ry two m onths.
-Coo rdination is done through the national TBT
commission by way of written su bmissions.
-Have not yet been implemented at the local
gover nmental level.
-Little understandin g ofsub-natio nal authorities on their
obligations to n otify their technical re gulations.
-A system is in place for local regulato ry authorities.
However, it is not f ully consistent.
-Do not prepare a lot o f technical re gulations.-The established pr ocedu re is not f ollowed.
-The legal mechanism forthe impleme ntation of notifications is
weak due to a lack o f human an d institutional resou rces.
-Insufficient coordination among the various bodies (e.g.
informatio n from the regulatory authorities does not reach the
notifying autho rity in time – if at all).
-The submission ofnotifications is delaye d dueto the fact that
the process invol ves several agencies.
-Lack ofguida nce from a higher autho rity that would ensure
cooperatio n between the regulatory a uthorities.
-Lack of awareness and u nderstandi ng of the relevant provisions
of the Agre ement.
-Difficulties in asses sing whether certain measures need tobe
notified.
-Problems in deter mining whether to notify under the SPS or
TBT Agreeme nt
-Difficulties in identifying technical regulation proposals at
local gover nmental level.
-Info rmation regar ding notification is not easily obtained by
sub- national authorities dueto the lack of commu nication and
transmission equipment.
-Difficulties in coordi nating with regulators due to thelack of
facilities and the lack of expertise.
-High staff turnover makes it diffic ult to comply fully with the
notification re quireme nts.-Promote awareness of the Agreeme nt among
regulator y authorities, in particular at local
gover nmental levels. This could bebetter
accomplished by co-operatio n with other
Members sharing the same difficulties.
-Training for regulato rs to increase their
awareness on and how to compile with rules of
international trade Agreeme nts.
-Training for trainers to build up local capacity
and human resources to deal with issues
relating to the Ag reement.
-Seminars to understand the obligations
(including how todistinguish SPS and TBT
measures).
-Strengthenin g of information and
communicatio n systems linking the various
bodies in order toensure that information is
received in time.
I.B.2.
(c) The prepar ation of notifica tions ( e.g. t o det ermine if a measu re ne eds to be n otified and to fill in notifications in the right f ormat s)
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or
Coope ration Activities
Require d
-Have implemented and notifications have been prepared observin g the
recommen dation o f the Committee.
-No action has y et been ta ken.
-Work is coordi nated with re gulator y bodies.
-Notification system has not been established but some notificatio ns have been
made.
-The Agreeme nt is not o bserved i n the f ormulatio n of tec hnical reg ulations.
-So far, the re is no proble m with respect to the prepa ration of notifications.
-No notification has been made.
-Draft andadopted technical regulations arepublished in the official journal
for inter nal transpare ncy, but n ot for the p urpose of com plying with TBT rules.
-The guidelines contained in docume nt G/TBT/1/ Rev.8 were translated into
local language and sent toregulat ory authorities to beacquainte d with the
required information.
-Internatio nal standards are used in most cases and there is no need for
notification.-Insufficient experts to proceed/a nalyse technical
regulations an d to car ry out these activities.
-Difficult to analyse the contents ofthe technical
regulation proposals.
-Some regulat ory authorities are not aware of which and
how measures should be notified.
-Lack of knowledge ab out the A greement.
-Technical capacity not available .
-Some of the texts of proposed regulations are in native
languages and need to be translated which would involve
more time an d additio nal costs.-On the jobtraining (e.g. to
asses s draft technical
regulations).
-Recruit and train more staff to
support these activities.
-awareness Seminars to
understand t he obligations.
-The WTO Secretariat could
check the notifications for
completeness and correctness
according to the notification
obligations before circulating
them to Membe rs.
I.B.2.
(d) To provide oppor tunities for and consider ation ofcomments from other Membe rs on notifications of draft technical regulations and conformity
asses sment procedu res (e.g. to provide 60-90 day comment period, to reply torequ ests for documen ts or information in a timely manner, to
handle and consider comments b efore adop tion of dr afts)
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or
Coope ration Activities Require d
-Have implemented . Resolution ofthe Gove rnment has been adopte d
to respect the 6 0 days o f comm ent peri od.
-No action has y et been ta ken.
-The p ossibility of making comme nts exists.
-Requests for extension of comment period are generally taken into
consideration.
-A comment period of at least 60days is provided and all informatio n
requested is submitted electronically . Comments are considered prior
to the adoption of drafts. A draft law whic h has been presented to
Cong ress to formalise the related deadlines.
-The transpare ncy provisions will be implemented once the relevant
Resolution has bee n approved.
-Rarely have to respon d to com ments.
-Is prepari ng a mechanism for the better handling of the enquir y
point/notifications.
-Have not made any notificatio n andhave not provided any comment
period.
-Except in emergenc y situations, a period of 45 days is provide d for
comments. This period may be extende d, at the request ofan
interested Member.-To reco mmend a 90 day c omment perio d.
-There is a tende ncy toissue technical regulatio ns unde r
emergency procedures for thesole purpose ofavoidi ng the
period for sub mitting com ments.
-There are no huma n resources qualified f or this wor k.
-Lack of knowledge.
-Work needs to be done on maki ng comments onreceived
notifications.
-Lack ofcooperation at the national level to handle
comments on draft standa rds, technical regulations or
confor mity assessment procedu res.
-Comm unication problems which delay the receipt of texts
related to notificatio ns, thus shorten the com ment pe riod.-Assis tance and gui delines in decidin g
which draft technical regulations of
other Membe rs need tobe responde d
to.
-Awareness Seminars to understand
the obligations.
I. IN RELATION TO T HE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE T BT AGR EEMENT
B. TRANSPAREN CY, CONS ULTATION AND NO TIFICATION ISSUES
3. Publications
(a) To publish a notice in a publication at an early app ropriate stage, to enable inte rested p artie s in othe r Membe rs to bec ome acquaint ed with dra ft
technical re gulations, s tandard s and c onformity assessmen t proc edure s
Curre nt situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities
Require d
-There exists publications for standa rds and
confor mity assessment procedu res.
-Technical regulations andconformity assessment
proced ures are published in official journals/web
sites/bulletin/newspapers.
-Publication by regulators only for inter
departmental use.
-Six months work programme on draft standards is
posted on we b site.
-Curre ntly developin g an e-mail list of relevant
stakeholders to receive notifications.
-No such action has yet bee n taken.-Draft technical regulations published in theofficial journal
do not always follow the time-limits necessary for interested
parties to present com ments.
-There is noeasily accessible specialized publication
(internal orexternal) in which draft technical regulations
and co nformity assessment procedures can be published.
-Lack ofstaff andresources (e.g. ITequip ment to comply
properl y and speedily).
-Relevant docume nts are not always availa ble.
-Curre ntly the bulletin is not published due to the lack of
fundin g.
-Problems in identif ying the stakeholde rs to receive
informatio n.
-Lack of proper c oordination am ongrelevant bodies.-Assis tance to design a web page topublish draft
regulations, for informatio n on draft standa rds,
technical regulatio ns and conformity assessment
proced ures as well as to link to the WTO site.
-Train pe rsonnel to su pport these activities.
-Assis tance to develo p the system (e.g. using electr onic
means).
-Assis tance for the publication of an official bulletin.
-Worksh ops fo r expe rtise sharing an d benc hmar king.
-Strategic advertising campaign toraise awareness of
relevant stakeholde rs.
(b) To promptly publish adopted technical r egulations, s tanda rds and confo rmity ass essmen t pro cedur es
Curre nt situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities
Require d
-No such action has yet bee n taken.
-All adopted technical regulations, standards and
confor mity assessment procedu res are promptly
published (i n domestic language) .
-The impleme nting authority will provide, upon
request, publications of the technical
requireme nts/standards to interested parties.
-Publications at the regio nal an d national le vels.-Dissemination is slow.
-Lack of technical an d fina ncial means as well as staff.
-Curre ntly, docume nts published have a low level
printing due to t he obsolete printing equip ment.
-Lack of electronic e quipme nt.
-Need to translate technical regulations and standar ds
into WTO lang uages.
-Has interest to establish a national notification and
informatio n system (using IT) to facilitate dissemination
of all relevant i nformation.-Train pe rsonnel to su pport these activities (including using
IT system and translation) .
-Assis tance to acquire theprintin g and IT equipme nt to
improve the dissemination of information and thequality
of the p ublications.
I. IN RELATION TO T HE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE T BT AGR EEMENT
C. PREPARATION, A DOPTION AN D APPLICATION OF TECH NICAL REGU LATIONS
1. To put in place as well as to maintain a mechanism and/or legal infrastructure (e.g. legislative, regulatory and administrative action) to ensur e that
the provisions o f Article 2 of the Agr eement are applied;
- Such as to ensu re that regulato ry authorities in your territo ry are aware of and comply with the disciplines as stated in provisions of Article 2
related to (e.g. non-discrimination, avoidance of unne cessary obstacles to trade, ongoing review of technical regula tions and the use of
appropriate interna tional standa rds a s a ba sis for technical regulations )
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
-Article 2 is implemented (e.g. necessary
coordinatio n is being maintained and advice is
being ten dered) .
-Article 2/Good Regulato ry Practice (GRP) is
followed b y certain a uthorities.
-National legislation exists for the impleme ntation
of the Agre ement as a whole. However there is no
specific legislation for Article 2.
-Resolutions/laws exist for the impleme ntation of
Article 2 (i.e. the use of international standar ds,
review of existing technical regulation as well as
the prepa ration an d adoption of the new ones).
-The Agreeme nt has been disseminated to
regulators, and they have been reminde d of their
obligations when prepa ring regulations.
-Article 2 is implemented, but facin g challen ges.
-Is in the process of reviewin g regulations (adopted
before the entry into force of the Agreement)
according to the provisions of Article 2.
-No provision has yet been adopted/ no legal
infrastructure e xists to implement Article 2.
-A relevant d raft law/resolution e xists.
-A project to establish the require d infrastruct ure
has been pr epared .-Regulato ry authorities do not have the
experience to detect technical b arriers to tra de.
-Lack of understanding , knowledge and
informatio n on the Agreeme nt and the
obligations.
-Lack of coordination amon g regulatory
authorities.
-Pressure from industry and unions for technical
regulations to take into acco unt their interests.
-Need to carry out the transition from mandat ory
technical regulatio ns to volu ntary standa rds.
-Mechanism exists but is not exactly in line with
the Agreement.
-There arenot always international standar ds that
can be used as a basis for technical re gulations.
-Problems in the a reas to base technical regulation
on scientific evidence; of risk analysis elements
in the equi valency of tech nical regulatio ns.
-Lack ofsystematic approac h and contin uity at
the national level.
-Problems with resources an d awareness.
-Need to fu rther t he existing system.
-Lack of technical capacity .-Assis tance to draft appropriate legislation/laws to support the legal
infrastructure to ensure the implementatio n of A rticle 2.
-Training of personnel (e.g. on GRP c oncepts)
-Strategic campaign t o arise awareness amon g stakeholde rs.
-Assis tance on information and increase awareness throu gh
workshops o r seminars on t he Agreeme nt.
-To hol d reg ularly sho rt executive worksh ops to hig h level executives
in industry a nd government.
-Consultanc y mission to g uide re gulatory agencies.
-To learn experience from other Membe rs in the preparatio n of
technical regulatio ns (especially in sector o f interests).
-Strengthenin g ofnational coordination (e.g. establishment of
national networ k includi ng reg ulation users).
-Technical visits to international bodies with a view to becom e more
acquainted with the appropriate proce dures fo r  future harmonizatio n.
-Assis tance with risk analysis.
-Assis tance/guidance to review technical regulations (e.g. to assess
whether they have impacts on international trade and if they were
based on inte rnational standa rd).
-Financial help to obtain intern ational standar ds and their
translations.
I. IN RELATION TO T HE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE T BT AGR EEMENT
C. PREPARATION, A DOPTION AN D APPLICATION OF TECH NICAL REGU LATIONS
2. The awaren ess o f Good regulatory p ractice (GRP )
- Such as to avoid the promulgation of national technical regula tions where they are not necessary, limit them to their specific requirement s,
mini mizing the use of manda tory technical regulations and utilizing voluntary interna tional standards, where appropria te, and in accordan ce
the r elevant p rovisions of the Ag reemen t
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities
Require d
-Article 2 of the Agreeme nt is applied.
-The awareness of GRP is achieved through the
publication of the Ag reement itself.
-There is a ge neral awareness of G RP.
-The awareness GRP is low.
-Not all regulator y bodies are aware of GRP and the
Agreement.
-GRP has been adopted (e.g. to make refere nce to
voluntar y standards intechnical regulations as well
as to align national standa rds to inter national o nes).
-Abolition of compulsory technical standards and
support f or their voluntary use.
-Obsolete standards are repealed and techn ologically
updated.
-Draft resolution was develope d in order to avoid the
promul gation of unnecessary technical regulations
and guarantee the use of volunta ry international
standards.
-New law is drafted to reduce the number of
mandator y technical regulations. These will only be
used to protect health and safety of people, animals
and plants an d the en vironment.-No legal infrastruct ure is in place.
-Lack of awareness and u nderstandi ng of GRP.
-GRP is implemented, b ut is facing c hallenges.
-Standardization committees mainly consisting of
representatives of large enterpr ises that seek to restrict
competition thr ough standar ds.
-There is special interest of the State to maintain excessive
regulations resulting in the creatio n ofbarrie rs to market
access.
-The vacuum due to the abolishment of compulsor y technical
standards leads to the imp ortation of low-q uality g oods.
-The perso nnel co ncerne d does not ha ve app ropriate training.
-Financial constraints to obtain internatio nal standards.
-Lack of translated internatio nal standards in local lang uage.
-Difficult to determi ne whether a technical regulation or a
standard shoul d be adopted to fulfil specific legitimate
objective.
-Difficult to define the relationshi p between technical
regulation system an d vol untary stan dard system.
-Regulato ry authorities have problems to prepare technical
regulations to a ddress issues of public interest.-Training of regulator y authorities and personnel on
GRP.
-Seminar or worksho p on the Agree ment and GRP
(includes topics such as practicalities of the application
of GRP and trade im pact, etc.).
-Assis tance to draft appropriate legislation to support
the legal infrastructu re.
-Promote cooperatio n between countries using the
same language.
-Training and assistance in the preparation of standa rds
and technical re gulations in t he absence of inter national
standards.
-Assis tance to increase the level of professionalism and
quality contr ol in all sectors.
I. IN RELATION TO T HE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE T BT AGR EEMENT
C. PREPARATION, A DOPTION AN D APPLICATION OF TECH NICAL REGU LATIONS
3. To coordinate between governmental regulatory authorities, trade officials and national standardizing bodies to ensur e effective implementat ion of
the provisions o f Article 2.
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities
Require d
-Regulato ry authorities work inconjunction with
all relevant bodies in the impleme ntation of
Article 2.
-There is a good coordination between
gover nmental regulatory autho rities and trade
officials.
-National TBT Committee was established to
address this.
-Article 2 is applied and practised incertain
sectors.
-There is certain coordination between the
competent aut horities.
-No for mal coor dination mechanism exists.
-There is no legal framew ork for such
coordinatio n. It is hoped that certain law will
help resolve the problem.
-This activity is planned but no t yet impleme nted.
-Is in the process of establishing a mechanism for
coordinatio n between t hese bodies.
-Coo rdination between bodies is provided for
(e.g. under draft resolution or agreement
gover ning the issuing of tec hnical reg ulations).-No legal infrastruct ure is in place.
-Uncoor dinated a nd sometimes contra dictory activities, attitudes
and actions on the part of some regulatory authorities that fail to
reflect a consistent gove rnment trade p olicy.
-Lack of comm unication a nd failu re to meet obligations.
-Difficulty in co ordination with ma ny re gulators.
-Each regulatory body works unde r a different piece of
legislation. Need to centralize the issuance of technical
regulations.
-Lack ofexperience and mecha nism to harm onize the practice
of the rele vant b odies.
-The natio nal committee established for this purpose has
remained d orma nt for some time.
-There is confusion regardi ng the relationship and nature of
technical standards andtechnical regulations, and this gives rise
to normative gaps which undermine thecontr ol andmonito ring
of legitimate objectives.
-Material resources and tec hnical capacity a re not available.-Seminars or workshops to increase awareness and to
show the need for coordination among the authorities
concerne d.
-Exchan ge ofexpe rience orconsultations with
international experts to acquaint with the experience
and mecha nism for the preparation of technical
regulations.
-Assis tance to strengthen the national coordination
and networ k (e.g. to develo p procedu res or systems
to support c oordination a mong the va rious b odies).
-Assis t to harmonize the various legislations for
effective coo rdinatio n.
-Assis tance to set up a coherent system for the
coordinatio n and centralization in the issuing of
technical regulatio ns.
-The provision of appropriate material resour ces to
allow for co ordinatio n wor k.
I. IN RELATION TO T HE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE T BT AGR EEMENT
C. PREPARATION, A DOPTION AN D APPLICATION OF TECH NICAL REGU LATIONS
4. To establish approp riate regulatory b odies or bodies for the a ssessment of confo rmity with technical regulations4
(taking into a ccoun t domes tic st ate of de velopment )
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities
Require d
-Partially available. Bodies established in certain
sector.
-Relevant c ompetent a uthorities exist.
-Each public institution regulates matters under
its sphere of com petence.
-Private conf ormity assessment bodies also exist.
-The natio nal standardizin g body also serves as
the national certif ying body.-Lack of huma n and econ omic resou rces.
-Little monitorin g on t he comp ulsory side.
-Lack ofawareness of conformity assessment on the
voluntar y side.-Training e xperts.
-Coo peration t o strengthe n these bo dies.
-Assis tance to set up such b odies.
-Technical co nsultancy f or the c ompetent a uthorities.
-Worksh ops to assist defining the functio ns and
responsibilities of the autho rities involved .
4Article 11.3. 1
I. IN RELATION TO T HE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE T BT AGR EEMENT
D. PREPARATION, A DOPTION AN D APPLICATION OF STANDA RDS
1. Standardizing bodies
(a) The est ablishment of na tional standa rdizing body(ies )5
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities
Require d
-A standardizing body exists (gove rnme ntal/non-
gover nmental).
-There is no standardizin g body.
-A body was established to enhance and unify the
management of natio nal standar dization. There are
different standa rdization administrative organizations
set up by thestate and industry associations to respon d
to standardization of their fields. There are also
standardization administrative organizations set up by
provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly
under the central gover nment and cities and counties to
manage standar dization activities within their districts.-No standardization body exists.
-The structure of the standardizin g body has to be re viewed.
-Insufficient technical capacity hampers the exchan ge of
informatio n.
-Low pay does n ot attract highl y qualifie d specialists.
-Lack of staff (b oth technical a nd administrative).
-Is in the process of decentralization. There is no private
standardizing body in the necessary areas.
-Lack of resources to decentralize standar dization activities at
the national level.-Assis tance to establish the standardizing body..
-Training of personnel through internships and
exchange of informatio n.
-Training on lan guage and docu mentation.
-Exchan ge ofexperience with other Members on
the functio ning of their stan dardizin g bodies.
-Assis tance to strengthen standa rdizing activities.
-Training of stakeh olders to support thework of
standardization.
5Article 11.2
I.D.1.
(b) The awarene ss and accep tance of the Cod e ofGood Prac tice (Annex 3 o f the Agre ement ) by s tandardizing body (ies)6
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
-The natio nal standardizin g body
(bodies) is (are) aware of the C ode.
-The C ode has b een accepte d.
-The C ode has n ot bee n accepted.
-No action has been taken to raise
awareness of the Code and the TBT
Agreement.-Has encountere d diffic ulties in the implementatio n ofthe
Code due to i nternal re gulations of the b ody.
-Lack of awareness.
-Lack of funding for publicatio ns.
-Opportu nities for ma king c omments are limited.
-Lack ofIT system to handle queries and for the preparation ,
adoption and a daptation of nati onal standar ds.
-Lack oftranslation of internatio nal standards into local
language to enha nce the awaren ess by all interested parties of
these standards.
-Lack ofresources to evaluate international standar ds in order
to use them.
-Not enou gh space for docume ntation, a rchive a nd for staff.
-Lack ofcomm unication on standar dization informatio n (e.g.
informatio n on standards o f other Members).-Technical an d finan cial help fo r publication.
- Provide inform ation on internatio nal standar ds (e.g. through
seminars).
-Assis tance to impro ve the standar dizing body (infrastructure
and perso nnel).
-Assis tance to establish IT systems and the documentation
centre.
-Organize trainin g, aware ness and information worksho ps on
the Code of Go od Practice.
-Assis tance to prepar e the docume ntation and procedu res for the
acceptance and implementation of the Code.
-Coo peration in standardization and comm unication of
informatio n.
-To establish a standardization information system to improve
the transparenc y ofstandard activities.
6Article 4
I. IN RELATION TO T HE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE T BT AGR EEMENT
D. PREPARATION, A DOPTION AN D APPLICATION OF STANDA RDS
2. To put in place as well as to maintain a mechanism and/or legal infrastructure to ensu re that Annex 3 o f the Agr eement is applied
- Such as t o ensu re that standa rdizing body( s) in your territor y are aware o f and comply with the disciplines as s tated in the provisions of Annex 3
related to (e.g. non-discrimination, avoidance of unne cessary obstacles to trade, the use of approp riate international standard s as a basis for the
standard s they dev elop, the p repa ration o f work pr ogrammes, the p rovision of info rmation and oppo rtunities for comments on draf ts)7
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n
Activities Required
-The mecha nisms and legal infrastructure
are in place.
-There is noup-to-date legal instrument, but
there is a draft law that complies with the
WTO pro visions.
-The provisions of Annex 3 will be
incorpo rated in t he new Law.
-The Code is not yet fully implemented (e.g.
in the areas of providing opportu nities for
comments on draft standa rds and the
preparatio n of work programme every 6
months).
-Provision has n ot yet bee n ado pted
-Transmission via the Internet of the work
progra mmes to comply with the
transparency obligations of the Code .
-Is in the process of educating relevant
bodies on t he Co de.-Lack of legal infrastruct ure.
-Little interest in standardization b y the private sector.
-Governme nt authorities and NGOs participate
sporadically in standa rdizing activities.
-Lack ofknowledge on the subject and thetechnical
capacity.
-Coo rdination with relevant bodies is difficult at times.
-Problems of tra nslation.
-Technical and finan cial difficulties (e.g. to purchase
international standar ds).
-Inconsistencies between national standards and
international standar ds due tohistorical back ground. -
Difficult and costly to harm onize with international
standards (e.g. inadeq uate technical institutional
infrastructure, such as testing laborato ry, to use
international standar ds).-Assis tance in draftin g legal fra mework/legislation o r mechan ism to
implement the C ode.
-Training of personnel and stakeh olders (e.g. govern ment agencies,
NGOs, consumers and industry) in order to fulfil the requireme nts
of the Code.
-To or ganize natio nal wor kshops to inc rease awareness.
-Need more cooperation with r elevant institutions.
-Assis tance to obtain rele vant inter national standar ds.
-To arrange meetin gs with other Mem bers to exchange information
on the im plementation of the C odeand t he Agreeme nt.
-To strengthe n the capacity of standardizin g bodies by providi ng
training an d setting up sub-sectoral tech nical committees.
-Assis tance to develo p program mes for theadoption of standar ds at
national and regio nal level
-Assis tance to participate in regional and international standar d-
setting fora an d networ ks.
-Provision ofthe necessary technical infrastructu re (e.g. testing and
calibration laboratories to assist standardizing bodies in research
and veri fication thr ough testing).
7Articles 2.1-2.5 , 2.7-2.8, 11.1 a nd 15.2,G/TBT/1/Re v.7, G/T BT/5 ( paragra phs 2 3-24) and G/TBT/9 (parag raphs 3 7-38)
I. IN RELATION TO T HE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE T BT AGR EEMENT
D. PREPARATION, A DOPTION AN D APPLICATION OF STANDA RDS
3. Participation in internationa l standardization8
(a) To participate in international standardizing activities in areas ofparticular domestic interest (e.g. to participate in technical committe es or
working groups o r to serve as chairs o r secretariat s)9
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities
Require d
-Participates in international standar dizing activities
(e.g. ISO, ITU, IEC, CODEX and OIML).
-Participates as far as possible.
-Plays an active role in some of the technical
committees.
-Participates in a numbe r of Technical Committees
(TCs), sub-c ommittees and working groups, as P-
members or as O-me mbers, but donot serve as
secretaries nor chairpe rsons of t he TCs.
-Act as secretariats of Sub-Com mittees.
-A national Standar dization Strategy exists to call for
increased and strategic participation ininternatio nal
standardization in policy and technical areas. Trainin g
is provided to standar ds experts to represent domestic
interests and to participate ef fectively.
-No active participatio n.
-Not participating as full membe rs due to financial
constraints.
-As a correspon dent mem ber, it is not possible to
participate in the tech nical committees.
-Efforts are being made to upgrade membership from
correspon dent to full Membe r.
-Applied to join the Affiliate Membe rship Programme
in order to obtain internati onal standar ds and
docume ntation through the Internet witho ut having to
pay mem bership fees.
-Has drafted a n umbe r of i nternational stan dards.-Lack of expe rtise and staff.
-Lack of funds.
-Lack ofknowledge about the subject by competent
authorities.
-Lack ofmotivation on the part of the compete nt
authorities.
-Marginal participation in areas of interest (e.g. to atten d
TCs meetings), d ue to e. g., reso urce co nstraints.
-In some cases, committees of interest are heade d by
develope d countries and do not facilitate coordination by
developin g countries.
-Langua ge pr oblems.
-Has interest to participate more activel y in areas of interest
(e.g. to act as secretariat o f those co mmittees).
-Does not have the resou rces to conform to the working
proced ures of international standa rdization which require
follow-up by experts, involving constant travelling and
dedicated wor k on specific topics.
-The shorta ge of technical and specialized staff in the
public and private sectors means that they carry out
different functio ns simultaneously, and this reduces the
potential for their f ull participation.
-The difficulty of participating in international
standardizing activities maintains the technological
depende ncy of de velopin g coun tries.
-Lack oftechnical expertise to submit technical inputs to
some docume nts put o ut for comme nts.-Assis tance to identify the areas of particular
domestic interest as well as to raise awareness of
industry to participate in therelevant international
standardization activities.
-Technical and finan cial suppo rt to train experts
(including langua ges).
-Developed countries cooperate and assist
developin g countries to serve as committee
secretariats.
-Seminars/workshops for comp etent authorities,
underlinin g the need to participate actively and to
provide the means f or participation.
-Assis tance to participate in activities where there
are particular interests, at least as observers (e.g. in
the area of food products and animal health).
-Assis tance to obtain in formatio n.
-To impleme nt Article 12.5 of theAgreeme nt and
to adapt proced ures forstandards developme nt in
order to reduce costs and ensur e effective
participation (e. g. by means o f IT).
-Internatio nal meetings on standardizatio n shoul d
be held on a regional basis and the WTO should
finance the participation.
-Assis tance to become amember of international
standardizing bodies.
-Secure financi ng to enable officials to serve as
secretaries of TCs, SCs or WGs.
8Articles 2.6, 5.5 , 11.2, 12.5 and 12.6, Anne x 3 of the Agreement, G/TBT/9 ( parag raphs 1 7-25 andAnnex 4)9G/TBT/9 (pa ragra ph 24)
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities
Require d
-Participates through corresp onde nce unless in cases
where fun ding is p rovide d for to atten d meetings.
-Impossible to pa rticipate in all the relev ant areas.-Membership of certain international standa rdization bodies
is not open to all WTO mem bers. As a result it is not
possible to participate in their activities by certain
Members.
I.D.3.
(b) Possible means tofacilitate participation (e.g. to participat e in e-format, to raise awar eness of and coordinate with relevant domestic bodie s,
regional coope ration and c oordination, o r toput in place a n ational or r egional stand ards strategy)
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities
Require d
-Participates by electronic means (e.g. e-balloting ) or
with written submissions.
-Minimal participation in regio nal standardizatio n
activities.
-No national Standa rd strategy, except for the adoption
of internatio nal standards when ever possible.
-A national body responsible for natio nal strategy
exists.
-National meetings, round tables and seminars were
held to p romote awa reness among national bodies.
-Has established communication network with related
develope d cou ntries.
-There is regio nal cooperation to contribute tothe
international standar dization activities.
-Documents and plans ofaction areprepared by the
regional b ody.
-Participates in regional standar ds commission which at
times produces regional docume nts for the
consideration at inter national level.
-Private sector is included innational delegations to
meetings of inter national standar dizing bodies.-Financial, technical, infrastructural and cultu ral
limitations to use IT means (such as toparticipate in
video co nfere nces, to use the In ternet a nd E-b alloting) .
-Limited financial resources to attend meetings of
regional an d inter national o rganizations.
-Lack ofawareness by stakehol ders onthe value to
participate in internatio nal standardizatio n (e.g. for
industry to be aware of the benefits to obtain greater
competitiveness). Thus, it is difficult to convince them
to devote time a nd reso urces to pa rticipate.
-Domestic organizational problems
-Is not a mem ber of the relevant regional and
international b odies.
-A standards strategy exists. However, there is a need
to review and revise it to increase involveme nt of
certain stakeholders.-To raise awareness of the relevant stakeh olders
(e.g. g overn ment authorities, consume r groups and
industry, including SMEs) on the importance of
international standar ds on trade (e.g. through a strategic
advertising campai gn, prom otional material, semina rs
and wor kshops).
-To improve IT systems to facilitate electronic
participation as well as to coord inate at the national
level to develo p a natio nal position.
-To pr omote national an d regio nal standar ds strategy.
-To hold natio nal or regional worksho ps to provide
training, with experts sharing experie nce onhow to
participate.
-To raise awareness to coordinate and cooperate at the
national, regi onal an d subre gional levels.
-To cooperate with acade my inorder to secure the
expertise.
-WTO to organize regional semina rs on the benefits of
international standar dization to world trade; andhow
to participate in inter national standa rdization.
I. IN RELATION TO T HE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TBT AGR EEMENT
D. PREPARATION, A DOPTION AN D APPLICATION OF STANDA RDS
4. Others
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities
Require d
-Lack of English speaki ng specialists.
-Not all relevant institutions are familiar with the activities
of internatio nal standardizin g bodies.
-Problems in defi ning what an inter national standar d is.-Possibility to establish an English language training
center.
-Training on international standa rds and handli ng of
secretariat functions.
-Clarification with regard to the identification of an
international standar d and with regard to intellectual
propert y rights associated with international standar ds.
I. IN RELATION TO T HE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE T BT AGR EEMENT
E. PREPARATION, A DOPTION AN D APPLICATION OF CONF ORMITY ASSESSMENT PROCE DURES
1. Infra structure for c onformity assessment
(a) To establish appr opriate bodies for the assessment ofconformity with technical regulations and standa rds (e.g. testing laborato ries, inspe ction,
certifica tion and ac credita tion bodies ), taking into accoun t domes tic state of de velopment and se ctoral needs10
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or
InterestsTechnical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities
Require d
-Curre ntly this work is underta ken and coordinate d bya
gover nment aut hority.
-Has signed a letter of unde rstanding (LOU) forthe cooperatio n in
accreditation which includes the use of foreign conformity
asses sment bodies.
-The infrastructure is currently being develope d (e.g. a networ k of
testing and calibration laborato ries accredited by the national
accreditation body using releva nt internatio nal standards and
guides).
-The system is working properly. Existing conformity assessment
bodies are in line with internatio nal practices.
-Certain conformity assessment bodies exist in the diffe rent
sectors.
-A numbe r ofaccredited la borato ries exist.
-There are governme nt and non-governme ntal laborat ories.
-National product certification mark and quality mark scheme were
established and made operative .
-The natio nal burea u of standards is in charge of quality inspection
and certification of products and ma nageme nt systems.
-Little demand from enterprises forassessment services. Therefore
no major investment in t he sector.
-Little technical infrastructure for conformity assessment,
essentially test ing and metr ological lab oratories.
-As there are no domestic technical regulations and standar ds, there
are no c onformity assessment proced ures nor related b odies.
-There is no national accr editation b ody.
-National accreditation body exists for the accreditation of testing
and calibration laborat ories, inspection bodies and certification
bodies.-Lack of trained resources/expertise.
-The infrastructure for conformity
asses sment is limited.
-Lack ofconformity assessment bodies
in certain sectors.
-Few laboratories provide services
accessible to SMEs.
-Need to improve the competency of the
management level of conformity
asses sment bodies.
-Difficulties in the compliance of
international guides and practices by
confor mity assessment bodies.
-The infrastructure for inspectio n and
certification services is not adapted to
new technolo gies.
-Difficulties in the area of calibration
laboratories due to the c osts entailed.
-Lack ofaccredited laborato ries. Not all
laboratories are fit for acc reditation.
-Lack ofaccredited and internationally
recognized bodies for certificatio n of
quality systems.
-Existing accreditation programme/
system is not efficient nor provides
effective services.
-The laboratories are not accredited so a
national accreditation autho rity shoul d be
set up.-Financial support to establish conformity assessment
bodies and t he releva nt system.
-Technical supp ort to establish those bodies (e.g.
accredited con formit y assessment bodies).
-Technical cooperatio n to strengt hen and upgrade the
existing laboratories (e.g. through the provision of new
equipment, training of staff a nd stud y visits).
-To provide mode rn laboratory equipment to upgrade the
infrastructure.
-Assis tance to purc hase relevant inter national standar ds.
-Assis t in the dissemination and applicability of relevant
international standar ds and guides among the parties
involved .
-Worksh op for theexperts operating these bodies, taking as
a model o perating methods in other count ries.
-Training in measureme nt unce rtainty for calibratio n and
testing laboratories.
-Training in inspection activities andproduct certificatio n
by means o f mar ks of co nformity.
-To train auditors, assessors and specialists on
accreditation and the use of internatio nal standards and
guidance docu ments (includi ng in t he area of EMS).
-Technical workshops on test methods and to impleme nt
inter-laborato ry programmes in light of domestic market
and public sector needs (i.e. the area of conformity
asses sment with technical regulations).
-Consultanc y services for the organization of accreditation
progra mmes in the light of existing technical regulations
and pri vate sector dema nd.
10Articles 11.3.1 a nd 11.4
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or
InterestsTechnical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities
Require d
-There areno accredited confor mity assessment bodies, but there
are effo rts to establish an accreditation system.
-Programmes have been developed to introduce metrolog y service
enterprises into the accre ditation system.
-Is seeking internatio nal accreditation to laboratories in sectors of
special interest (e.g. textiles, civil enginee ring a nd ag ro-food).
-Con formity assessment system was created under an eraof
planned ec onomy with stron g govern ment inv olvement.
-To solve the problems of chaotic situation (i.e. domestic, import
and export products were subject to different certificatio n schemes)
a national certification and accreditation authority was established
to cond uct com pulsory product certification .
-To impr ove thetechnical competence of conformity assessment
bodies is a comp onent of the national q uality standards p olicy.
-The creation of anational policy underlines the determination to
improve t he situation in this area.-Lack ofexpe rience in other countries' or
regions' systems.
-Need training to intro duce volunta ry
certification systems.
-Lack ofunifie d mana gement because
different gove rnment departme nts follow
different policies and dif ferent standa rds.
-Need to reach mutual recog nition
agreement with co unter parts.
-Lack ofmechanism and assessors (e.g.
in the area o f EMS accreditation ).
-Financial constraints.-Assis tance to access to international and regional systems
for conformity assessment and to obtai n internatio nal
recognition .
-Raise awareness of conformity assessment at national and
regional levels.
-Worksh ops oninformation exchange onother Members'
systems in specific interested areas.
-Assis t governme nt authorities to form ulate technical
regulations and conformity assessment procedures based
on internatio nal practice and in line with WTO
requireme nts.
-Assis tance to form ulate a certification scheme that meets
WTO require ments, and at the same time protects the
interests of consumers an d national i ndustry.
-Assis t governme nt authorities to obtain effective macr o-
management a nd supe rvision.
-Assis tance to coordinate with foreign product certification
schemes.
I.E.1.
(b) To str engthe n the technical competen ce of these b odies so as to enable the acceptance of their conformity assessment result s and to participate in
international or regional sys tems for confo rmity assess ment
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or
InterestsTechnical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities
Require d
-Appro priate technical competence exists, in spite of infrastruct ure
constraints.
-May be further impr oved with international recog nition and
technical co-o peration.
-The natio nal accreditation body is full mem bers of certain regional
and internatio nal con formit y assessment systems.
-The natio nal accreditation body is a signatory of multilateral
recognition agreeme nts.
-There is no legal basis for accre ditation.
-Is currently workin g to secure internatio nal accreditation of certai n
confor mity assessment bodies.
-Is in the process of seeking membership to the regional
multilateral agreement.
-Has become an associate member o f an inte rnational c onformity
asses sment system due to financial assistance by an other Mem ber.
-A training programme will be provi ded to e xperts.
-Is developi ng a law on technical regulation , standardizatio n and
confor mity assessment to improve t he system.
-Does not share in frastructure with other Mem bers.-Lack offinancial and technical resources as
well as the facilities to enable relevant
bodies to meet market dema nds and for
regional an d inter national rec ognition .
-Needs to impro ve the system so that
regulators have better confiden ce to accept
certificates issued by accredited conformity
asses sment bodies.
-Proficiency testing is limited in scope .
-Lack offunding to purchase the relevant
international standar ds and guides.
-Needs training to implement therelevant
international standar ds on laboratory and
accreditation.
-Needs to strengthen t he system.
-Needs to develo p a programme for natio nal
accreditation system that will meet the
requireme nts of internatio nal and regio nal
accreditation systems.-Financial support.
-Internatio nal consultants to review and improve the
system.
-To impr ove technical competence ofconformity
asses sment bodies based on internatio nal standards.
-Assis tance to operatio nalize the accreditatio n body.
-To promote therecognition of testing, certificatio n and
inspection.
-Assis tance in the area of calibratio n of laborato ry
equipment.
-Exchan ge visits and inter-c ompariso n exercises in
national standards for physical measurement and inter-
comparison exercises in traceability ofmeasurement to
international standar ds.
-Financial and technical assistance to expand thescope
of inter-lab orator y proficiency testing.
-To formulate a mechanism forthe shari ng of existing
infrastructures within the regions.
-Exchan ge of information.
-Training programs provide d with the coordination of
international conformity assessment systems and WTO
Members.
-Coo peration and establishing partnership with external
accredited labo ratories.
-Training in the developm ent ofmutual recog nition
agreements.
I. IN RELATION TO T HE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE T BT AGR EEMENT
E. PREPARATION, A DOPTION AN D APPLICATION OF CONF ORMITY ASSESSMENT PROCE DURES
2. To put in place a mechanism and/or legal infra structure
-To ensure that conformity assessment procedu res are prepar ed, adop ted and applied by relevan t government and non-gove rnmen tal bodies in such
a way that they comply with the disciplines of the Agreemen t (e.g. non-discrimination, avoidance of unnec essary trade barriers, the use ofrelevan t
international s tandard s, guides and recommendations as w ell as tran sparen cy)11
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or
InterestsTechnical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities
Require d
-Worki ng properly. Conf ormity assessment proced ures are prepare d,
adopted a nd applied in acc ordance with the disciplines of the Agree ment.
-Law exists to ensure implementatio n (e.g. non-discrimination treatments,
i.e. same certification procedur es and rules for both domestic andimporte d
products).
-Relevantgovernmentandnon-governmentalbodieshave been informed of
their obligations to compl y with the disciplines of the Agreeme nt.
-Provisions are impleme nted, th ough still facing challen ges.
-Is aware of TBT requireme nts and is keen to implement them. Will take
further steps to e nsure impleme ntation as expe rience is gained .
-An analysis of legislation in thearea of certification was performed and a
suggestion has been made for the adoption of new laws to ensure
compliance with the TBT Ag reement.
-The creation of anational body respo nsible for the Agreement is a step
towards this objective.
-Law was established to liberalize the national ce rtification system to reduce
the types of products subject to mandator y certification and to accept
docume nts provi ded concernin g the declaration of safety of imported
products subject to mandat ory c ontrol.
-Certain rele vant inter national standar ds are used.
-Internatio nal standards are used b y certain rele vant b odies.
-There is no general provision fo r the co mpliance with inter national criteria.
-No law has been put in place.
-Due to the absence of relevant legislation approved at a high level, it is
difficult to ensure compliance ofthe Agreeme nt byall relevant gove rnment
and no n-governmental b odies.-An awareness pro gramme e xists.
-Lack ofawareness of the Agreement
among gove rnment officials and the
business sector.
-Difficulty to understand and to
implement the relevant provisions of
the Agreement.
-Lack of coordination amon g
regulator y auth orities.
-Legal mecha nism needs to be
improve d.
-Fragmentation and sectoral
dispersion of thesystem. Lack of
consistency amon g governmen t
regulator y bodies.
-Need to harmonize with
internationally rec ognize d rules.
-Lack oftrained person nel, technical
capacity and e xperie nce.
-Negotiations forMRAs with other
countries are difficult dueto the non-
confor mance of domestic bodies to
international re quireme nts.
-Interested to coordi nate with
countries in the same region .-Training and raising awareness (e.g. through
seminars/workshops, the dissemination of
informatio n or e ducation campaig n).
-Need resources for capacity buildin g and
infrastructure develop ment.
-Technical Assistance to harmonize t he system.
-Worksh ops and information exchange on other
Members' practices in areas of special inte rest.
-Assis tance from the Com mittee to establish
cooperative relations with governme nt and non-
gover nmental bodies of develope d countries to learn
their experie nces in the preparatio n, adoption and
application of non-com pulsory conformity
asses sment mechanisms and to avoid technical trade
barriers.
-Exchan ge ofexpe rience with other countries on the
developme nt of MRAs.
-Assis tance from relevant international bodies and
systems or bilaterally from other Mem bers.
-Co-operatio n through study visits to other
confor mity assessment bodies to ensure compliance
with the Agreement.
-Training of staff toadopt transpare nt proce dures and
to use international standa rds.
11Articles 5, 7 and 8, G/TBT/ 1/Rev. 7, G/TBT/5 (para graphs 25-29 ),G/TBT/9 ( parag raphs 2 6-36 andAnnex 5)
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or
InterestsTechnical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities
Require d
-Certain non-compulsory conformity assessment systems have been
established by a number of gover nment bodies and these systems have been
increasingly influe ncing the system. However , not all of them compl y fully
with the Agreement (e.g. using inter national standar ds).
I. IN RELATION TO T HE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE T BT AGRE EMENT
E. PREPARATION, A DOPTION AN D APPLICATION OF CONF ORMITY ASSESSMENT PROCE DURES
3. Recognition of Confo rmity Assessment
(a) To adopt appropriate approa ches to facilitate accept ance of the result s of confo rmity assessmen t (e.g. unilater al recognition of results of
conformity assessmen t proc edure s condu cted by bodies in other Member s, the nego tiation, conclusion and implementation of mutual
recognition ag reemen t, the useof accreditation, g overnmen t designa tion and suppliers' de claration)12
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n
Activities Required
-This is the current practice (e.g . with co unterpa rt bodies).
-Generally recognizes conformity assessment results from
recognized bodies of othe r Membe rs.
-At the regio nal level, a decision has been made to introd uce the
recognition of ce rtificates and of unilateral co nformity declaratio ns.
-On volu ntary m easures, the natio nal accreditation system accre dits
foreign bodies an d several o f them have been accre dited.
-A resolution has been adopted to enable the national accreditation
body to recognize entities accredited in accreditation systems of
other co untries.
-A criteria to accept the results of conformity assessment
conducte d by bodies in other Mem bers has bee n established.
-Curre ntly, suppliers’ declaration is not operational due to the
unavailability of product liability an d product safety laws.
-There areno domestic technical regulations. The issue of
acceptance is dealt with accordi ng to c ompete nce.
-Is a signatory of multilateral MRAs for testing laboratories andfor
certification bo dies.
-Has reached multilateral arran geme nts (MLA) and MRA und er the
regional system (e. g. on the accepta nce of product certificates).
-Understandin g for the co operatio n in accre ditation has bee n signed
with other Membe rs.
-Has signed a num ber o f MRAs on accreditation.
-A numbe r ofMRAs have been signe d with tradin g partners and
there are ef forts to sign M RAs with other co untries.
-Participates actively in gove rnment to government bilateral and
multilateral MRAs as well as in various multilateral MRAs for
accreditation and metrolo gy. Under these Agreements and-Poor applicability of theresults of the regional
MRAs signed.
-Lack of trained person nel and tec hnical capacity.
-Lack ofcertain primary physical measureme nt
standards for traceability of testing and calib ration
results.
-Interested in the establishment of a national
accreditation body tofacilitate the concl usion of
MRAs with other cou ntries.
-Lack ofawareness amon g relevant bodies about
the importance to avoid unnecessary obstacles to
trade as a result of conformity assessment
proced ures.
-Activities are not always based on relevant
international standar ds or g uides.
-Lack oflegislative framework orprovision for
such activities.
-Needs to establish and develop product
certification system and legal structu re in line with
international p ractice.
-Needs to adjust curre nt conformity assessment
policy and practices to gradually recog nize oversea
testing reports or ce rtificates.
-Needs to better understand the conformity
asses sment system, approaches and the relevant
legal structure in ot her co untries.
-Needs to better understand the Agreeme nt andto
identify the e xisting no n-complia nce measures.-Assis tance from international organizatio ns to
provide the necessary expertise for the
negotiation and conclusion of bilateral and
multilateral MRAs (e.g. in inspectio n, product,
personnel a nd en viron ment certification bodies).
-Technical and legal cooperatio n to harmonize
confor mity assessment procedu res at the
regional level.
-Assis tance to strengthen the national
accreditation body and give it independe nce and
autonom y.
-Training of experts through seminars or
workshops.
-Infrastruct ure developme nt and capacity
building (e.g. to impr ove thecompete nce of
confor mity assessment bodies so as to be
recognized internatio nally).
-Need certificate refere nce material and primary
physical measurement standa rds to strengt hen
the technical competence of conformity
asses sment bodies.
-Awareness raising.
-Worksh ops to exchange information on the
practices of othe r Members.
-Coo peration with other countries
(e.g. de veloped countries) to exchange
informatio n and person nel.
-Assis tance to establish conformit y assessment
12Articles 6.1-6.3 , G/TBT/9 (parag raph 27 and An nex 5)
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n
Activities Required
Arrangeme nts, confo rmity assessment results from designated
bodies are mutually accepted and recog nized by other MRA
partners.
-Is a member of an internatio nal scheme that provi des for mutual
recognition of test rep orts in the electrical an d electro nic field.
-The natio nal accreditation system is operated in accordance with
international standar ds to increase confidence in the multilateral
systems.
-In order tohave certificates of the national system and conformity
marks recog nized abroad, the natio nal system should follow the
international p rinciples set out in rele vant inter national standar ds.
-Internatio nal guideli nes are com plied with insofar as it is possible.
-A confo rmity assessment system is in the process of being
develope d.
-There is no proce dure norinformation in this area.
-Relevant provision has not yet been a dopte d.-Certain public bodies are unwilling to recognize
certifications owing to thelack of guidelines or
legislation provide d for such recog nition.
-Difficulty to compre hend the situation ofall
domestic conformity assessment practices (e.g. on
the require ments for certain products or services
and on the impleme nting a gencies).
-Difficult to concl ude MRAs due to the
sophisticated systems in developed countries and
the lack of domestic infrastruct ures to provide the
necessary confide nce.
-High costs involve d in MRAs.
-Results of conformity assessment are rarely
recognized by authorities of trading partne rs.
-Under- develope d conformity assessment system
and the lack of technical capacities do not permit
any com parison of com petence.proced ures conformin g with international
standards, catered tonational and regional needs
(i.e. sectors of interest).
-To foster regional or sub-regio nal cooperation
in these matters and the signi ng of MRAs with a
view to pro mote rec ognition within the re gion.
-To train private bodies to guarantee their
reliability and competence so that they can be
used by regulators for the assessment of
confor mity with technical regulations.
-To formulate policy framework paper
(involvin g all stakeholde rs) on M RAs.
-Training on sup pliers’ declaration.
-To encourage develo ped countries to recog nize
results of conformity assessment conducte d by
developin g countries.
I.E.3.
(b) To permit the p articipation o f bodies loca ted in th e territo ries o f oth er M embers in you r con formity a ssessment p rocedure s
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties
and/or InterestsTechnical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
-As per Law, accredited certification bodies (irrespective of the
territory the y are locate d) are allowe d to certif y products an d services.
-Foreign institutions are not prevented from participatin g in domestic
confor mity assessment procedu res.
-In the case of accreditatio n, participatio n is allowed only if the bodies
are members of regional and internatio nal organizations, in the areas
which are not covered by the national accre ditation body and in
coordinatio n with the latter.
-It is possible to establish a certification body under the nation al
system provided that it is accredited b y a natio nal accreditin g body.
-Based onthe MRAs negotiated with tradin g partners, the national
certification body develope d a proced ure for the recog nition of
certificates.
-A resolution has been passed on the approval of proce dures for
recognition of docu ments certifying safety ofproducts subject to
mandator y control at the port of entry. The Resolutio n allows to cut
costs related to conformity assessment by half and torecog nize results
of a n umber of ce rtification bod ies on quality system.
-This is not yet in ef fect.-Lack of trained person nel.
-As a result of MRAs with other
trade partne rs, counterfeited
docume nts and conformity marks
have bee n found.-To exchange experiences of international systems and of
other co untries.
/AB /AC/ADÆ /AFÆ /AG/BA/AF/BB/BC /AF/BD/BD/BA/BD/BE/AFÆ /AG/BF/BC /BE/BG/BC /BFÆ /AF/BH/BB/BF/BC /BE/BI /BF/BC participation in
international certification schemes and inactivities of
international o rganizations.
-Training of experts andto develop a person nel qualification
recognition system.
I. IN RELATION TO T HE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE T BT AGR EEMENT
E. PREPARATION, A DOPTION AN D APPLICATION OF CONF ORMITY ASSESSMENT PROCE DURES
4. Participation in internationa l and regional systems13
(a) To establish the institu tions/legal framework to enable dome stic conformity assessmen t bodies (gove rnmental ornon-gove rnmen tal) to fulfil the
obligations of membership o r par ticipation in such sy stems
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities
Require d
-Institutions to fulfil theobligatio ns of membership or
participation in international and regional systems have
been established.
-Participates in regional systems (e.g. in proficiency testing
progra mmes of t he regio n).
-Certification bodies meet intern ational re quireme nts.
-Is involve d in international conformity assessment systems.
-No participation .
-No effective participation or do not participate re gularly.
-Steps are being taken to obtain recognitio n in international
systems.
-A new law is being d rafted f or that purpose.
-Intends to accede to international systems and examines
possibilities to provide training ofspecialists in the area.
-There is no legal framew ork in this field.-Lack ofartefacts forinter-labo rator y comparison
for calibratio n labo ratories.
-It is possible to fulfil the requireme nts, but it
takes too much time and resources to go through
the confide nce b uilding process.-To strengthe n the technical compete ncy of calibratio n
laboratories.
-Infrastruct ure de velopme nt and t raining, financi ng, etc…
-Worksh ops oninformation exchange onother Members'
practices in areas of specific interest.
-To raise awareness of these systems.
-Need suppo rt and guida nce to secure recognition in
international systems.
13Articles 9, 11.6 a nd 12.5, G/TBT/9 (para graphs 3 5-36)
I.E.4.
(b) To meet th e requir ements in c onfidenc e building or proficiency testing prog rammes in such s ystems
(c) To addres s common conce rns at the r egional level
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or
InterestsTechnical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
-This has been im plemented.
-No regio nal accreditation body exists.
-The issue is being dealt with under the
framework of the regio nal body, specifically
in the worki ng group on "Technical
Regulations an d Conformity Assessment".
-Coo rdination meetings have been held for
this purpose, but they are still insufficient and
no activity has bee n carrie d out .
-Clear agenda for the regio nal body has yet to
be define d.-To choose the appropriate proficiency
testing progra ms.
-There areseveral legal and practical issues
to be solved in order to efficiently work in a
regional level.
-Infrastruct ure, tracea bility and reliability
problems.
-Inability to atten d specialized regional and
international trainin g workshops due to lack
of fu nds.
-Available proficiency testing programme is
limited to accredited scopes.-To strengthe n the regional metrological network taking into
account natio nal strengths.
-To strengthe n the regional testing network with regional refere nce
laboratories.
-To establish the regio nal accreditation system.
-Training t o establish the neede d system.
-Training specialists on the use of international standar ds,
guidelines and recomme ndations.
-To participate in proficiency testing with laboratories of other
countries
-To finance participatio n in specialized traini ng workshops and
meetings of international and regional systems in order to address
common concer ns at the regi onal level.
I.E.5. Others
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
-To pr omote one standar d, one test and one assessment.
-The inability for developi ng countries to participate in
the conformity assessment proced ures of develo ped
countries.
-Financial constraints restricted the participatio n in the
international activities.
-Lack ofknowledge about the laws and regulations of
other co untries.
-Need to establish a team ofprofessionals with language
competency and c oordination ca pacity.-Require more information on co nformity assessment.
-To create a channel for develo ping countr y Membe rs to
understand the conformity assessment procedures of developed
country Members in order to pa rticipate in them.
-Technical assistance from develope d countries and relevant
international organizations toprovide traini ng, toconduct
cooperatio n and excha nge in formatio n and person nel.
-To develop a coope rative networ k oftraining institutions applyin g
national and regio nal standardizatio n and huma n resou rce
developme nt policies and related trainin g plans; and to build up the
capacities of national traini ng institutions.
II. IN RELATION TO BE NEFITING FROM THE TBT AGRE EMENT AND CAP ACITY BUILDING
A. BENEFITING FROM THE A GREEMENT
1. Raising awareness
Such as by the priva te sector, ab out the rights and benefit s ofthe Agreemen t, including those relating to the adoption of international standard s
and the us e of enquiry point s'
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n
Activities Required
-No on going programme .
-It is raised throu gh seminars and the dissemination of
the Agreement.
-Activities do not co ver all sectors conce rned.
-Progress is being made in the private sector, but the
results are not yet entirely satisfactory.
-Knowledge and importance of the TBT enquir y point
have n ot been su fficiently disseminated.
-It is not known whethe r the private sector uses the
informatio n mecha nisms offered by the Agreeme nt.
-Info rmation on draft natio nal standards and technical
regulations is being published in different bulletins,
gazettes and websites.
-The importance and benefits of international standar ds
have bee n underlined.
-Part of the private sector has adopted internatio nal
standards.-Difficult to understand the comple xity of the
Agreement.
-Lack ofinformation on the obligatio ns and benefits of
the Agreement.
-Inade quate awareness of the private sector (mainly
SMEs).
-Insufficient prom otional camp aign due to lack of
resources (fu nds, man power) .
-Seminars do not reach a wide audience. There is a need
to maintain these activities on a pe rmane nt basis.
-The role of theenquiry point is not clear to the private
sector.
-Lack ofcooperation of some industry associations to
disseminate notifications and to provide co mments.
-Lack of financial reso urces and trained personnel .
-Problems in using Internet facilities.
-Resistance of the p rivate sector to use standards.
-Lack of internatio nal standards in national lan guage.
-Lack ofresources to translate regulations and standar ds
into national lan guage .-Worksh ops/seminars on the implementation of the
Agreement (e.g., practical cases; explanation of the role
and use ofthe enquiry point ) addressed to all the
stakeholders, (e.g., public and private sectors, SMEs,
focal point, high level exec utives, expo rters, etc).
-Strategic advertising campaign toraise the awareness of
consumers and stakeholders (e.g., image developme nt,
promotio nal material, resources forbroadcasting: radio,
TV).
-Elaboration of prom otional/inf ormation material to
create incentives for such pa rticipation.
-Setting up efficient information and experience
exchange between Membe rs, includin g measures take n to
increase the private sector awareness.
-Financial assistance for the establishment of publishing
bodies, editing bulletins, purchase of international
standards in national la ngua ge and access to the Inter net.
-Assis tance to develo p national industrial restructuri ng
and mo dernization policies and su pport mechanisms.
-Assis tance to enhance participation in internatio nal
standardization.
-To improve enquir y points (e.g., provide funds for
electronic means an d to p ublish an official b ulletin).
-Assis tance to develo p national standa rds catalogu es
(e.g., f rom all Mem bers, yearly , on e-me dia prefe rably) .
-Training of local e xperts.
II.A.2. Dissemination of information14
(a) On draft and adopt ed domes tic, foreign, regional and interna tional standa rds, technical regulations orconformity assessment procedu res to
assist p roduce rs to adap t produ cts and produ ction method s tonew requir ements15and to enhance market access p ossibilities
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
-It is not well implemented and there is
no on going program me.
-It does n ot cove r all sectors concer ned.
-It is done through thewebsite of the
regulator y bodies or the e nquir y point.
-Info rmation is sent to selected
stakeholders during workshops and
symposia.
-It is sent to enterprises at the natio nal
and regi onal levels.
-It is sent by mail through perio dical
publications, announcements in the local
news media, chambe rs of commerce,
industry associations, trade unions and
gover nmental age ncies.
-Each regulatory body is in charge of
disseminating its own measures.
-In order toassist producers to adapt
their PPMs to new requireme nts and to
enhance market access possibilities,
dissemination takes place upon request.
-Measures notified by Members through
the WTO are available at the enquiry
point.
-Notification can be obtaine d through
the WTO Docume nts On Line We bsite.
-A non-profit organization jointly
established by the government and the
private sector, assists producers to seek
international certification and improve
products and q uality.
-Interaction with the enquiry point is
voluntar y.-Lack ofawareness of the importa nce of information recei ved in
promotin g effective access to markets.
-Insufficient informatio n and knowledge of the Agreement among
the private sector and lack of aware ness on the importance of
keeping c ontact with the r elevant aut horities.
-Dissemination processes have not been ef fective.
-Lack ofhuma n and financial resources to enhance information
services (e.g., to contact potential users, to hold workshops for
informatio n dissemination and to upgrade the enquir y point
equipment) .
-Lack of coordination between re gulator y auth orities.
-Regulato rs and stakeh olders donot respond to the informatio n sent
to them.
-Bulletins, gazettes and publications are only revised by regulators,
i.e. when they are involved in the prepar ation or publication of a
standard, tech nical regulatio n or c onformity assessment proced ure.
-No national system exists throu gh chambers of comme rce and
industry; they lack capacity t o disseminate infor mation ef fectively.
-Lack oflinks between theenquiry point and WTO Documents On
Line.
-No eno ugh i nformation at the we bsite.
-No capacity to t ransmit inform ation by electro nic means
-Not all the bodies and stakehol ders conce rned have e-mail and the
necessary electronic facilities.
-The private sector cann ot afford to purchase internatio nal
standards.
-National standards are not published in full (only the title). Full
text must be pu rchased at the n ational standa rdizing body.
-Difficulties in the adoption of technical regulations in accordance
with international standar ds due tothe controve rsial intellectual
propert y aspect and to the lang uages in which the y are a vailable.
-Inade quate co nformity assessment infrastructure and procedures.-Assis tance to ensure transpa rency and effective circulatio n of
informatio n (e.g., an electr onic data network system available to
enterprises, local and central governmental agencies and/or an
"informatio n centre" todisseminate standards (natio nal and
international), tec hnical reg ulations and C APs).
-Assis tance on electronic dissemination of information (e.g., to
improve the website of enquiry points and/or to establish a
technological platform providing an interface between all bodies
dealing with technical barriers to tra de).
-Training in the dissemination of T BT inf ormatio n.
-Seminars/workshops o n the fu nctioni ng of enquiry points andthe
importance of using internation al standards.
-To share experience and experts between Mem bers/regions (e.g.,
from enquir y points having successful operation of dissemination
of notificatio ns or to prom ote measureme nt systems that facilitate
trade in com modities and natural reso urces).
-Seminars/workshops to raise awareness of industry and train
local producers to adapt their products to new conformity
proced ures and t o internatio nal standards.
-To establish integrated country programmes that would provide
multi-disciplinary services respo nding to the local support
requireme nts and to the capacity c onstraints in industry .
-Strategic advertising campaign toraise consumers' and
stakeholders' awareness (i.e. image develo pment, prom otional
material, resources fo r broadcasting: Ra dio, TV, a nd others).
-To facilitate and improve the participation in international and
regional MRAs in accreditation, calib ration and testing
laboratories and inspection bodies.
-To strengthe n ind ustry associations.
-Human and financial suppo rt to create the official
journal/website to publish standards, technical regulatio ns and
CAPs and to disseminate notifications .
14Preamble of t he Agreeme nt, G/TBT/9 (para graphs 7, 25 and 40)15Article 2.12
II.A.2.
(b) On notifications to inter ested par ties to obt ain their commen ts
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
- It is not well implemente d.
-There is no such pr ogramme.
-It does not reach all the sectors
concerne d.
-It is sent to interested parties by mail or
electronically, through cham bers of
commerce and industry associations, the
enquiry point and the website of
regulator y bodies, along with arequest
for co mments.
-Direct anno uncements are sent totrade
unions, associations and gove rnment
agencies.
-Each regulatory body is in charge of
disseminating its own measures,
although those notifie d throughthe WTO
are also available fr om the e nquir y point.
-There is a trial period of three months
for every draft standar d through
annou ncements in the local news media.
(official gazette)-Dissemination processes have not been very
effective.
-No national system exists throu gh chambers of
commerce and industry; they lack capacity to
disseminate information e ffectively.
-Lack ofawareness of the importa nce of
informatio n received in promotin g effective access
to markets.
-Regulato rs and stakeh olders donot respond to the
informatio n sent to them.-Training in the dissemination of informatio n on the TBT Agreeme nt andits
transparency provisions.
-To de velop a strateg y to attract b usinesses efficiently.
-Strategic advertising campaign toraise consumers' and stakehol ders'
awareness (i.e. image developme nt, promotio nal material, resourc es for
broadcasting: Radio, TV, and others).
-Human and financial suppo rt to create the official journal/website to publish
standards, technical re gulations and CAPs and to disseminate notifications .
II.A.2.
(c) Possible means toenhance dissemination ofinformation (e.g. to establish chambe rs of commerc e or other industr y associations to act as conduit
for info rmation or using elect ronic tr ansmission of info rmation)
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
-Dissemination mainly by mail.
-It is transmitted electronically.
-Efforts are being made to send the
informatio n to potentially interested
chambers an d associations.-Dissemination processes have not been ef fective.
-No national system exists throu gh chambers of
commerce and industry; they lack the capacity to
disseminate information e ffectively.
-Insufficient informatio n and knowledge of the
Agreement in the private sector and lack of
awareness of the importance ofkeeping contact
with the relevant aut horities.
-Not all the bodies and stakehol ders conce rned
have e-mail an d the necessary electronic facilities.-Assis tance on electronic dissemination of information (e.g., to improve the
website of enquir y points and/or to establish a technol ogical platfo rm
providi ng aninterface between all bodies dealing with technical barriers to
trade).
-To share experience and experts between Mem bers/regions (e.g., from
enquiry points having successful operation of dissemination of notifications or
to prom ote measureme nt systems that facilitate trade in comm odities and
natural resou rces).
-Strategic advertising campaign toraise consumers' and stakehol ders'
awareness (i.e. image developme nt, promotio nal material, resou rces for
broadcasting: Radio, TV, and others).
-Human and financial suppo rt to create the official journal/website to publish
standards, technical re gulations and CAPs and to disseminate notifications .
II.A.3. Cooperation and Coor dination wi th the Private Sector
- Such as to on the MRAs, equivalence and harmonization arrangemen ts with trading partners, orto assist on the step tobe taken if they wish to
have ac cess to confo rmity ass essmen t systems operat ed by bodies in oth er Members territorie s
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or
InterestsTechnical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities
Require d
-No cooperation or coordination plans have been established; howeve r
informatio n has been provided.
-Coo rdination is not ade quate.
-It exists throug h releva nt orga nizations at national a nd regional le vels.
-It is carried o ut thro ughchambe rs of co mmerce a nd in dustry fe derations.
-Although no MRAhas been signe d, the private sector has access to
confor mity assessment systems operated by bodies in other Membe r
territories.
-There areagreeme nts with industry associations forthe developme nt of
technical standards and the use o f con formity assessment procedures.
-The pri vate sector is sometimes asked to assist in an advisory ca pacity.
-Info rmation concer ning conformity assessment proced ures is available in
the library a nd on the we bsite.-Lack ofunderstanding of the bene fits of
MRAs.
-Lack ofresources to contact all the
potential users.
-Lack ofawareness of the importa nce of
keeping c ontact with the r elevant aut horities.
-Lack offinancial support for MRAs in
achieving the objectives.
-Unequal participation of large and small
enterprises in MRAs.
-Lack of technical capacity .
-Low capacity in private sector associations.-To impleme nt regulat ory activities related to MRAs
and increase awareness oftheir content and
importance.
-To pr omote M RAs in the priv ate sector.
-Worksh ops onthe establishment and functioning of
MRAs.
-Capacity building to meet the technical assistance
needs of the private sector.
-Technical/financial resources to enable SMEs to
introduce quality, enviro nmental management and
food safety systems that can be certified and
recognized internatio nally.
-Establishment of an institution to train experts on IT
means.
II. IN RELATION TO BE NEFITING FROM THE TBT AGRE EMENT AND CAP ACITY BUILDING
B. MARKET ACCESS A ND CAPACITY BUILDING
1. Market a ccess issue s
(a) Specific expe rience in expo rts being denied access for reason s relating to standard s, technical regula tions and conformity assessmen t
requirement s of mark ets (e.g. marking, labelling, sampling, certificat es or testing re quirements )
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
-No information on specific cases of
market access problems; the private
sector does not usually commu nicate
such pro blems to the rele vant auth orities.
-Problems due to TBT and SPS
measures.
-Problems with non-reco gnition of
confor mity assessment results (e.g.
certificates) issued by accredited national
bodies.
-Problems and additional burden due to
measures which invol ve new and high
technolog y (e.g. on green products and
on GMOs).
-Lack of knowledge of foreign
certification requirements. This resulted
in duplicated ce rtification an d hig h costs.-Lack ofknowledge on the Agreement and in
handling trade disp utes.
-Lack ofculture in the private sector to report the
problems the y  face whe n exportin g.
-Lack ofcapacity of the relevant authorities to
contact exp orters.
-Lack the knowled ge ontechnical regulations and
market access.
-Lack oftechnical and financial means to update
national standards an d facilities.
-Lack ofaccredited laborato ries and conformity
asses sment bodies.
-Lack ofequip ment, especially for metrology and
calibration.
-Lack ofexpe rtise and resou rces to assist exporters
in certain sectors.
-Difficult to access technical regulatio ns of
importing c ountries.
-Non-rec ognition of national conformity
asses sment results.
-Difficulties in bringin g technical require ments
into compliance .
-Lack ofharm onization in standards, metrolog y
and co nformity assessment practices.-Assis tance to make aninvento ry of conformity assessment procedu res and
technical require ments of other Mem bers.
-To build upthe private sector's capacity in meetin g technical regulations and
confor mity assessment procedu res of local and export markets and in assuring
quality.
-Training and worksho ps/seminars addressed to the private sector (e.g., on
market access, on WTO/TBT rights and benefits, experts training on conformity
asses sment procedu res and mate rial develo pment, etc. ).
-/AB raining(e.g.throughseminars/workshops) i neco-labeling,eco-design,life cycle
asses sment, environ mental accou ntability and risk assessment, including
hardware and software/ experts forsetting up database/invento ries necessary for
environ mental evaluatio n as well as on recyclin g/reco very/ cleane r techn ology
of hazar dous waste manage ment.
-Exchan ge ofnational experience (e.g., on market access and laborat ories
management) .
-Legal assistance on how to challenge potentially WTO -inconsistent technical
requireme nts of othe r Members.
-To strengthe n the technical capacities of existing conformity assessment bodies
(e.g. laboratories and accreditation bodies) and topromote recognition of their
asses sment results.
-To establish a national met rolog y infrastructure.
-Strategic advertising campaign toincrease consumers' and stakeholders'
awareness (i.e image devel opment, promotional material, resources for
broadcasting: ra dio, TV, and others).
II.B.1.
(b) Specific expe rience in produ cts having difficulties in meeting foreign requiremen ts (e.g. due to the lack of dome stic technical resourc es and
infrast ructu re su ch as met rology, calibration or accredited laborat ories)
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
-No information on specific cases of
market access problems; the private
sector proba bly does not usually
communicate such problems to the
correspon ding a uthorities.
-Problems due to TBT and SPS
measures.
-Problems and additional burden due to
measures which invol ve new and high
technolog y.
-Problems with conformity assessment
and the non-recog nition of certificates
issued by accredited national b odies.
-Market access difficulties with products
such as fish, cables, mattresses, electric
and gas ap pliances, tyres, etc.
-Food products have difficulties in
meeting technical regulations testing
requireme nts, labelling an d canni ng.-Lack ofculture in the private sector to report
problems the y  face whe n exportin g.
-Lack ofcapacity of the relevant authorities to
contact exp orters.
-Lack of training to ha ndle trade disputes.
-Lack ofexpe rtise and resou rces to assist exporters
in certain sectors.
-Technical regulations of the importing countries
are not rea dy to be accessed.
-Difficulties in complyin g technical requirem ents
of impo rting ma rkets.
-Non-rec ognition of national conformity
certificates.
-Lack ofdomestic technical resources to update
standards.-To build upthe private sector's capacity in meetin g requireme nts in markets
and in assuring quality.
-Training and worksho ps/seminars addressed to the private sector (e.g., on
market access, on WTO/TBT rights and benefits, expe rts training, mate rial
developme nt, etc.).
-Exchan ge ofnational experience (e.g., on market access and laborat ories
management) .
-Legal assistance on how to challenge potentially WTO -inconsistent technical
requireme nts of othe r Members.
-To strengthe n the technical capacities of existing laboratories to gain
international rec ognition .
-To establish a national met rolog y infrastructure.
-Strategic advertising campaign toincrease consumers' and stakeholders'
awareness (i.e image devel opment, promotional material, resources for
broadcasting: ra dio, TV, and others).
II.B.2. Development of a National Strategy
- Such as a national strategy topromot e awaren essof quality and metrology among stakeholder s (e.g. policy makers , conformity assessment
practitione rs and indus try), as well as mark et su rveillance and pr oduct liability requirement s
Curre nt Situation Specific Problems, Difficulties and/or Interests Technical Assistance and/or Co operatio n Activities Required
-No specific national strategy exists.
-Awareness of quality is not feasible due
to the lack o f releva nt legislation.
-A national strategy e xists.
-It aims at raising educatio n and health
standards and to promoting
competitiveness of d omestic SMEs.
-It is informal amongstakeholders and/or
in a limited way.
-It takes place through seminars,
workshops o r symposia.
-Quality and metrolog y promotio n are
part of strategic institutional objectives.
-A new law on “technical regulation,
standardization and conformity
asses sment” is being develo ped.
-A programme exists addressing to
farmers to expand agricultu ral exports,
includes quality, packagin g and
labelling.
-Industry , associations, gove rnment
bodies, academia and other stakehol ders
have actively participated in the design
of the natio nal strategy.
-The strategy focuses on participation in
international standar d-setting activities,
trade facilitation, market releva nce,
timeliness of standards develop ment,
training of expe rts, implementation and
the use of marketing and IT tools in the
promotio n and devel opment of standa rds.-Lack ofhuma n, technical and financial resou rces
to raise awareness of these issues.
-Difficulties in hiring an appropriate number of
highly qualified staff.
-Lack ofawareness and unclear understandi ng of
the subject.
-Lack of expe rience in developi ng a
comprehe nsive and potentially successful strategy.
-Lack of funds to launc h such p rogrammes.
-Lack ofmarket surveillance and product liability
requireme nts.Training officials (e.g., awareness raising, trainin g for trainers).
-To impleme nt an efficient strategy for approac hing theprivate sector and
improvin g its unde rstanding and capacity to comply with the importing
country’ s regulatio ns (e.g., to obtain market a ccess).
-Assis tance in assess ing the curre nt situation and in developin g an efficient
strategy with local stakeholders.
-Exchan ge of expe rts.
-Exchan ge ofother Members' experience inthe developme nt of anational
strategy.
-Training in setting upa sound market surveillance system and product
liability laws.
-To strengthe n the national metrology infrastructu re capability and
international insertion , especially in the field ofchemistry, and certified
reference mate rials as well as in the field of health , food an d biol ogy.
-A strategic advertising campai gn to raise consumers' and stakehold ers'
awareness (e.g., image develop ment, prom otional material, resources for
broadcasting: ra dio, TV, and others).
G/TBT/W/186
Page 46
ANNEX 1
PRIORITIZATION OF NEEDSG/TBT/W/186
Page 47
BRUNEI DARUSSA LAM  (JOB (02)/99 )
A. What are your top prioritised TBT-related technical assistance, tec hnical cooperation or
capacity building needs? (Please also provide ex planation or justification for such needs.)
1. Expa nd expertise on TBT Issues (inclu ding notification skills)___ ___________________ _______________ _
2. Create a nd enforce legal framew ork___________________________________________________________
3. Provide physical infrastructure a nd implem entation of natio nal standards p rocess____ ___________________
4. Develop negotiatin g skills_____ ______________________ ________________________ _______________ _
5. Manage dispute settlement___ ______________________________________________ _________________
B. Where do these needs fit in ter ms of your overall trade related technical assi stance and
capacity building needs (i.e. are any of these needs considered to be a priority at the national level,
by relevant domestic authorities, agencies and inte rested parties)?
At present, Brunei does not have a natio nal standards organisation. Standards currently inplace relate almost
exclusively to the construction secto r. These standa rds have been administered by the Ministry of Develo pment
which has also become the de facto focal point for all inquires related to TBT matters. Brunei has not formally
notified the WTO of any enquir y point with respect to TBT issues and is curre ntly debating how to deal with
broade r standards issues and whethe r the creatio n ofa centralised entity is desirable. Difficulties with
notifications on T BT issues is also experienced.
C. Have you received assistance in the se prioriti sed areas in the past?  If yes, when and by whom ?
Yes, only for overall awareness of TBT Agreeme nt Sponsored by ISO/WTO in Japan (1 participant) and
Bangk ok (2 participant)_ _____________ _________________________________________________________
D. Are you current ly receiving any assi stance in t hese priori tised areas?  If yes, by whom?
APEC symposium o n the ha ndbookon WTO Notification a nd Enquir y Point for TBT/SPS - APEC TILF Project
in Bang kok, 29– 31 May 2002 (2 participants)_ ______________________________________________ _____
E. Have you a pproached any donors to assist you in meeting the se needs?  If yes, when and to whom?
No details_____ _____________________________________________________________ ________________
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the donors which would be well suited to assist you with these
specific needs?  or if you consider technical cooperation or regional arrangement possible solution?
Technical cooperation and regional arrangement is a possible solution. Dono rs can provide inhouse training in
specialized areas eg. of D onors are ISO, EC, US, Japa n, CER
G. Any other iss ues to be addressed.
In ho use training is m ore effective , followe d by attachment traini ng in established Notification/E nquiry p oints of
other Membe r Bodies
G/TBT/W/186
Page 48
ARGENTINA  (JOB(02)/99/Add.1)
A. What are your top prioritized TBT-r elated technical assistanc e, technical coop eration or
capacity-building needs? (Please also provide explanation or justification for such need s.)
1. I.E.3. (a): Technical assistance and coope ration would be desirable to prevent subsistenc e and the
detrimental effe cts inhere nt in the difficulty mentioned in this point.
2. I.D.3. (a): Participation in international standardizing activities in areas of particular domestic
interest is subject to budgeta ry constraints, for which reason its feasibility would be of the utmost
importance.
3. I.B.1. (c): Improv ed access to the means specified in this point with a view to facili tating
WTO-TBT National Enquiry P oint operations.
4. I.C.4.: Assistanc e andcoop eration, insofaras is practicable in the light of Programme forecasts,
with extending the development of bodies assessing conformity with technical regulations unde r
Government jurisdiction.
B. Where do these need s fit in terms of your overall trade-rel ated technical assistance and
capacity-building needs (i.e.are any of these needs conside red to be a priority at the national level
by relev ant domestic authorities, agencies and intere sted pa rties)?
These needs are considere d to be a priority for the domestic agencies which deal with such
issues.
C. Have you receiv ed assistance in these prioritised areas in the past? If yes, when and from
whom?
Assistance ha s already b een received, in pa rticular in relation to Enquiry Point ope rations.
D. Are you cu rrently r eceiving any assistance in thes e prioritised are as? If yes, by whom?
Activi ties related to the issue referred to in the answ er to the above question are currently
being develop ed.
E. Have you approached any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when andto
whom?
_________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _____
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the dono rs which would be well suited to assist you with
these specific need s? Or if you consider technical cooperation or regional arrangement possible
solution?
_________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _____
G. Any other issue s to be add ressed.
_________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______G/TBT/W/186
Page 49
MACAO, CHINA (JOB(02)/99/Add.2)
A. What are your top prioritised TBT-r elated technical assistanc e, technical coop eration or
capacity building needs? (Please also provide explanation or justification for such need s.)
1.  Training in TBT Agre ement in orde r to enc ourage an d stre ngthen awa reness of the Ag reement.
2. Training in notification so as to enhan ce the capacity of Government officials to implement the
Agreement.
3. Information on the important international standa rds and technical regulations in orderto facilitate
adoption of thes e stand ards.
4. Seminars/Wo rkshops on the framewor k and impact of the Second Triennial Review of the
Agreement.
5.Training of domestic trainer s in TBT Agreement fo r better dissemination of WT O regulations.
B. Where do these need s fit in terms of your overall trade related technical assistance and
capacity building needs (i.e.are any of these needs conside red to be a priority at the national level,
by relev ant domestic authorities, agencies and intere sted pa rties)?
The abov e-mentioned n eeds from 1 to 3 a re co nsider ed to be p riorities at the domestic lev el.
C. Have you receiv ed assistance in these prioritised areas in the past? If yes, when and by
whom?
No.
D. Are you cu rrently r eceiving any assistance in thes e prioritised are as? If yes, by whom?
No.
E. Have you approached any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when andto
whom?
No.
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the dono rs which would be well suited to assist you with
these specific need s? or if you consider technical coope ration or regional arrangem ent possible
solution?
Technical assistance by the WTO Secreta riat would be possible solution. Maca o, Chin a also
welcomes technical coo peration a ctivities at the regional level.
G. Any other issue s to be add ressed.
No.G/TBT/W/186
Page 51
BRAZIL (JOB(02)/99/Add.5)
A. What are your top prioritised TBT-r elated technical assistanc e, technical co-op eration or
capacity building needs? (Please also provide explanation or justification for such need s.)
1.Raise awar eness concerning the deman ds under the TBT Agreeme nt at the Feder al, State and
Municipality levels, throughout the gove rnmental entities and to the private s ector.
2.Provide training for national regulation agencie s concerning the preparation of technic al
regulations based onTBT principles. Spread such practises through municipality associations as a
way of making them av ailable to States and Mu nicipalities regulators.
3. Support the National Standardising Body (ABNT) in the implementation of the Code of Good
Practice f or the p reparation, Adoption and Application of Stan dards.(ISO GUIDE 60).
4. Promote training events at the WTO headqua rters forthose regulation agencies leaderswho have
not yet adher ed to the Enquir y Points.
5. Development of a marketing intelligence in order to enha nce the 5.000 bigge st companies ’
interaction with the Enquiry Point.
B. Where do these need s fit in terms of your overall trade related technical assistance and
capacity building needs (i.e.are any of these needs conside red to be a priority at the national level,
by relev ant domestic authorities, agencies and intere sted pa rties)?
Yes.  The above actions correspon d to the top three priorities seen by the Centr al Government
as essential for the complete implementation of the TBT Agreement at the three gove rnmental levels,
attending to Federal Gove rnment, States an d Municipalities and p rivate secto r’s need s.
C Have you receiv ed assistance in these prioritised areas in the past? If yes, when and by
whom?
Yes. In 1996,the Brazilian Enquiry Point received technic al assistan ce on the above , during a
two-day seminar provided y the Committee on Technical Barriers in Rio de Janeiro. Howev er, our
objective of sp reading such practises to other gove rnmental levels did not take place .
D. Are you cu rrently r eceiving any assistance in thes e prioritised are as? If yes, by whom?
(a) No. The training eve nts provide d to Inmetro ’s sta ff in 19 96 wer e discontinued.
(b)
E. Have you approached any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when andto
whom?
G/TBT/ /W/178
Page 15
Yes. In Ap ril/May 2002, Inmetro sta rted to interact with the WTO, UNCTAD and ITC aiming
to identify possible consultation/training events and funding a gencie s to suppo rt them.
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the dono rs which would be well suited to assist you with
these specific need s? Or if you consider technical coop eration or regional arrangement possible
solution?
The most traditional funding agencies which currently assist such initiat ives are: the World
Bank, the Interameric an Development Bank, UNIDO and the Interamerican Agency for Co-ope rationG/TBT/W/186
Page 52
and Development. On what concerns the Good Practises for Technical Regulations, Inmetro has
identified the Department of Trade and Industry – UK, as a possible partne r for a previou s
implementat ion of the Regulatory Impact Assessment. Inmetro understands that the implementation
of such guide in Brazil will ensure that the issued regulations will be necessa ry and effective for the
attendance of the desired bene fits. It will also ensure that the associated costs and risks are justifiable
and that the re sulting burdens faced b y SMEs are minimised.
G. Any other is sues to be addre ssed.
CO-OPERATION AND/O R TECH NICAL ASSISTANC E WHICH COUL D BE
PROVIDED BY INMETRO
1.Support to least developed countries for the conc eption, implementation, organisation and
operation o f their Enquiry P oints, as foreseen in the TBT Agreeme nt.
2.Co-ope ration on the de velopment of Po rtals aimed at supporting the LDCs expo rters, either onthe
identification and removal of technical barriers oron the implementation of tools such as the
“Exporte rs Alert!”
3.Technical assistance to least developed countries aimed at the adequacy of their Regulation
Agencies to the requirements and principles of the Good Practices for Technical Regulations of
the TBT Agreement.
4.Technical assistance to least developed countries aimed at the LDCs needs on theimplementation
and ad equac y of their C onformity Assessment Pr ocedures according to the TBT Ag reement.
5.Technical and administrative assistanc e to the Accr editation Bodies and their respective
calibration and testing laborato ry network s in least develop ed countries, providing them with the
neces sary tools fo r their ope ration in acc ordance with the TBT Agre ement requir ements.G/TBT/W/186
Page 53
INDONESIA (JOB(02)/99/Add.6)
A. What are your top prioritised TBT-r elated technical assistanc e, technical coop eration or
capacity building needs? (Please also provide explanation or justification for such need s.)
1. Development of p rocedures/system to suppo rt coo rdination between the v arious g overnment
institu tions involved in the implementa tion of the TBT Agreement
2. Designing and e stablishing working gro up to handle TBT -WTO issu es
3. Necess ary har dware s and softwa res to s uppo rt the implementation of WTO-TBT
activit ies
B. Where do these need s fit in terms of your overall trade related technical assistance and
capacity building needs (i.e.are any of these needs conside red to be a priority at the national level,
by relev ant domestic authorities, agencies and intere sted pa rties)?
The abov e 3 activit ies are ou r most ne eds in o rder to handle the TBT activities in Indone sia
C Have you receiv ed assistance in these prioritised areas in the past? If yes, when and by
whom?
There is Technical Assistanc e by Japanese Gove rnment (JICA), but limited to TA for the
under standing of the TBT Agreeme nt through wo rkshop .
D. Are you cu rrently r eceiving any assistance in these prioritised are as? If yes, by whom?
NO
E. Have you approached any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when andto
whom?
Yes, we hav e app roached EU, and we alread y submit our d raft p ropos al to be reviewed by EU
expert (end o f June 02 )
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the dono rs which would be well suited to assist you with
these specific need s? or if you consider technical coope ration or regional arrangem ent possible
solution?
Since EU – Indonesia eage r to incre ase their trade and Indon esia assume that EU is one of the
major expo rt destination, EU is suited to assist us
G. Any other issue s to be add ressed.G/TBT/W/186
Page 54
THAILAND (JOB(02)/99/Add.8.)
A. What are your top prioritised TBT-r elated technical assistanc e, technical coop eration or
capacity building needs? (Please also provide explanation or justification for such need s.)
1. Awarenes s seminars/ work shops on:
/AB The implementation and administration of the TBT Ag reement
/AB The notification obligations
/AB Good regulator y practice
2. Seminars/ works hops o n:
/AB recycling/ recove ry/ cleane r technology of hazardous waste ma nageme nt
/AB Mark et acc ess fordevelopin g countries
3. Training in:
/AB International stand ards and g uides for confo rmity asse ssment
/AB Eco-de sign, Life Cycle Assessment and Environmental Accountability, acquisition of
the data fo r Saf ety Data Sheet, a nd Risk Ass essment (tar geted risk as sessment)
/AB Suppliers’ d eclar ation
/AB How to enter into the MRAs
/AB Eco-de sign, Eco -labels, LCA and Environmental Accou ntability, acquisition of the data
for safety data sh eet, and Risk As sessment (targ eted risk assessment)
4. Experts a nd ha rdwar e:
/AB Speake rs for seminars and workshops to be held in Bangkok for respon sible
governme nt organiz ations and stak eholde rs.
/AB Hardwar e and softwar e/ expe rts for setting up database/ invento ries necessary for
environmental evaluation ba sed o n EU req uirements.
/AB Experts to as sist implementing the properly re cycling/reco very technologies on WEEE.
/AB Experts in the r elated EU directives to a ssist local expert s in the fo rmulation of the draft
Action Plan.
B. Where do these need s fit in terms of your overall trade related technical assistance and
capacity building needs (i.e.are any of these needs conside red to be a priority at the national
level, by relev ant domestic authorities, agencies an d interested pa rties)?
These needs considered to be a priority at the national level, by relev ant domestic authorities,
agencies and inter ested pa rties.
C. Have you r eceiv ed as sistance in these p rioritised areas in the pa st?  If yes, wh en and b y
whom?
/AB ISO/WTO/TISI Seminar on Confo rmity Assessment and its Role in International Trade,
10-11 October 2000.
/AB JICA/TISI Workshop for Capacity Building on WTO/TBT Agreement, 12-13 February
2002.
/AB ISO/WTO/JISC Workshop on Enhancing the Participation of Developing Countries and
economies in tran sition in international standardization, 14-15 February 2002.
/AB APEC Symposium on Notification Procedur es under the WTO’s Agre ements on Technical
Barrier s to Trade and Sanitary and Phytos anitary Measures, 29-31 May 2002 sponsored by
New Zealand.
D. Are you cu rrently r eceiving any assistance in thes e prioritised are as?If yes, by whom?G/TBT/W/186
Page 55
/AB 2ndJICA/TISI Work shop for Capacity Building on the WTO/TBT Agreement,
27-28 Augu st 2002:
- Enhancing experien ces in the involvement in the international standardization
activit ies.
- Improveme nt of negotiation skill at the TBT Commi ttee and international
standardiz ation bodies.
E. Have you approa ched any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when andto
whom?
Thailand approach ed for an assistance to the project called “Technology Transfer ofHaza rdous
waste Recove ry: Case Study on waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment” in 2001 from EU
but no res ponse has been received.
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the dono rs which would be well suited to assist you with
these spe cific need s?  o r if you consider technical coope ration or re gional arrangem ent
possible solution?
The dono rs to thes e nee ds ca n be:
-WTO
-UNECE (for h azardous waste mana gement)
-Any international organizations
-Member Countries which ha ve available expe rts
G. Any other issue s to be add ressed.
NoG/TBT/W/186
Page 56
CHILE (JOB(02)/99/Add.10)
A. What are your top prioritised TBT-r elated technical assistanc e, technical coop eration or
capacity building needs? (Please also provide explanation or justification for such need s.)
_________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____
B. Where do these need s fit in terms of you r overall trade related technical a ssistance and
capacity-building needs (i.e. ar e any of thes e need s con sidered to be a p riority at the national level,
by relev ant domestic authorities, agencies and intere sted pa rties)?
_________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
C Have you receiv ed assistance in these prioritised areas in the past? If yes, when and by
whom?
_________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____
D. Are you cu rrently r eceiving any assistance in thes e prioritised are as? If yes, by whom?
_________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
E. Have you approached any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when andto
whom?
_________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ___
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the dono rs which would be well suited to assist you with
these specific need s? or if you consider technical coope ration or regional arrangem ent possible
solution?
_________ ______ ______ ______ _______ _____ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
G. Any other issue s to be add ressed.
Chile has made major efforts to implement its obligat ions under the Agreeme nt on Tech nical Barrie rs
to Trade. Shortcomings do, howeve r, still exist with regar d to the degree of awareness of the various
national players of the rights and obligations unde r the Agreement, as well as the lack of a legal
instrument guara nteeing the effective implementation of the Agreement. This matter is currently
being dealt with.G/TBT/W/186
Page 57
THE PHILIPPINES (JOB(02)/99/Add.11)
A. What are your top prioritized TBT-r elated technical assistanc e and capacity building
needs?
The Philippines priority needs are focused on the following areas:
1. Technical assistan cefor the impro vement of technical infrastructu re of gove rnment
regulatory agencies (testing/calibration laboratories ) fora reliable certification system that
will build the confidence of the trading partne rs of the country. Reviews and follow-ups of
technical infra structure developme nt activities have also to be un dertak en.
2. Capacity building needs specifically on:
/AB Expertise on WTO systems (implementation and administration of the WTO Agr eement)
/AB Expertise on specialist are as (standa rds and c onformanc e)
/AB Review of laws and policies relating to the Philippines commitment to the requirements of the
WTO/TBT Agreement
These n eeds are further explained in the f ollowing matrix:
AREA TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE
NEEDSCAPACITY BUILDING N EEDS
Administration &
Implementation
of th e TBT
AgreementDispatch of a TBT expe rt to the Philippines
(cons ultancy mission)
Appraisal of the current status of the Philippines
against the requirements of the WTO/TBT
Agreement including review of laws & policies
relating to the country’ s legal f ramewor k
/AB Design and development of a comp rehensive
implementat ion plan, strategies and schedule
(mixture of trainings and regula r consultancy
support, documentation, condu ct of information
education camp aign
/AB System implementat ion by the compre hensive
plan (expert provides guidan ce to system,
participates in prog ress meetings an d give ad vice on
particular issu es as required
Follow-up, project review and finalization of the
compreh ensive & implementation plans (review &
follow-up of corrective actions to fine-tune the
implementat ion of the Agreem ent
Organization of symposium on WTO/TBT
Agreement with emphasis on the conc epts &
notification obligat ions and Annex 3 of the
Agreement(Cod e of Good Practice for the
Prepa ration, Adoption of Stand ards)
G/TBT/W/186
Page 58
AREA TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE
NEEDSCAPACITY BUILDING N EEDS
Interns hip(ex chang e visit) of BPS staff involved in
the operation of the TBT Enquiry Point to the WTO
Central Secretariat or any Enquir y Point with fully
developed mechanisms on the implementation of the
Agreement
Provision of technical literature/publications to
update Enquiry P oints on the dev elopments
Setting-up of efficient information exchang e
between and among WTO/TBT member countries to
facilitate transmission of information on standa rds,
technical regulations and conformity assessme nt
proce dures
/AB Provision of hardw are, softwa re for an on-
line databases
/AB Development of intera ctive webpage
Intern ational
StandardsAccess to experts on the development and
harmonization of standa rds
Infrastru cture of e-balloting including provision of
IT equipment
Organization of training programs to handle
secretariat of the ISO/IEC Technic al
Commi ttees/Sub-Commit tees/Working Groups and
also the ISO/IEC dire ctives
Conformity
Assessmen t
Procedur esTechnical assistance for
the improvement of
technical infrastructure
of government
regulatory agen cies
(testing & calibration
laboratories ) for a
reliable certification
system that will build
the confiden ce of the
trading partne rs of the
Philippines. Reviews
and follow-ups of
technical infrastructure
development activities
have also to be
undertak en.
Acquisition of testing
equipment for:Organization of trainings on the following areas for
BPS, regulatory authorities, industry associations
etc.
/AB ISO/IEC Guide 58:1993-Calibr ation and testing
laboratory accreditation systems-Gen eral
requireme nts fo r ope ration and recognition
/AB ISO/IEC Guide 60:1994-Cod e ofGood
Practice f or Con formity Asses sment
/AB ISO/IEC Guide 61:1996-Ge neral
requireme nts for assessment and accreditation of
certification/registration bodies
/AB ISO/IEC Guide 62:1996-Ge neral
requireme nts for bodies operating assessment and
certification/
registration of q uality management system (Q MS)
G/TBT/W/186
Page 59
AREA TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE
NEEDSCAPACITY BUILDING N EEDS
Calibration Services
electrical –
RF/microwave,
acoustics, liquid flow,
gas flow
Temperatur e-
cryog encies/
pyrometry /AC 800c,
humidity /
hygrometry, medical
instruments, automatic
measuring undertak en.
instrument
Testing se rvices
Acoustical,optical/phyto
metric, thermal,
vibration/shock
environmental,
forensic, information
technology, construction
materials/AB ISO/IEC Guide 66:2001- General
requireme nts for bodies operating assessment and
certification/registration of environmental
management sy stem (EMS )
/AB ISO/IEC 17025 -Gene ral requirements for
the competence of testing and calibration
laboratories
Legal metrology
EMC technology to cover product certification of
telecommunication and IT equipment
Interns hip/exchang e visits to metrology/calibration
laboratories
Conduct of studies on the tech nical fea sibility of
sharing metrological inf rastru cture within the
ASEAN region
Provision of technical literature/metrology standa rds
on acou stics, medical instrumentation, chemical
analysis, air p ollution/particle, fibre optics
Marke t access Legal assistan ce to
developing countries in
challenging technical
regulations imposed by
countries that could be
inconsistent with the
WTO Agreeme nts
G/TBT/W/186
Page 60
B.Where do these TBT needs fit in terms of your overall trade related technical assistan ce
and capacity building priorities?
These TBT-related technical assistan ce are important in order to improv e capabilities of our
regulatory agen cies in complying with the technical requireme nts imposed by other countries .
Beefing up the institutional and technical infrastructur e of regulatory agencies will benefit
exporte rs, importer s andother private sectors . These technical assistance measures will also
help build the confiden ce ofourtrading partners on our regulatory agen cies in handling
quality management systems, product testing and certification procedu res that a re
internationally accepted and recognize d.
The cap acity building measure s specifically on the implementation of the TBT Agreement are
neces sary to stren gthen the operation of theTBT Enquiry Point in the DTI- BPS and
counterp art Enquiry Points in other regulatory agencies . These seminars/trainings are useful
in raising awar eness or better understan ding of the requir ements of the TBT Agre ement by
the stakeholde rs and also encourage participation and vigilance from the private secto r and
industry as sociations to addr essTBT issues .
The accreditation and product certification and law review and consultancy on stand ards and
confo rmanc e on the other hand, are vital measur es to upgrade the technical infrastru cture of
the BPS .The two requir ements a re complementary .There must be relevant laws as bas es for
the development of policies that will support the need to addressinternational practices such
as guides/p roced ures brought abo ut by the issue on globalization.
Specific difficulties/problems encounte red are most on financial aspects as most ofthe time
we were unable to participate in international confer ences/meetings such as Technical
Commi ttee meetings of the international standa rdization bodies and other regional fora
meetings such a s sub-committee meetings/working group s.
Training is a tool for transferof expertise/knowledge throug h lecture and direct interaction
between the expert and his trainee s. It also provide s trainee s oppo rtunity for actual
performan ce of work and asa means to evaluate and monitor the learning acquired by the
trainees . Consultancy, on theother hand, provide s technical assistance in order to guide the
beneficia ry ofthe processes in attaining a specific need. It would immediately provide
guidance to the b eneficia ry the step s to be un dertak en to achiev e the objective.
C.ARE ANY OF THESE PRIORITIZE D TBT NEEDS CONSIDERE D A PRIORITY BY YOUR
RELEVANT DEVELOPMENT AGE NCY ?
All of the identified needs ar e priorities of BPS andthe Depa rtment of Trade and Industry and
regulatory agencies to improve existing technical infra structure .
D. Have you received assistance in these prioritized areas in the past? If yes, when and by
whom?
In the a rea o f capacity building a numbe r of P hilippines government a nd private sector
industry re presentatives hav e participated in seminars and wor kshop s spo nsored by WTO, 
APEC and ISO namely:G/TBT/W/186
Page 61
Seminar
Seminar on the Revis ed ISO/IEC
Directives and Other R ecent Tr ends
Seminar on E- balloting
Seminar on Conformity Asses sment and its
Role in World Tra de
Agreement on TBT and the Role of Standa rds
in Trade P romotion
Work shop onInstitut ionalizing a Harmonized
Sanitary and Ph ytosanitary P rogram
Uruguay Rounds on Agre ement on Technical
Barrier s to Tra de
Training Programme in the Field of Standa rds
and Conf ormity Assessme nt Schemes
Seminar on Food Mutual Reco gnition
Arrang ement (MRA )
Seminar on GATT Agre ement on Technical
Barrier s to Tra deDate
2001
2001
2000
1999
1999
1997
1996
1996 –
2001
1993Sponsoring Agenc y
JSA/JISC (J apan)
ISO
WTO/ISO/TISI
WTO/ISO/JISC
WTO
WTO
APEC/PFP
APEC
WTO
As for the technical assistance, the gove rnment of Japan extend ed this assistan ce to the BPS
in 1998 through JICA, an agency implementing international cooper ation prog rams . TheBPS
Testing Center is a result of the coope ration between the Japan International Cooper ation
Agency ( JICA) and the Philippine Gover nment through the Bu reau of P roduct Standard s.
From 1988 to 1990, JICA develope d a study on the industrial stand ardization andquality
control in the Philippines . They sent experts on study missions to the Philippines conducting
research and study of International Standard s and Quality Control situation in the country . A
development re port was recommen ded to the Philippine Government.
From 1993 to 1998, JICA and BPS conducted the Phase 1 Project, “Tech nical Coope ration on
Industrial Standa rdization and Electric al Testing in the Philippines” . Eighteen (18) BPS staff
underwe nt training programs in Japan to properly operate the machine s and appropriately
conduct tests and inspe ctions; Electrical testing equipment worth US$3 Million were
installed; four long terms JICA expe rts on electrical testing & standardization andtwenty
short term exp erts in va rious fields were available in the labor atory f or consultation .
E.Are you cu rren tly rec eiving any assis tance in thes e prioritized a reas? If yes, by whom?
Yes. Due to the previous project’ s success, the Phase II Project, “Technical Cooper ation on
Electrical and Electronic Appliance Testing (EEATP) ”, started from 1999 and to end in the
year 2003 . Fiftee n BPS staff were trained in Japan to impart knowledge in upgrading the
safety and quality of local household appliances in the Philippines . Again, seventee n (17)
G/TBT/W/186
Page 62
experts were dispatched . Thes e includes seven (7) long term experts and ten (10) short term
experts on electrical and non-electrical testing . Test equipment for appliance testing was
donated with an estimated amount to US$1 mill ion.
This EEATP project has thefacilities for the various tests and inspections involved in making
sure that electric al and electr onic pro ducts a re man ufactured according to sp ecific stand ards.
F.Have you appr oached any donor s to assis t you in meeting these needs? If yes, when and
to whom?
The Philippines has su bmitted to the Japanes e gove rnment throug h JICA a study p rogram on 
strengthening the TBT Enqui ry Point on the administration and implementation of the TBT 
Agreement .To date, we hav e not r eceived any status rep ort re garding our proposal.
G.Can you identify, in your opinion, the dono rs which would be well suited toassis t you
with these specific n eeds?
/AB ACCSQ ( ASEAN Consultative Com mittee for Standa rdsand Quality)
/AB APEC (Asia Pacific Econ omic Cooper ation)
/AB APLAC (Asia Pacific Labor atory A ccreditation Cooperation)
/AB BSI (British Standar ds Institute)
/AB CAC (Codex Alimentarius Commission-Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards P rogramme)
/AB ESCAP ( Economic and S ocial Commission for Asia an d the Pa cific)
/AB IEC ( I nternational Electrotechnic al Commission)
/AB ISO ( I nternational Orga nization for Stan dardiz ation)
/AB NIST (National Institute of Standa rds a nd Tec hnology-USA )
/AB OIML ( Intern ational Organization fo r Leg al Metrology)
/AB PASC ( Pacific Are a Standa rds Co ngress)
/AB SCC (Standard s Council of Ca nada )
/AB UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organiz ation)
/AB WTO (Wo rld Tra de Org anization)G/TBT/W/186
Page 63
PARAGUA Y (JOB(02)/99/Add.12)
A.  What are your top p rioritized TBT-related technical assistanc e and c apacity building needs?
1.  Accr editation of the Certification Body
2.  Mutual Recog nition Arrangements
3.  Accr editation of testing and calibration labor atories
4.  Metrological inf rastru cture with reg ard to volume and size
5.  Promotion of a ccreditation, standardization an d quality aimed at facilitating trade
B.  Wher e do thes e TBT need s fit in terms of you r overall trade- r elated technical assistanc e and
capacity building priorities?
Regard ed as priorities
C.  Are any o f these prioritized TBT need s conside red a priority by y our r elevant dev elopment
agency?
Yes
D.  Have you r eceiv ed as sistance in these p rioritised  areas in the past?  If yes,when and b y whom?
No
E.  Are you currently receiving any assistance in these prioritized ar eas? If yes, b y whom?
No
F.  Have you a pproa ched an y dono rs to as sist you in meeting these need s?  If yes, when an d to
whom?
JICA (J apan ) in October 2001
G.  Can you identify, in your o pinion, the donors which would be w ell suited to assist you with these
specific ne eds?
EU/JICA/USG/TBT/W/186
Page 64
COLOMBIA (JOB(02)/99/Add.13)
A. What are y our top prioritised TBT-r elated technical assistanc e, technical cooper ation or
capacity building needs? (Please also provide explanation or justification for such need s.)
1.  Technic al infrastr ucture f or con formity ass essment
2.  Organization o f the national standa rdization system
3.  Strengthening o f the national acc reditation body
4.  Technic al assistanc e with mutual recognition agreeme nts
5.  Coope ration for participation in TBT Commi ttee meetings
B. Where do these need s fit in terms of you r overall trade related technical a ssistance and
capacity building needs (i.e. are any o f these n eeds conside red to be a priority at the national level,
by relev ant domestic authorities, agencies and intere sted pa rties)?
Yes, insof ar as they help to avoid technical barriers to trade and encou rage the voluntary use of
technical standa rds
and improve n ational export c apacity
C Have you receiv ed assistance in these prioritised areas in the past? If yes, when and by
whom?
No
D. Are you cu rrently r eceiving any assistance in thes e prioritised are as? If yes, by whom?
No
E. Have you approached any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when andto
whom?
Yes, the US NIST and the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Trade, both in October 2000, and the World
Trade O rganization, throu gh Colombia's Mission to the WTO an d German y's PTB
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the dono rs which would be well suited to assist you with
these specific need s? or if you consider technical coope ration or regional arrangem ent possible
solution?
United States, France, Belgium, England, Spain, Italy an d Japan, togethe r with WTO and ISO
G. Any other issue s to be add ressed.G/TBT/W/186
Page 65
KYRGYZ R EPUBLIC (JOB(02)/99/Add.14)
A. What are y our top prioritised TBT-r elated technical assistanc e, technical coop eration or
capacity building needs? (Please also provide explanation or justification for such need s.)
1. Implementation of the new law “On technical regulation, standardiz ation and conformity
assessment”, will require tech nical assistanc e;
2. Development (review) ofnational technical regulations and standa rds harmonize d with
international ones, including their electro nic ver sions;
3. Purchase of intern ational documents covering standa rdization and conformity asses sment
(technical regulations, standa rds, directives, guides, etc.) in the Russian and English language s or
arrangements for their translation;
4. Accr editation of a quality systems certification body under an internationally recognized ISO 9000
system;
5. Equipping the Enquiry Point, acquisition of printing equipment, and establishment of a publishing
body;
6.  Arra ngement o f English languag e cou rses and pro viding training for specialists;
7. Providing accreditation training to specialists with an objective of obtaining a title of international
experts in:
Testing and calibrating labo ratories b y ISO/IEC 170 25;
Certification bodies by ISO/IEC 61 , 62, 65;
8.  Assistance with introduction and application of ISO/IEC 170 25;
9. Assistance with accreditation of one of the laborato ries ofthe SE “KCTC” by ISO/IEC 17025,
including technical assistance for providing nece ssary eq uipment for the lab orato ry;
10.  Assistance in rec eiving from the IAF a s pecial status o f recognition.
B. Where do these need s fit in terms of you r overall trade related technical a ssistance and
capacity building needs (i.e. are any o f these n eeds conside red to be a priority at the national level,
by relev ant domestic authorities, agencies and intere sted pa rties)?
_________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
C Have you receiv ed assistance in these prioritised areas in the past? If yes, when and by
whom?
When implementing the Agreement of the Euro-Asian Council for Stand ardiz ation, Metrology
and Certification (EASC) with the Europ ean Committee for Stand ardization, under the project
by T.A.C.I.S. for newly independ ent states, 25 specialists of Kyrgyzstanda rd underwent
training in seminars in Minsk and 50 0 Eur opean standar ds in Ru ssian we re bou ght;
Under a project run by GTZ “Assistance in Development of Stand ardization in Kyrgyz stan”, 10
specialists went for traineeship at the German Stand ardization Institute (DIN), over 150
specialists from ministries and agencies participated in 5 seminars on Germa n and European
standardiz ation conducted by the Germa n experts in Bishkek, and 20 thousan d German
standard s in German w ere giv en to Kyrgy zstanda rd;
/AC In 1998 Law “On introductio n of amendments and supplements to the Law ‘On
standardiz ation”, “On certific ation of products and service s” was develop ed with
participation of expe rts fromthe USAID, which took into conside ration the requirements of
the TBT Agreement;
With the financial assistance by the USAID, the Kyrgyz Republic became an associate member
of ILAC an d a membe r of the NCSL Intern ational.G/TBT/W/186
Page 66
D. Are you cu rrently r eceiving any assistance in thes e prioritised are as? If yes, by whom?
Under the Project for Auxiliary Servic es of Agriculture of the World Bank “ ”,
45 national standar ds for agricultural and food products will be developed (35 standards have
already been develope d).
Under two Kyrgy z-Malaysian p rojects:
1. Project “Introduction of Program for Quality Improvement among Small and Medium Business es
of the Kyrg yz Repu blic”;
2. Project “Introduction of ISO 9000:2000 Certification Systems in Kyrgyzstan dard”, training for
specialists was provided; 13 of the specialists receive d certificates on successful completion of the
training on international standar ds to quality management au ditors.
- Thr ee employe es und erwent training at SIR IM;
- Four companies for introduction of the QIP (program for Quality Improv ement Practice ) system
were identified.
Under the GTZ (German Society forTechnic al Cooperation ) assistance programme, a
German expert assisted introducing the ISO 9000 standa rds. Asa result, a department dealing with
ISO 9000 issues was created within Kyrgyzstan dard, seminar s with participation of experts from
Germany were arranged, employees of Kyrgyzstanda rd and the Acad emy for standa rdization,
metrology and certification were trained, andcomputer and copying equipment amounting to 73,000
DM was granted. Activity for introduction of the ISO 9000 anddevelopment of quality systems at 9
companies was initiated.
In 2001 with the finan cial help by the USAID, a Resolves on standa rdization, metrology,
certification and a ccreditation were issued . The USAID also provided r egular consultative assistan ce;
With the support of the Proje ct “Trad e and Investment Development in Central Asia”
financed by the USAID, in 2001 -2002 international experts conducted evaluation of the
Kyrgyzstan dard’s activity, and provided recommendations f or tra nsition to the international practice.
With the financial help by the USAID, 5 intern ational standar ds will be purch ased;
USAID is organizing workshop s on issues on accreditation of accrediting bodies, testing and
calibration laboratories, as well as arranging a seminar o n ben efits of ISO 9000 certification;
USAID is assisting in drafting ofa new Law on technical regulations and conformity
assessment;
USAID will carry out training on introduction and application of the ISO 17025 to 18
specialists in the field of a ccreditation of laboratorie s of the Republic.
E. Have you approached any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when andto
whom?
Yes, TACIS, USAID, ITC
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the dono rs which would be well suited to assist you with
these specific need s? or if you consider technical coope ration or regional arrangem ent possible
solution?
Any international help will be useful. The Kyrgyz Repu blic neighbour s are not yet membe rs of the
WTO, which makes the region al coope ration difficult. However theUSAID project envisage s work
on the TBT in Kazakh stan and Tajikistan with an objective to increase regional cooperation in the
area of standar dization.
G/TBT/W/186
Page 67
MEXICO (JOB(02)/99/Add.15 )
A. What are your top prioritised TBT-r elated technical assistanc e, technical coop eration or
capacity building needs? (Please also provide explanation or justification for such need s.)
1. Cooperate and coordinate at the domestic level and inter alia for the achievement and
increas ed awareness of the TBT requir ements at the national level (the relevant
authorities have different levels of awar eness),including local authorities and private
standardiz ation bodies.
2. Facilitate the functioning of enquiry p oints (e.g. access to telecommunication network
and equipment to enhance electronic transmission of information or region al
coope ration) and improve the distribution and communication proc edures.
3. Increase the numbe r of appropriate and technic ally competent bodies for the
assessment of conformity with technical regulations (taking into accou nt domestic
state of dev elopment) and standa rds.
B. Where do these need s fit in terms of your overall trade related technical assistance and
capacity building needs (i.e. are any of these needs conside red to be a priority at the
national level, by relevant domestic authorities, agencies and interested p arties)?
Capacity building and technical assistance are core elements in the national standa rdization
system, as it is established in the “National Development Plan” for theyears 2000-200 6.
There fore, mid and long-term planning is required fo r all federal agencies, in order to identify
their needs in the standa rdization activity, either mandatory o r voluntary, that they ca rry o n.
C have you received assistance in these prioritised areas in the past? If yes, when and by
whom?
Yes, some s eminars, wo rkshops and training o f exp erts co vered by TBT and othe r foras (i. e.
APEC). Most o f the times the donor s wer e international and regional o rganizations (i. e. ISO,
IEC, COPANT, PASC), and f oreign g overnmental agen cies (i. e. NIST)
D. Are you cu rrently r eceiving any assistance in thes e prioritised are as? If yes, by whom?
No, not at this ti me.
E. Have you approached any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when andto
whom?
No, not at this moment.
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the dono rs which would be well suited to assist you with
these specific need s? or if you consider technical coope ration or regional arrangem ent
possible solution?
All TBT members that have solved their own specific problems (the ones mentioned
above ) at the domestic level could a ssist us with Technical co operation.
Furthermor e, regional arrangements would help as well, but most of all, these kinds
of pr oblems ar e caused because of ou r lack of resourcefulne ss.
G. Any other issue s to be add ressed.G/TBT/W/186
Page 68
PEOPLE'S REP UBLIC OF CHIN A (JOB(02)/99/Add.16)
A. What are y our top prioritised TBT-r elated technical assistanc e, technical coop eration or
capacity building needs? (Please also provide explanation or justification for such need s.)
1.Administrative system, structure and de velopment strategy of developed countries .
2.Experien ces of administration and orga nization  to guara nty the TBT implementation
3.Communication with international organizations, stand ard-setting bodies, inspection and
accreditation bodies.
4.Construction of enquiry point; mechanism to acquire the information about technical regulation,
standard and conformity asse ssment pro cedure.
5.information about new standa rds a nd regulations of othe r countries.
B. Where do these need s fit in terms of you r overall trade related technical a ssistance and
capacity building needs (i.e. are any o f these n eeds conside red to be a priority at the national level,
by relev ant domestic authorities, agencies and intere sted pa rties)?
_________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______
C Have you receiv ed assistance in these prioritised areas in the past? If yes, when and by
whom?
_________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
D. Are you cu rrently r eceiving any assistance in thes e prioritised are as? If yes, by whom?
_________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
E. Have you approached any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when andto
whom?
_________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the dono rs which would be well suited to assist you with
these specific need s? or if you consider technical coope ration or regional arrangem ent possible
solution?
_________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ ______ _______ _____ ______ ______
G. Any other issue s to be add ressed.
_________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _____G/TBT/W/186
Page 69
INDIA (JOB(02 )/99/Add.17)
A. What are y our top prioritised TBT-r elated technical assistanc e, technical coop eration or
capacity building needs? (Please also provide explanation or justification for such need s.)
1. Mode rnization of regulatory and sta ndards systems to supp ort trade oppo rtunities
2. Appropriate tools to r educe TBT through MRAs/regional tra de ag reements.
3. Agreements e stablishing equivalenc e and portability of certification.
4. Specialized technical helps to exporte rs involving research and consultancy for enquirie s of
complex nature.
5. Opening information centr es in industrial cities/chamber s of commerc e
6. Training of p ersonnel involved in the ab ove
B. Where do these need s fit in terms of you r overall trade related technical a ssistance and
capacity building needs (i.e. are any o f these n eeds conside red to be a priority at the national level,
by relev ant domestic authorities, agencies and intere sted pa rties)?
These n eeds are identified bas ed on the drawb acks obser ved in the cur rent situation.
C Have you receiv ed assistance in these prioritised areas in the past? If yes, when and by
whom?
NO
D. Are you cu rrently r eceiving any assistance in thes e prioritised are as? If yes, by whom?
NO
E. Have you approached any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when andto
whom?
No.  We may b e made aware of dono rs for item (A)
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the dono rs, which would be well suited to assist you with
these specific need s? or if you consider technical coope ration or regional arrangem ent possible
solution?
ITC/UNDP/U NIDO/WTO
G. Any other issue s to be add ressed.
1. Training of p ersonnel to update the activities of TBT enquiry p oint.
2. Awarenes s seminars at national level fo r all player s to fa cilitate disseminat ion of information
3. Participation in international fora to unde rstand how other countries are operating their
enquiry points.G/TBT/W/186
Page 70
LEBANON –Observer (JOB(02 )/99/Add.18)
A. What are your top prioritised TBT-related technical assistanc e, technical coop eration or
capacity building needs? (Please also provide explanation or justification for such need s.)
1. Assistance in establishing accredited laborato ries and accredited Conformity Assessm ent
Bodies. Leban on doesn’t have an accredited laboratory yet; this is creating difficulties and
complications related to TBT for theaccess of its products to the international mark ets
(repetition of confo rmity asses sment pro cedu res which is increasing the cost for the expo rters,
incompliance with technical regulations and intern ational standard s). In addition to this, the
absen ce of accredited bodies impedes th e con clusion of MRAs with trading partne rs.
2. Rehabitil iation (infrastructur e, personnel) o f existing labor atories thro ugh providing new lab’s
equipments especially equipments related to calibration and metrology. Study visits to
Lebane se laboratories to assess the current situation of the conformity assessme nt system
(certification bodies, laborato ries) in Le banon.
3. Assistance to LIBNOR in the following:
- Adoption/adaptation of international standard s asnational standa rds for products and
service s, including certification, confo rmity asses sment, accreditation standa rds and
Quality and Environment Man agement Systems (ISO 90 00 and ISO 140 00).
- Establishing and running an Information Technology System for all LIBNOR’
activit ies, including an Information Centre which will serve as an Enquir y Point for
Lebanon and othe r cou ntries.
- Training LIBNOR staff and other selected personnel, from both private and public
sectors , to build local capacity for training all local industry sectors on the related
products standa rds, quality assur ance system, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point
(HACCP), Good M anufacturing P ractice (G MP), Go od Sanitary P ractice (GNP), etc.
4. Assistance in dr afting national TBT Law:
- Specialized experts to help in drafting law, to explain the ambiguity of certain
provisions o f the WTO TBT a greement.
- Provide model laws on TBT
5. Conduct awar eness camp aigns, training sessions, seminar s and workshops for all the
conce rned parties (Public and Private Sector s) on the importance TBT Agreeme nt,
requireme nts and implementation in particular.
Continued training for staff and insp ectors in cha rge o f con formity assessm ent proce dures.
B. Wher e do these need s fit in terms of your overall trade related technical assistance and capa city
building needs (i.e. are any of these need s considere d to be a priority at the national level, by
relevant domestic authorities, agencies and interested p arties)?
The abov e mentioned needs are conside red to be priority at the national level especially
regarding the establishment of an accredited labor atories and accredited Confo rmity
Assessme nt bodies, because this aspect plays an important role in enhancing trade with
trading partne rs.G/TBT/W/186
Page 71
This wil l help in increasing Leb anese exports and the opening of international markets as well
as in improving the quality and the comp etitive of the Lebane se products in international
markets, once they meet international standard s and international Confo rmity Assessment
proce dures.
C Have you r eceive d assistance in these prio ritised areas in the pa st?  If yes, wh en and b y whom?
No
D. Are you cu rrently re ceiving any a ssistance in thes e prioritised are as?  I f yes, by whom?
The IRI (Industrial Rese arch Institute) is receiving equipments for their labor atories from the
IAEA.(Inte rnational Atomic Energy agency). The UNIDO (United Nations Industrial
Development) is sending missions to IRI to verify the current conformity asses sment
proce dures.
Very limited assistance is currently received from the EU through the Industry Modernisation
Progr am (I MP).
E. Have you approa ched any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when and to
whom?
Within the framework of the Euro-Med agreement, in the context of MEDAI and MEDA II,
Lebanon has asked for technical a ssistance to meet these TBT ne eds.
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the donors which would be well suited to assist you with these
specific needs? or if you consider technical cooperation or regional arran gement possible
solution?
Suitable donors: Euro pean Union, USA, Japa n.
Regional arrangements are not a good solution since most ofcountries in the region have
similar problems.G/TBT/W/186
Page 72
OMAN (JOB(02)/99/Add.19)
A. What are your top prioritised TBT-related technical assistanc e, technical coop eration or
capacity building needs? (Please also provide explanation or justification for such need s.)
1. Running of National Enquiry Point ef fectively
2. Creating more e ffective infr astructu re for conformity asses sment and accreditation
(Please see B -1, 2, 3/C-1-2 -3-4-5/D1 to 4/E 1, 2 and 3 at pag es 3, 4 and 6 for specific 
areas ofassistan ce).
B. Wher e do these need s fit in terms of your overall trade related technical assistance and capa city
building needs (i.e. are any of these need s considere d to be a priority at the national level, by
relevant domestic authorities, agencies and interested p arties)?
National Priority for upgrading Oman Trade and Industry for better access to international
market.
C Have you r eceive d assistance in these prio ritised areas in the pa st?  If yes, wh en and b y whom?
Yes, three Wo rksho ps (National/Regional) on WTO-TBT and SPS Agreements for Oman and
GCC States held in Muscat, Oman with the assistanc e of WTO/ISO in 2001 a nd 200 2.
D. Are you cu rrently re ceiving any a ssistance in thes e prioritised are as?  I f yes, by whom?
No
E. Have you approa ched any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when and to
whom?
No
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the donors which would be well suited to assist you with these
specific needs? or if you consider technical cooperation or regional arran gement possible
solution?
Please s ee p. 6 of Que stionnaire (E 1-2 -3).
(i) United Nations Agencies
(ii) UKAS of United KingdomG/TBT/W/186
Page 73
LESOTHO (JOB(02)/99/Add.20)
A. What are your top prioritised TBT-related technical assistanc e, technical coop eration or
capacity building needs? (Please also provide explanation or justification for such need s.)
1. To raise aware ness among senior government officials on importance of standards and
implications of TBT.
2. Establish a national standard s setting mechanism (national standa rds b ody).
3. Build capacity among officials so that they incor porate standa rds and technic al regulations in
negotiations.
4. Improve capacity for effectively ope rating an e nquiry point fo r TBT.
5. To raise aware ness in all sectors on the importanc e of participating in standard s setting
proce ss locally and inter nationally.
6. Acquisition of basic infr astructu re for confo rmity asse ssment activities.
7. Training to build local capacity in quality assur ance/mana gement.
8. Resour ces and huma n resourcescapacity to mount an awar eness programme ef fectively.
B. Wher e do these need s fit in terms of your overall trade related technical assistance and capa city
building needs (i.e. are any of these need s considere d to be a priority at the national level, by
relevant domestic authorities, agencies and interested p arties)?
These needs fit within the national strategy of expo rt-led industrial development and participation in
global economy.
C Have you r eceive d assistance in these prio ritised areas in the pa st?  If yes, wh en and b y whom?
Assistance receive d through regional collaboration programme on standa rdization, quality assurance,
accreditation and metrology (SQAM ) from 1993 -1998 offered by Governme nt of Norw ay in the form
of ca pacity building to national focal points and s elected industries.
Need to foc us on specific problems o f Lesotho which is least dev eloped in SQAM.
D. Are you cu rrently re ceiving any a ssistance in thes e prioritised are as?  I f yes, by whom?
Currently r eceiving no a ssistanc e in SQAM
E. Have you approa ched any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when and to
whom?
Lesotho is currently participating in Integrated Framework and technical assistan ce requirements have
been put to several development partners. Requ est put to Europ ean Union throu gh regional
progr amme.
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the donors which would be well suited to assist you with these
specific needs? or if you consider technical cooperation or regional arran gement possible
solution?G/TBT/W/186
Page 74
WTO and ISO would be in best po sition to assist in awarene ss creation.
Capacity building could be offered in South Africa, Europe or Asia (several countries have attractive
progr ammes).
Any other don ors are welcome.
G. Any other issue s to be add ressed
Awarenes s remains the most critical part to allow decision-making by consensus and to bring
standard s and technical r egulations to centre stage o f trade given diminishing role of tariff barriers.G/TBT/W/186
Page 75
MALAWI (JOB(0 2)/99/Add.21)
A. What are your top prioritised TBT-related technical assistanc e, technical coop eration or
capacity building needs? (Please also provide explanation or justification for such need s.)
1. See attached project p roposal forthe enquir y point
2. Computer equipment, photocopie r, fax machine for effective communication as an enquiry
point and for reproduction of stand ards.
3. Laborato ry equipment f or effective con forma nce and a ssessment.
4. Training of p ersonnel in con forman ce assessment p roced ures.
5. Technical as sistance thr ough aw arenessprogramme o f the TBT Agr eement and obligations.
B. Wher e do these need s fit in terms of your overall trade related technical assistance and capa city
building needs (i.e. are any of these need s considere d to be a priority at the national level, by
relevant domestic authorities, agencies and interested p arties)?
C Have you r eceive d assistance in these prio ritised areas in the pa st?  If yes, wh en and b y whom?
Only awarene ss programmes during the early years of the implementation of the Agre ement
(1995-19 98) b y ITC a nd WT O.
D. Are you cu rrently re ceiving any a ssistance in thes e prioritised are as?  I f yes, by whom?
No
E. Have you approa ched any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when and to
whom?
Yes.  In No vember 1997, to ITC.  (Th e attached project p ropos al sent – s ee respo nse by ITC ).
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the donors which would be well suited to assist you with these
specific needs? or if you consider technical cooperation or regional arran gement possible
solution?
_________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______
G. Any other issue s to be add ressed
_________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ _______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______G/TBT/W/186
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KENYA  (JOB(02)/99/Add.22)
A. What are y our top prioritised TBT-r elated technical assistanc e, technical coop eration or
capacity building needs? (Please also provide explanation or justification for such need s.)
1. Operationalization of Kenya A ccreditation Service fo r promoting Accre ditation
2. Training of a ssessors to incr ease CA cap acity and international re cognition
3. Training of e xperts/trainers in fields o f TBT/SPS and Qu ality Management
4. Training in the development, r etrieval and dissemination of data
5. Training to increa se comp etence in un dertaking expo rt risk as sessment
B. Where do these need s fit in terms of you r overall trade related technical a ssistance and
capacity building needs (i.e. are any o f these n eeds conside red to be a priority at the national level,
by relev ant domestic authorities, agencies and intere sted pa rties)?
Needs a re high p riority at the National Level
C have you received assistance in these prioritised areas in the past? If yes, when and by
whom?
1. Training of 5 quality asses sors in April 2002 by BADEA and ARSO
2. Training of e xperts in TBT and SPS by JITAP
3. Training of NEP sta ff by JITAP
4. Quality Management training by Commonwealth, JICA a nd SIDA
D. Are you cu rrently r eceiving any assistance in thes e prioritised are as? If yes, by whom?
N/A
E. Have you approached any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when andto
whom?
Yes, though un successfully (ISO DEVCO, SIDA, J ICA and GTZ)
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the dono rs which would be well suited to assist you with
these specific need s? or if you consider technical coope ration or regional arrangem ent possible
solution?
DFID, GTZ, EU, Commonwealth Secretariat, USAID
G. Any other issue s to be add ressed.
N/AG/TBT/W/186
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CHAD (JOB(02)/99/Add.23)
A. What are y our top prioritised TBT-r elated technical assistanc e, technical coop eration or
capacity building needs? (Please also provide explanation or justification for such need s.)
1. To build up capa cities in the TBT spher e.
2. To develop and establish arrangements for implementing the TBT Agreement (legislative,
regulatory and a dministrative measure s).
3. To rec eive technical a ssistance in installing and maintaining electronic logistics.
4. To create centr es for the development, adoption and application ofconformity assessment
proce dures an d standa rds.
5. To inform the public and private sector s about standards , regulations and theprovision s of the
TBT Agreement.
B. Where do these need s fit in terms of you r overall trade related technical a ssistance and
capacity building needs (i.e. are any o f these n eeds conside red to be a priority at the national level,
by relev ant domestic authorities, agencies and intere sted pa rties)?
They a re all reg arded as priorities in the ord er specified above .
C Have you receiv ed assistance in these prioritised areas in the past? If yes, when and by
whom?
No.
D. Are you cu rrently r eceiving any assistance in thes e prioritised are as? If yes, by whom?
No.
E. Have you approached any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when andto
whom?
No.
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the dono rs which would be well suited to assist you with
these specific need s? or if you consider technical coope ration or regional arrangem ent possible
solution?
World Bank, IMF, UNDP, ITC, UNCTAD, EU.
G. Any other issue s to be add ressed.G/TBT/W/186
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CUBA (JOB(02)/99/Add.24)
A. What are your top prioritised TBT-related technical assistanc e, technical coop eration or
capacity building needs? (Please also provide explanation or justification for such need s.)
To maintain our participation in TBT seminars, worksho ps and meetings, with financial
support from the WTO, because Cuba is currently developing the legal basis required to improv e the
system for issuing and notifying technical regulations. This mean s that all the parties involved in
implementat ion need to be a dequately p repared.
B. Wher e do these need s fit in terms of your overall trade related technical assistance and capa city
building needs (i.e. are any of these need s considere d to be a priority at the national level, by
relevant domestic authorities, agencies and interested p arties)?
At national level.
C. Have you r eceiv ed as sistance in these p rioritised areas in the pa st?  If yes, wh en and b y whom?
Yes. We took part in the WTO seminars in Bogotá, Colombia, and Havana, Cuba, last year,
and in April 2002 we had an expert from the WTO Secretariat for the seminar on the WTO, technic al
barrie rs to trad e and inte rnational standa rdization.
D. Are you cu rrently re ceiving any a ssistance in thes e prioritised are as?  I f yes, by whom?
No.
E. Have you approa ched any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when and to
whom?
No.
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the donors which would be well suited to assist you with these
specific needs? or if you consider technical cooperation or regional arran gement possible
solution?
Latin American countries with more extensive TBT experien ce. Yes. Technical coop eration
is a possible solution.
G. Any other issue s to be add ressed.G/TBT/W/186
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VENEZUEL A (JOB(02)/99/Add.25)
A. What are your top prioritized TBT-r elated technical assistanc e, technical coop eration or
capacity-building needs? (Pleas e also pr ovide ex planation or justification for such ne eds.)
1.Technological infrastructu re or advic e on computer systems to help stren gthen the enquiry point’s
role in coordinating and centralizing the issuing and notification of information. In ourview, the
following would be important:
(i) Technological infrastructure : Scanner and software for handling docume nts in electronic
format and for managing an electro nic ar chiving system.
(ii) Advice on computer systems with a view to creating a web page that would provide easy and
speedy access to information on regulations and standar ds in Venezuela and direct access to
regulatory - andstanda rd-related information in other countries (notifications to the WTO). It would
be desir able to include a section linking the various bodies. Since the Venez uelan enquiry point has
limited staff and equipment, this would be a most valuable methodological tool.
2.Training in spreading knowledg e of thebene fits of and obligations unde r the TBT Agreement
among all the bodies involved in its oper ation.  National experts h ave b ut little experience in this field.
Training could be includ ed in the dissemination programme currently being implemented by the
Government with a view to promoting participation by industrial sector s and sub-nation al bodies.
Intere st has been expressed in being able to share experienc es with other developing Latin American
countries that have greater experience in implementing the Agreement – including through visits,
internships and grants that would provide opportunities to become more familiar with enquiry points
in other countries (e.g. Colombia, Peru, Mexico ).
B. Where do these need s fit in terms of your overall trade-rel ated technical assistance and
capacity building needs (i.e.are any of these needs conside red to be a priority at the national level,
by relev ant domestic authorities, agencies and intere sted pa rties)?
There is a clearly defined gove rnment policy, aswell as guidelines for action (as specified in
the comments unde r II.(b)2. above.
The promotion of coordination, training and awareness-ra ising to ensure more effective
implementat ion of the TBT Agreem ent, in accordance with the needs and priorities identified in this
questionnaire, are the refore regarded as priorities by the national authorities.
C. Have you receiv ed assistance in these prioritized areas in the past? If yes, when and by
whom?
An expert from the PTB (Physikalische -Technisch e Bunde sanstalt , German Bureau of
Weights and Mea sures)came to Venezuela in 2001. Thepurpose of the mission wassimply to asses s
Venezuela ’s situation with regard to the implementation of the TBT Agr eement.
D. Are you cu rrently r eceiving any assistance in thes e prioritized are as? If yes, by whom?
No.
E. Have you approa ched any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when and to
whom?
No.
G/TBT/W/186
Page 80
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the dono rs which would be well suited to assist you with
these specific need s? or if you consider technical coope ration or regional arrangem ent a possible
solution?
The Andean Development Corp oration might assist in the process of setting up a databa se to
manage information. Some industrial chambe rs might be intere sted in gathe ring information from
specific s ectors .
G. Any other issue s to be add ressed.G/TBT/W/186
Page 81
HONDUR AS (JOB(02)/99/Add.26)
A. What are your top prioritized TBT-related technical assistance, technical cooperation or capacity-
building needs? (Please also provide ex planation or justification for such needs.)
1. Standardization
2. Metrology
3. Accreditation
4. Infor mation cent res
The national standa rdization, metrolo gy, accreditation and informatio n centres infrastructure needs to be revised
and br ought into line, and t he legislation also needs to be updated.
Justification: The present legislation prece des the ado ption o f the WTO Agreeme nts.
B. Where do these needs fit in terms of your overall trade-related technical assistance and capacity-
building needs (i.e. are any of these needs considered to be a priority at the national level, by relevant
domestic authorities, agencies and inte rested parties)?
The needs are at t he natio nal level.
C. Have you received assistance in the se prioriti zed  areas in the past?  If yes, when and by whom ?
No specific assistance programme inthis respect has been received, althou gh there have been individ ual
collaboration efforts by countries and international organizations. It would beinteresting to know the
experience of other co untries regar ding t he afo rementio ned pri orities.
D. Are you current ly receiving any assi stance in t hese priori tized areas?  If yes, by whom?
No
E. Have you a pproached any donors to assist you in meeting the se needs?  If yes, when and to whom?
No
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the donors which would be well suited to assist you with these
specific needs?  or if you consider technical cooperation or regional arrangements possible solution s?
UN – UNIDO, OAS, Mexico, United States of America, Chinese Taipei, Spain , Col ombia an d Germa ny.
G. Any other iss ues to be addressed.G/TBT/W/186
Page 82
SENEGAL (JOB(02)/99/Add.27)
A. What are your top prioritized TBT-r elated technical assistanc e, technical coop eration or
capacity-building needs? (Pleas e also pr ovide ex planation or justification for such ne eds.)
3.Build up the technical and human capacity in the organization respon sible forapplying the
provisions of the TBT Agreement, namely, the Senegale se Standa rdization Asso ciation (ASN), to
allow i t to fulfil i ts functions as regards implementation and ap plication of the TBT Agreeme nt.
4.Strengthen the technic al capacity in national laboratories, particularly those in the fraud
suppr ession unit of the Depa rtment of Commerce, the Food Technology Institute, the Inter-State
School of Veterinary Science and Medicine, the Senegale se Agricultural Research Institute, and the
University Institute of Techn ology, so that they are able to give enterprise s in the private sector the
neces sary support asregards analyses and testing, but also regarding observanc e of technical
requireme nts in importing countries.
5.Build up the technical capacity of thesecreta riat of the National Commit tee for Intern ational
Trade Negotiations so that it can carry out its work effectively to raise awareness, inform, coordinate
and/or su pervis e the implementation of the TBT Agreement.
B. Where do these need s fit in terms of your overall trade related technical assistance and
capacity building needs (i.e. are any of these needs conside red to be a priority at the
national level, by relevant domestic authorities, agencies and interested p arties)?
Satisfying these needs is one of the priorities for the authorities responsible for trade, industry ,
agriculture and livestock, fisheries and the economy, which are each respon sible in their own sphere
for ensuring that Senegal becomes successfully integrated in the multilateral trading system and
international trade.
C. Have you receiv ed assistance in these prioritized areas in the past? If yes, when and by
whom?
No.
D. Are you cu rrently r eceiving any assistance in thes e prioritized are as? If yes, by whom?
No.
E. Have you ap proa ched an y dono rs to as sist you in meeting these need s?  If yes, when and to
whom?
Yes. This year, the French Gove rnment decide d to provide financial support under its Priority
Solidarity Fund (FSP) for the period 2 003-2 005:
- The Sec retariat of the National Commi ttee for Inte rnational Tra de Negotiations;
- The Sene galese Stan dardization Association;
- The Economic an d Tra de Unit in Geneva.G/TBT/W/186
Page 83
ANGOLA (JOB(02)/99/Add.28)
A. What are y our top prioritised TBT-r elated technical assistanc e, technical coop eration or
capacity building needs? (Please also provide explanation or justification for such need s.)
1. Strengthening of the infrastructur e.
2. Building the capacity of human resources (training of of ficials) .
3. Exchang e of in formation and experience with other countries.
4. Bringing Angolan legislation into l ine with the TBT Agreement.
B. Where do these need s fit in terms of you r overall trade related technical a ssistance and
capacity building needs (i.e. are any o f these n eeds conside red to be a priority at the national level,
by relev ant domestic authorities, agencies and intereste d parties)?
/AB Building the capacity of human resources (training of of ficials) .
/AB Strengthening and mod ernizing the inf rastructur e.
C. Have you receiv ed assistance in these prioritised areas in the past? If yes, when and by
whom?
Yes, pa rticularly training of of ficials.
D. Are you cu rrently r eceiving any assistance in thes e prioritised are as? If yes, by whom?
No.
E. Have you approached any dono rs to assist you in meeting these need s? If yes, when andto
whom?
No.
F. Can you identify, in your opinion, the dono rs which would be well suited to assist you with
these specific need s? or if you consider technical coope ration or regional arrangem ent possible
solution?
No.
G. Any other issue s to be add ressed.
The Nordic c ountries, mainly Sweden , Norway, Finland, as well as B razil, Portugal and the EU.
_________ _