RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/W/125
10 January 2000
(00-0080)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade
COMMUNICATION FROM THE ISO
The following communication has been received from the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) with the request that it be circulated to Members of the Committee.
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1. The ISO Committee on developing country matters, DEVCO, is the committee handling
special needs and requirements of the developing countries in the fields of standardization and related
areas.  It provides a forum for the discussion of all aspects of standardization and related activities in
developing countries, and for the exchange of experience among the developed and developingcountries, as well as among developing countries.
2. In expressing their appreciation for the fruitful cooperation between DEVPRO
(ISO programme for developing countries) and WTO/TBT, DEVCO also expressed the wish for a
further strengthening of this cooperation by adopting the following resolution.  (ISO DEVCO
resolution 17/1999).
DEVCO,
thanks the Secretary of WTO/TBT Committee fo r her clear presentation on developments of
TBT matters in WTO,
appreciates the growing cooperation between WTO/TBT and ISO/DEVPRO to provide
information and training to developing country members of ISO and WTO about
implementation of the TBT Agreement,
urges WTO/TBT and ISO/DEVPRO to further increase their joint training and technical
assistance through activities designed to bring trade officials and NSB personnel together,
urges WTO/TBT Committee to encourage its members to share information with and seek
advice from their standards and conformity assessment bodies and to include experts from
those bodies in their delegations to the TBT Committee,
urges the ISO members to step up their information and education effort to convince their
trade authorities of the role they can and should play in the WTO/TBT process.
3. The ISO observer will be glad to answer any questions or suggestions that TBT members may
have.
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