   
  
G/TBT/GEN/305  
 
9 November 2020  
(20-8016) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade    
 
 
AGENDA ITEM 4: TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE  
STATEMENT BY THE SECRETARIAT  
This document  contains the statement made  by the WTO Secretariat  at the TBT Committee meeting 
of 28-29 October 2020 under Agenda Item 4.  
 
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1.  Despite the logistical challenges caused by the pandemic, throughout this year, the Secretariat 
has been able to adapt and deliver remotely a series of  technical assistance activities in the TBT 
area, under various formats. For instance, two virtual  TBT national activities were delivered to 
Paraguay (July) and to Zimbabwe (October) and another will be delivered to Brazil  in 
November/December . TBT modules have also been delivered in the context of the eRTPC for the 
Caribbean Region in September.  
2.  In addition to offering modules on transparency and ePing  within the context of more general 
TBT courses, the Secretariat has also been undertaking specific training and outreach activities on 
these topics, relying on online delivery methods a s well as collaboration with SPS  colleagues  and/or 
external partners : 
a. First, with the significant increase in the number of TBT and SPS notifications relating to 
COVID -19, the Secretariat created a video to illustrate how to receive email alerts 
on COVID -19-related notifications using ePing. This video was disseminated via t he 
SPS/TBT mailing lists in May and is also available on the ePing website . 
b. Second, the Secretariat prepared an ePing refresher course, focusing on COVID -19 alerts 
as well as special functions for SPS/TBT offic ials with ePing admin rights. It was delivered 
five times in April/May to be able to reach out to officials in different regions and with 
different languages preferences.  
c. Third, in July, in partnership with APEC, the Secretariat organized a joint workshop  on 
good practices in notifying and tracking COVID -19-related SPS and TBT measures. It was 
delivered twice to accommodate different time zones.  
d. Fourth, upon request, the Secretariat delivered a series of training sessions on ePing to 
public and private sec tor representatives from Trinidad and Tobago.  
e. Fifth, as follow up to the TBT Committee's Eighth Triennial Review recommendation to 
disseminate, on a voluntary basis, comments and replies related to notified measures, the 
Secretariat has prepared a video tutorial  on how to use ePing to do so.  
3.  Looking ahead, in November, the Secretariat will be collaborating with the ISO to reach out to 
Enquiry Points, which are housed in national standardizing bodies. The focus will be on how to 
implement and draw benefits from the TBT transparency framework, including through the use of 
ePing's alert and communication functions. The workshop will consist of two modules which will be 
delivered twice to reach out to officials in different timezones wit h different language preferences.  G/TBT/GEN/305  
 
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  4.  In addition, the Secretariat is currently piloting a new function on ePing, the admin chat. This 
will allow officials with ePing admin rights , typically Enquiry Points,  to connect with each other in 
smaller groups, for exa mple at a regional level. The Secretariat will run  training and feedback 
sessions with officials from a group of Latin American countries as well as member states of the 
Caribbean Community ( CARICOM ) and the East African Community (EAC) during the course o f 
November /December , before rolling out this function more broadly .  
5.  In parallel, ePing partners ITC and UNDESA are also incorporating ePing into their training 
programme s where relevant. For example, UNDESA will be working with three LDCs in the coming 
months, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Vanuatu, to raise awareness on ePing.  
6.  Finally, the Secretariat has been connecting online with interested officials to address specific 
questi ons or comments on ePing. These ad hoc exchanges have served as efficient and effective 
complements to more structured capacity building activities.  
7.  For any questions or comments on ePing, please send an email to ePing@ wto.org . 
 
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