Newsletter on public policy, standardization and regulation
March 2021
This newsletter from Deytec, Inc. is published to inform subscribers of developments in the field of public policy, regulation and standardization.
Monideep Dey, PhD, principal consultant, serves as a US expert and delegate to ISO's committee on conformity assessment.
Improvements in International Trade
International development and trade organizations such as the World Bank and WTO have embarked on initiatives to improve trade between member nations, and also to enable developing countries to conduct trade in the international market. These initiatives for a toolkit for Quality infrastructure reform by the World Bank and conduct of a Thematic Session on Conformity Assessment Procedures: National Quality Infrastructure by the WTO have been reported in earlier newsletters (1, 2).
There is a concerted effort by international organizations to improve international trade, and to enable developing countries be a beneficiary of the trade.
WTO Thematic Session on Conformity Assessment Procedures
The WTO held another Thematic Session on Conformity Assessment Procedures on February 25, 2020. Case studies of practical examples of how Members arrive at the acceptance of conformity assessment results were presented.
South Africa presented challenges faced by regulators and exporters on Certificates of Free Sale, and recommended actions for the WTO TBT Committee to overcome the challenges. Other notable presentations were from the European Union that has a unified approach to the acceptance of conformity assessment results, and IEC that presented case studies on countries using and benefiting from the IEC global conformity assessment services.
Considerations and importance of advancing international trade
Although reducing poverty and equalizing the economic conditions of peoples in the world may not solely lead to world peace, it can be a big factor because poverty can lead to unstable conditions. Improvement of international trade, and enabling less privileged nations to engage and be a beneficiary will help alleviate poverty and improve the economic conditions of the less fortunate,
The World Bank and ISO are contributing significantly in assisting developing countries improve their national quality infrastructure which is required for the international recognition in foreign markets. ISO's Committee on conformity assessment is presently reviewing its conformity assessment standards to better serve the broader international market.
All these efforts will yield benefits that are bilateral, both to advanced and developing economies, because international trade will increase for all.
