# Presentation: 796699

## NIST

**Notify U.S.**** **
**A Service of the**
**National Center for Standards and Certification Information****(NCSCI)**

**Notes:**
Notify US is a service of the 
National Center for Standards and Certification Information. 

The center is located in the Standards Services Division headed by Mary Saunders and is in the NIST Technology Services Operating Unit directed by Dr. Belinda Collins.

## NCSCI at NIST

- 	Under GATT (1979) and WTO (1995), NIST/NCSCI was
- 	designated by the Department of Commerce as  responsible for:
- 1. Operation of USA national standards information center
- 2. Operation of USA technical offices for various trade agreements
- 3. Coordinating with ITA and USTR on international standards-related activities
- 4. Ensuring that U.S. private sector participation in international standards activities is effective

**Notes:**
Why is Notify U.S. operated from NIST and the center?

We have Congressionally mandated roles to operate as:

For our purposes today, we will trace the roles and responsibilities highlighted in RED.

## Trade Agreement Technical Offices

- 	 **Support**
- World Trade Organization
- 	“Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade”
- 	(WTO TBT)
- 2.  North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

**Notes:**
As Trade Agreement Technical Offices, the center supports

## and ...

- 3.  Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
- 4.  ISONET
- 5.  Eleven U.S. Bilateral and Multilateral Free Trade Agreements

## WTO TBT Agreement

- 1.   Recognizes the important contribution of
- 	- international standards
- 	- conformity assessment systems
- 2.   Encourages development of such
- 3.   Desires to ensure that technical regulations and standards, including packaging, marking, and labeling requirements, and procedures for assessment of conformity with technical regulations and standards
- 	do not create unnecessary obstacles to international trade

**Notes:**
The primary objective of the WTO is to help international trade flow smoothly and fairly by requiring that 
rules of trading be 
transparent and predictable.
Based on Agreements (negotiated and signed by the majority of the world’s trading nations, 152 Members at present).
Agreements are the legal ground rules for international commerce.  They are essentially contracts, binding governments to keep their trade policies within agreed limits.

Although negotiated and signed by governments, the goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business.

## WTO TBT Agreement

- “Each [WTO] Member shall ensure that an inquiry point exists which is able to answer all reasonable inquiries from other Members and interested parties in other Member’s countries, as well as to provide relevant documents.”

**Notes:**
To provide and exchange info on standards, tech regulations and caps.

## 
“... the technical regulation may have a significant impact on trade” and ...
“whenever a relevant international standard does not exist or the technical content of a proposed regulation is not in accordance with the technical content of relevant international standards.” 

- “... the technical regulation may have a significant impact on trade” and ...
- “whenever a relevant international standard does not exist or the technical content of a proposed regulation is not in accordance with the technical content of relevant international standards.”

**WTO TBT Agreement**

**Responsible for**
- 1.  for industrial products
- 2.  for agricultural products when their labeling, marking, or packaging is regulated

**USA Inquiry Point**

**Notes:**
1.  That is, manufactured non-agricultural products

2.  Includes grades and quality standards

## Service for U.S. Exporters

- “Early Warning” Alert System on New International Technical Regulations

## What is Notify U.S.?

- E-mail alerts
- Customized Internet websites
- Provides information on ~40,000 technical barriers to trade (TBT) requests annually
- Target users = U.S. exporters and other U.S. trade stakeholders
- +4000 users
- +3000 companies

**Notes:**
Launched in July 2005 – 3 years old.

## How Notify U.S. Works

- Inquiry point staff collect notifications from WTO Member countries at the WTO web site
- Inquiry point staff distribute the WTO Members’ notifications to U.S. industry and Federal government agencies by e-mail summary and with complete information via Notify U.S.
- Users visit their websites for custom information when alerted by email in countries or industry sectors of interest.

**Notes:**
WTO Member Notifications potentially affect U.S. exporters and U.S. industry access to global markets.

## WTO TBT Volumes

**Notes:**
Since 2005 the Center has greatly increased the distribution of TBT-related information to US business and industry – and we could not be as effective or efficient without this electronic service.

## Notify U.S. Adds Value

**Provides users with:**
- Fast, current, and up-to-date information
- Self-service
- Free service
- Unique service
- 24/7 information access
- More information electronically
- Expert assistance
**It’s easy on the Internet:**
- 	www.nist.gov/notifyus/

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## Register for Notify U.S.

- How do I sign up?
- URL:  www.nist.gov/notifyus
- Click on “Subscribe”
- Define user profile
- Information delivery is customized to user needs
- User customization can be revised at any time

## NCSCI Team

- Anne Meininger, Team Leader
- 	_[anne.meininger@nist.gov](mailto:anne.meininger@nist.gov)_, 301-975-2921
- Aubrey Covey
- 	_[aubrey.covey@nist.gov](mailto:aubrey.covey@nist.gov)__, 301-975-6055_
- Patricia Harris
- 	_[patricia.harris@nist.gov](mailto:patricia.harris@nist.gov)__, 301-975-8409_
- Brenda Umberger
- 	_[brenda.umberger@nist.gov](mailto:brenda.umberger@nist.gov)__, 301-975-4036_

## Contact Notify U.S.

- National Institute of Standards and Technology
- 100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 2100
- Gaithersburg, MD USA  20899-2100
- Telephone:  301-975-4040
- Fax:  301-926-1559
- Email: notifyus@nist.gov 	  Web:  www.nist.gov/notifyus
- 	      Email: ncsci@nist.gov 		    Web:  www.nist.gov/ncsci