RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/W/156
26 April 2001
(01-2105)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  English
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION PROGRAMME
Proposal from Brazil
I. GOAL
1. To promote technical cooperation among Members' technical bodies, acting on the TBT
context, and provide training on human resources for these bodies (of metrology, standardization,
technical regulation, and conformity assessment) in particular as a basis to build the technicalconfidence necessary for mutual recognition agreements, with a view to facilitating business by
eliminating unnecessary barriers to trade.
II. FOCUS
Metrology (basic, industrial, legal)
Standardization and Technical RegulationConformity Assessment (as defined in ISO/IEC Guide 2)
III. MODALITIES
2. The various modalities of technical cooperation/assistance activities under consideration can
be, classified, grosso modo , as follows:
(a) Technical assistance:  transfer of technical and managerial specialized knowledge, in
order to allow the establishment, reinforcement and/or improvement of a given
technical structure;
(b) technical missions:  from one country to another, in order to promote mutual
knowledge and understanding of their technical structures and practices;
(c) training and human resources development:  including short-, medium- and long-term
activities, such as laboratory assessors' courses, implementation of quality systems in
laboratories, uncertainty measurement calculation, etc.;
(d) technical consultation:  that would allow experts from one country to help develop
and improve specific areas in other countries;
(e) "on the job" training:  specially designed training programmes to allow technicians
from one country to work, during an established period, in other countries' technicalstructures;
(f) joint technical activities:  technical activities performed by two or more experts from
different countries with the aim of achieving mutual confidence (peer evaluation,
inter-comparison activities in laboratories, etc.);  andG/TBT/W/156
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(g) meetings:  such as seminars, workshops, lectures, etc., in order to present and discuss
technical themes.
IV. THEMES TO BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE PROGRAMME
A. METROLOGY
3. Providing technical assistance for mapping the structures (legal framework and institutions)
and facilities (installations and technical personnel) of each country in need thereof, identifying strong
and weak points.  Designing a programme of technical internships in the hemisphere's best trained and
best equipped metrology laboratories (both primary and secondary).  These internships will be made
available to technicians from laboratories in the countries with the most needed system.  Holding
specific travelling courses, covering such areas as uncertainties in measurements, metrology and
metrological reliability, certifying and qualifying measuring instruments, the fundaments of industrialmetrology, metrology and quality systems, laboratory accreditations, the calibration laboratory quality
system (ISO/IEC 17025 Standard), in accordance with identified interests.  Organizing courses and
technical assistance for groups of calibration laboratories in each country in need thereof, to
implement ISO/IEC 17025 Standard.
4. Holding high-level seminars intended to encourage debate on advanced metrology topics as a
strategy for promoting interaction between leading fi gures in the area with researchers and technicians
from Member countries.  Conducting studies of the technical feasibility of sharing metrological
infrastructure in regional or sub-regional levels. Conducting cross-comparison activities among
calibration laboratories.  Establishing a panel of visiting consultants to undertake tasks in their
specialized areas at laboratories in need of such specialists.  Establishing a database of seniorconsultants (chiefly retired personnel) to provide longer-term assistance and consulting under the
auspices of the WTO.  Designing a programme to improve the participation of developing countries in
key comparisons under the schedule of the BIPM/C IPM and the Regional Metrology Organizations.
Designing a programme to help countries to improve or even create their legal metrological structures,
including metrology legislation and systems for control and inspection of pre-packaged goods andmeasuring instruments.
B. STANDARDIZATION
5. Providing technical assistance for implementing a computerized system for drafting,
discussing, voting on, recording, and selling technical standards.  Organizing courses to train
specialist teams (country delegations) to participate at international standardization meetings.
Organizing courses and providing technical assi stance to draw up company standards (of a modular
nature) and to assemble permanent standardization structures (in the sectoral entities).  Organizingcourses and technical assistance for groups of standardization bodies with a view toward
implementing ISO/IEC Guide 59, "Code of Good Pr actice for Standardization," ISO/IEC Guide 21
"Adoption of International Standards as Regional or  National Standards" and Code of Good Practice
for the Preparation, Adoption and Application of  Standards (Annex 3 of the TBT Agreement).
C. TECHNICAL REGULATION
6. Holding courses to introduce the concepts and obligations of the TBT Agreement, including
the enquiry points. Holding courses to train regulatory agencies in connection with the technical
aspects of the regulations. Providing technical assistance for preparing and maintaining national
archives of technical regulations.G/TBT/W/156
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D. CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT
7. Holding courses to train auditors in assessing conformity with the requirements of
ISO/IEC Guides 62, 65 and 66, of ISO 17010 and ISO/IEC 17025 Standards.  Providing technical
assistance for national accreditation systems.  Organizing courses and technical assistance for the
creation and/or consolidation of certification bodies (products, processes, systems and personnel).Providing technical assistance for training specialists (country delegations) to participate at
international bodies such as IAF, ILAC and IATCA.  Organizing teams to participate in peer
evaluations.  Providing technical assistance for creating regional or subregional accreditation agencies
in accordance with the interest displayed.  Supporting joint assessments by accreditation agencies
participating in multilateral recognition agreements (MLAs).  Supporting "on the job" training for
administrators of the hemisphere's accreditation agencies.  Holding specific travelling courses,
covering such areas as uncertainties in measurements, certification and qualification of measuringinstruments, laboratory accreditation, testing labo ratory quality system (ISO/IEC Standard 17025), in
accordance with identified interests.  Organizing courses and technical assistance for groups of testing
laboratories in each country in need thereof, to implement ISO/IEC Standard 17025.
8. Organizing courses and technical assistance for accreditation agencies to implement
ISO/IEC Guide 58 "Calibration and Testing Laboratory Accreditation Systems - GeneralRequirements for Operation and Recognition."  Organizing courses and technical assistance for
groups of accreditation agencies aiming at the implementation of ISO/IEC Guide 60 "Code of Good
Practice for Conformity Assessment."  Organizing courses and technical assistance for accreditation
agencies to implement ISO/IEC Guide 61 "General  Requirements for Assessment and Accreditation
of Certification/Registration Bodies."  Organizing courses and technical assistance for groups ofaccreditation agencies seeking the implementation of ISO/IEC Guide 62 "General Requirements for
Bodies Operating Assessment and Certification/Regist ration of Quality Systems."  Organizing courses
and technical assistance for groups of product certification bodies to implement ISO/IEC Guide 65
"General Requirements for Bodies Operating Product Certification Systems."  Organizing courses and
technical assistance for groups of accreditation agencies seeking accreditation to implementISO/IEC Guide 66 "General Requirements for Bodies Operating Assessment and
Certification/Registration of Environmental Management Systems."  Conducting cross-comparison
activities among testing laboratories.
V. COORDINATION
9. The administrative coordination of the programme will be carried out by the TBT Committee,
with the individual programme blocks being technically assisted by BIPM/CIPM and OIML
(scientific/industrial metrology and legal metrology, respectively), by ISO/IEC (standards) and byIAF and ILAC (conformity assessment).  Regarding technical regulation, it would be interesting to
receive support from ISO and regional standards bodies in order to clarify the appropriate balance
between standards and technical regulations, according to the TBT Agreement.
VI. IMPLEMENTATION
A. SPECIALISTS/COURSES/TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
10. Countries with better-prepared systems should offer lists of specialists, with their
corresponding résumés, to provide information for the above-mentioned databases of specialists.
WTO shall contact international financial supporting agencies and Member States in order to provide
adequate support to the activities of the programme.G/TBT/W/156
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B. PROGRAMMING
11. Based on the demand and technical assistance availability in each of the above-mentioned
themes, it should be possible to define a matrix to help define a concrete set of actions and a follow-
up system for the programme.  This set of actions must be regularly updated, and WTO should set up
an Internet site to allow everyone to follow th e implementation of these activities and other actions
included in the programme (accomplished, ongoing and future activities/actions).
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