G/TBT/GEN/380  
 
17 May  2024 
(24-3871) Page: 1/5 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
UNIDO UPDATE TO THE TBT COMMITTEE  
INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION 
(UNIDO)  
This document contains information provided by UNIDO  at the TBT Committee meeting of 
13-15 March  2024 under Agenda Item 6 (Update by Observers).1  
 
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UNIDO is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for 
poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and  environmental sustainability. The mission of UNIDO is 
to promote and accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) in Member States. 
UNIDO 's mandate is anchored in Sustainable Development Goal 9: "Build resilient infrastructure, 
promo te inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation ".  
UNIDO has been the largest multilateral player in quality infrastructure development and a preferred 
partner of many developing countries. For more than 40 years, UNIDO has been suppor ting partner 
countries to increase their competitiveness through quality and compliance with standards. UNIDO 's 
approach to QI development is systemic and holistic, from building awareness to helping initiate, 
develop and strengthen a fit -for-purpose QI th at runs efficiently and is cost -effective. UNIDO 
promotes good practice, capacity building and training, and fosters global cooperation in 
standardization, measurement and compliance along value chains.  
UNIDO holds at the moment a portfolio of global, regi onal and national programmes of over 
USD 76 million for Africa, Asia, Latin America, etc. UNIDO key donors for Quality Infrastructure 
development are the EU, Germany, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the EIF and STDF.  
In view of enhancing the capacity of developing countries to participate in global trade and facilitate 
the implementation of the multilateral agreements including the WTO TBT Agreement, UNIDO 
strengthens national and regional quality infrastructure (QI) systems by defining quality -related  
policies and good governance strategies, strengthening metrology, standardization and accreditation 
services, building conformity assessment capacities, enhancing the competitiveness of the private 
sector and promoting quality awareness.  
TECHNICAL ASSISTA NCE 
1  THE GLOBAL QUALITY AND STANDARDS PROGRAMME – SOUTH AFRICA (PHASE II)  
The GQSP -South Africa Phase II project commenced on 1 June 2023 and will run until May 2027.  
The objective is to unlock the export potential of essential and vegetable oils produced in South 
Africa. This entails strengthening the quality and standards compliance capacity to facilitate market 
access for SMEs in these value chains for the oils destined for the cosmetic, food and health markets. 
This will be achieved by providin g targeted interventions to:  
 
 
1 In original language only.  G/TBT/GEN/380  
 
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  • Strengthen the technical competence and sustainability of the National Quality Infrastructure 
(NQI) institutions and service providers to offer product quality conformity assessment 
services that are fit -for-purpose at afforda ble prices.  
• Support SMEs to comply with international market requirements (standards and technical 
regulations) to access markets (local, regional and international).  
• Promote a culture for quality by supporting SMEs and institutions to embed the need for 
quality at policy, institutional, enterprise and individual levels to build the reputation of the 
oils produced in South Africa.  
Currently, with the development of a national standard SANS 2340:2023 for Sclerocarya birrea caffra 
(Marula) seed oil, two working groups are formulated to develop the profiles of Lippia essential oil 
and it will be further extended to Kalahari Melon seed oil. To strengthen the conformity assessment 
bodies, one test laboratory has been assessed for accreditation for two essential oil test methods 
and the other  is receiving technical support in order to preparing for accreditation readiness.  
 
In the meantime , the project has been supporting the industry to establish the typical bottling 
volumes once the bulk oil has been obtained from steam distillation or cold pressing.  This is in order 
to assist SMEs with compliance with legal metrology labelling and prepac kaging requirements in 
order to gain market access.  
 
The project continues to support the Multi -Stakeholder Quality Forum (MSQF) comprising the 
national quality infrastructure institutions and the conformity assessment associations The Quality 
Forum South Africa (QFSA) website has been developed and is a collaboration of all the relevant 
stakeholders at a central point who have the supporting infrastructure and resources to ensure 
sustainability of quality goods and services. www.qualityforumsa.org  
 
New initiatives will be developed to introduce new technologies including digitalization and support 
to the Government in the development of a national quality policy for South Africa . 
 
2  THE WEST AFRICA COMPETITIVENESS AND QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT 
(WACQIP)  
During the implementation of previous Quality programmes and in order to reduced technical 
Barriers to Trade, UNIDO supported ECOWAS Commission to setup the ECOWAS regional qual ity 
infrastructure (QI) which comprises the Community Council for Quality, the Regional Accreditation 
System (RAS) and the four Community Committees (The Community Committee for Standardization 
(TMC/ECOSHAM), The Community Committee for Conformity Assessme nt (ECOCONF), The 
Community Committee for Metrology (ECOMET), The Community Committee for Technical 
Regulation (ECOREG).  
 
In the framework of the implementation of WACQIP, ECOWAS Commission with the support of 
UNIDO further strengthened this regional QI wh ich led to the following achievements:  
Development of harmonised standards and technical regulations  
89 standards related to four regional value chains including textile and garment and Information 
and communication technologies (ICT) were validated by the  TMC/ECOSHAM, while 14 draft 
technical regulations were validated by ECOREG.  
Support to conformity assessment bodies  
• 4 harmonized inspection procedures for priority products and one guideline for their 
implementation were adopted by ECOCONF.  
• 6 harmonized a dministrative procedures were developed to support the implementation of 
the inspection procedures.  
• 25 forms linked to the harmonized inspection procedures will serve as working documents 
during inspection activities.  
• An Inter -State regional control mechanism for mutual recognition of inspection certificates 
based on international standards was validated by ECOCONF.  G/TBT/GEN/380  
 
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  • 6 laboratories accredited by West Africa Accreditation System (SOAC -WAAS)  
• 59 test methods harmonised for 5 priority products by ECOCONF.  
• Proficiency testing conducted for 21 laboratories.  
• 6 National certification bodies (NCBs) accredited by the West Africa Accreditation System 
(SOAC -WAAS)  
• 5 new NCBs were established in Cabo Verde, Guinea -Bissau, Guinea, Liber ia and Togo  
• 5 sectoral applications of ECOQMARK including barrier mask were developed  
These achievements of WACQIP will contribute to the following impact:  
• The Increasing of the competitiveness of products linked to the 3 regional value chains  and 
facilita tion of their access to regional and international markets;  
• The developed standards will serve as a basis for Policy -makers to develop technical 
regulations at national and regional level to reduce technical barriers to trade, protect 
consumers and also co ntribute to the implementation of the Continental African Free Trade 
Area (CAFTA) and the free movement of goods in the region;  
• The adopted technical regulations will contribute to the competitiveness of products, the 
protection of the health and safety of  consumers and the protection of the environment in 
the ECOWAS region;  
• The international recognition of test results, inspection certificates, competence of 
conformity assessment bodies carrying out tests and inspection on the products relating to 
the regi onal value chains  
• The implementation of the ECOWAS regional mutual recognition mechanism and its 
implementation procedures at regional level will contribute to the free movement of goods, 
trade facilitation and furthermore to the implementation of the Afr ican Continental Free 
Trade Area (AfCFTA).  
3  SUPPORTING QUALITY AND REGULATORY INFRASTRUCTURE, VALUE CHAIN -SPECIFIC 
QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES AND QUALITY CULTURE PROMOTION IN THE 
AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC GROUP OF STATES (ACP)  
UNIDO with funding f rom the European Union and the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific 
States (OACPS) is implementing the project entitled  "Supporting quality and regulatory 
infrastructure, value chain -specific quality infrastructure services and quality culture pr omotion in 
the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States ". This project, which mainly aims to tackle 
technical barriers to trade faced by ACP countries, is implemented with a technical partner in each 
region, with the African Organization for Standardization (ARSO) representing Africa, the CARICOM 
Regional Organization for Standards & Quality (CROSQ) representing the Caribbean Community and 
the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) representing the Pacific.   
In Africa, the Project is current ly supporting the alignment of National Quality Policies with the Africa 
Quality Policy (AQP). In collaboration with ARSO, the project is providing technical support by 
developing standards for two value chains including Automotive as well as for eco -labelling and 
sustainable and resilient systems.  
In the Caribbean, the Project is supporting the development of National Laboratory Policies and their 
alignment with the CARICOM Non -Medical Laboratory Policy, the revision of metrology legislation 
and the devel opment of National Standards Strategies. Critical work has also commenced on the 
topic on Quality Promotions in the Caribbean, especially as it relates to understanding the impact of 
National Quality Award (NQA) Schemes.  
In the Pacific, UNIDO launched the development of the Pacific Islands Quality Policy in 
November  2023 and is currently in the process of supporting the review of national metrology 
legislation. In order to support the work of the Pacific Quality Infrastructure (PQI) Initiative2 in 
strength ening the regional analytical testing infrastructure, UNIDO is also supporting the formation 
 
2 The PQI  Initiative is the Programme of PIFS that was launched in 2017 with the objective of 
strengthening a demand -oriented QI and access to services that enhance trade competitiveness in the Pacific 
region . G/TBT/GEN/380  
 
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  of the Pacific Islands Testing Committee, the assessment of key regional laboratories and the 
provision of technical assistance to prepare them for international r ecognition.   
4  QUALITY STANDARDS AND COMPLIANCE PROGRAMME FOR THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF 
TANZANIA (QUALITAN)  
The project is funded by the European Union (EU) and aims to widen market access for Micro, Small 
and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by improving access to q uality standards, reducing compliance 
costs, and enhancing consumer protection. This is achieved through the supply of effective, efficient, 
and internationally recognized conformity assessment services within the Tanzania Bureau of 
Standards (TBS) and reduce cost of compliance for MSMEs. QUALITAN is part of the larger EU -funded 
BEGIN (Business Environment, Growth, and Innovation) programme, which is promoting inclusive 
economic growth, employment, and innovation particularly among women and youth, and cons umer 
protection.  
The project aims to capacitate TBS 's conformity assessment services to meet market and regulatory 
needs, to support MSMEs ' compliance to quality standards, digital transformation, and improved 
project governance and outreach capacity. As a result, TBS will be able to contribute more effectively 
to the process of standards development, and related conformity assessment service s, which will 
reduce the costs of compliance and doing business for MSMEs providing proof of compliance to 
market requirements. Tanzanian MSMEs will then have a wider access to markets, which, in the 
long-term, will contribute to sustainable economic devel opment, job creation, social progress, and 
the protection of the environment in line with national, regional, and global priorities.  
During the project implementation,  164 TBS laboratory staff were trained to widen the scope of 
accreditation and enhance s ynergies between conformity assessment bodies. Five Study tours were 
conducted for 25 technical laboratory staff to the National Metrological Institute of South Africa 
(NIMSA). The acquired capacity translated into improving the services of TBS testing lab oratories 
and linked to the sophisticated laboratory equipment  procured under QUALITAN. Simultaneously, 
139 TBS laboratory staff were trained on a series of courses related to ISO17025 (assessor course); 
on proficiency testing (ISO17043; ISO13528) to enhan ce the accreditation scope and for accrediting 
of PT services at TBS. These capacity building activities are key milestones for the international 
recognition of the Tanzanian quality infrastructure.  
24 TBS staff from the compliance and enforcement sections  were trained in inspection procedures, 
using a risk -based approach, based on ISO17020, enabling TBS to proceed with accreditation of its 
inspection services. QUALITAN is actively engaged in transforming the NSB into a modern, and 
efficient regulatory body , through the development and implementation of business plans (2) for 
testing and calibration laboratories, and 101 Technical Committees on Standards Development. 
Digital transformation of TBS  was achieved through incorporation of the Laboratory Informati on 
Management System (LIMS), web store software, and analytical tools to strengthen TBS ' ICT and 
monitoring departments.  
TBS ICT personnel visited the Ghana Standards Authority to gain knowledge and insights on the 
results of the digital maturity assessme nt, and the implementation of their digitalization strategy. 
The visit resulted in development of a methodology that assessed the digital maturity of TBS, and 
QUALITAN supported the development of the ICT Capacity Building Strategy and a data - driven 
digitalization strategy aligned to the national ICT strategy. Moreover, the TBS Director General, ICT 
Manager and Officer participated at UNIDO 's Expert Group Meeting on Digital Transformation of 
National Standards Bodies (NSBs), where NSBs shared experiences t o enhance the validation of a 
common digital transformation methodology.  
QUALITAN is strengthening collaboration of the Small Industries Development Organization (SIDO ) 
and TBS by embarking on a pivotal strategy to improve access to quality and safety standards and 
conformity assessment services for MSMEs. Through this collaboration, marketing by both TBS and 
SIDO in the private sector will better inform MSMEs on the im portance of quality, safety, standards, 
and market requirements to improve their competitiveness and tap into more lucrative markets.  
The project conducted training on digital marketing and online campaigns for five staff at the TBS 
Public Relations and Ma rketing Section, as well for thirteen journalists from the main national media 
outlets from across the country to augment the efforts of raising awareness on quality and standards, G/TBT/GEN/380  
 
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  specifically targeting MSMEs. QUALITAN had an exhibit at the Dar es Salaam International Trade 
Fair (DITF) to raise awareness on quality and standards issues among the stakeholders, and the 
public with a focus on youth and women led MSMEs represented at the exhibitions and 173 MSMEs 
were engaged on procedures for quality and stan dards compliance.  
5  SUPPORT TO QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE IN ARMENIA  
The project is funded by the European Union and implemented by UNIDO since January 2022. It 
aims to support Armenia in upgrading its metrology system, based on the needs of the public and 
private stakeholders for industrial development and trade competitiveness. Specifically, the project 
is supporting the National Body for Standardization and Metrology of Armenia (NBSM) in developing 
four calibration laboratories and the required calibration an d measurement capabilities, and 
preparing them for international recognition, so as to sever the needs of the public and private sector 
in sustainable and inclusive industrial development and trade.  
The project focuses on four results:  
• Armenia 's capacity t o effectively participate in the international and regional metrology 
communities is strengthened,  
• The institutional capacity (legal, regulatory, governance and leadership) of NBSM is further 
developed in line with international recommendations and best pr actice,  
• NBSM calibration laboratories are prepared for international recognition, and  
• Stakeholders have a greater understanding of the importance of metrology and are trained 
in critical aspects of metrology.  
Since its launching in 2022, the project has ma de several milestones in a systematic manner:  
• Followed by two workshops with the two international metrology organizations namely 
International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) and International Bureau of Weights 
and Measures (BIPM), a cost and benef it analysis was conducted to inform the decision 
making by the Government of Armenia on membership to the international metrology 
organizations.  
• A detailed analysis was completed to assess the needs of nearly 100 public and private 
sector stakeholders for metrology services, followed by a development plan. Accordingly, 
required equipment was procured and are being delivered to NBSM for capacity building in 
line with relevant international standards such as ISO/IEC 17025 for testing and calibration 
laborator ies.  
• An in-depth analysis of the metrology legislative framework and related laws and sub -laws, 
based on which support to the Government in the amendment of the Law on Metrology are 
being provided following relevant international guidelines, recommendatio ns and good 
practice.  
• A review of the metrology governance system in Armenia was completed and 
recommendations for improvement were submitted to the Government of Armenia for 
consideration  
• In the meantime, UNIDO has been assisting the Government of Armenia  represented by the 
Ministry of Economy in assessing all components of the national quality infrastructure system 
(NQIS), namely standardization, metrology, accreditation, conformity assessment and 
market surveillance, and developing a systematic strategy that will guide the NQIS 
development in Armenia in the next 10 years.  
For more details about the project, please visit  the following webpage : 
https://open.unido.org/projects/AM/projects/21015 2. 
 
 
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