G/SPS/GEN/1308  
G/TBT/GEN/162  
24 February 2014  
(14-1110)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: French  
 
  INFORMATION CONCERNING THE BURUNDIAN STANDARDIZATION 
AND QUALITY CONTROL BUREAU (BBN) 
COMMUNICATION FROM BURUNDI 
The following communication, received on 23 December 2013, is being circulated at the request 
of the delegation of Burundi. 
 
_______________ 
 
 
1.  The Government of Burundi informs Members of the adoption of Decree No. 100/092 
of 29 August 2001, establishing the statutes of the Burundian Standardization and Quality Control 
Bureau (BBN), and the adoption of Law No. 1/03 of 4 January 2011 on the national 
standardization, metrology, quality assurance and testing system. 
2.  Decree No. 100/092 of 29 August 2001 establishes the statutes of the BBN and in particular the 
administrative and technical organization of the Bureau. The purpose of the BBN is: 
 to prepare draft national standards in cooperation with the technical committees; 
 to promote quality management and quality assurance; 
 to serve as a metrological centre; 
 to create and administer the certification mark; 
 to promote the training of technical st aff in the Bureau and in enterprises; 
 to contribute to the establishment of appropriate technologies and put together a body 
of documents relating to standardization and quality control, for its own purposes and for 
third parties; 
 to establish and provide guidance to committees, commissions, laboratories and other 
services responsible for standardization in Burundi; 
 to represent national interests in foreign and international standards and quality control 
bodies; and 
 to take all action required to achieve the aims of standardization and quality control. 
3.  The following are other relevant documents and the language(s) in which they are available: 
 Decree-Law No. 1/036 of 13 December 1989 establishing a standardization and quality 
control system (available in French); 
 Decree-Law No. 1/17 of 7 May 1992 establishing the Standardization and Quality 
Control Bureau; 
 Constitutional Act of Transition (available in French and Kirundi); 
 Decree-Law No. 1/23 of 26 July 1988 on professional staff in Burundian public 
institutions; and 
 Law No. 1/13 of 20 June 2001 amending Decree-Law No. 1/17 of 7 May 1992 establishing 
the Standardization and Quality Control Bureau (available in French). 
4.  Law No. 1/03 of 4 January 2011 establishes the national standardization, metrology, 
quality assurance and testing system and sets out the responsibilities of the BBN. The BBN's 
mission includes (Article 5): G/SPS/GEN/1308 • G/TBT/GEN/162 
- 2 - 
   preparing and issuing national standards consistent with internationally recognized 
procedures, and promoting their application in  trade, industry and technical regulations 
established by other bodies; 
 establishing and maintaining national standards of measurement at the level of accuracy 
that the country needs, and helping to dissemina te them in trade, industry and civil society 
through the national calibration system; 
 establishing, implementing and maintaining legal metrology standards that apply 
to measuring equipment, and ensuring the accuracy of measurements in commercial 
transactions, for the purposes of legal proceedings, and in the health system; 
 establishing and maintaining conformity assessment services, i.e., testing, inspection 
and certification services, with accredited expertise to ensure the highest level 
of acceptance by economic actors and the competent authorities in this field; 
 making proposals to the Government with a view to defining, developing and implementing 
standardization and quality strategies, as well as setting the relevant priorities; 
 obtaining, updating and spreading information on standardization in the broad sense 
and on WTO Agreements; 
 providing training in areas relating to standardization, metrology, conformity assessment 
and the environment; 
 participating, as needed, in public bidding and offering the Government inspection, testing 
and certification services for the goods it has acquired; 
 establishing and maintaining market surveillance, import control and the industry's control 
systems for products that are regulated by mandatory standards; 
 participating in the establishment of relations with regional and international organizations 
whose objectives and functions are similar to those of the Bureau; and 
 establishing and implementing any other duty  assigned to the Bureau by the Minister 
responsible for trade, provided it does not conflict with the provisions of this law. 
5.  The following are other relevant documents and the language(s) in which they are available: 
 Law No. 1/03 of 4 January 2011 establishing the national standardization, metrology, 
quality assurance and testing system; 
 Constitution of the Republic of Burundi (available in French and Kirundi); 
 Decree-Law No. 1/16 of 17 May 1982 on the Public Health Code; 
 Decree-Law No. 1/045 of 9 July 1993 establ ishing the general provisions of the 
Commercial Code; 
 Law No. 1/10 of 30 June 2000 on the Environment Code; 
 Law No. 1/08 of 30 June 2007 on the ratificati on by the Republic of Burundi of Burundi's 
treaty of accession to the East African Community, signed in Kampala, Uganda, on 18 June 2007, as amended to date; 
 Law No. 1/05 of 22 April 2009 on the revision of the Criminal Code; 
 Decree-Law No. 1/036 of 13 December 1989 establishing a standardization and quality 
control system; and 
 Law-Decree No. 1/17 of 7 May 1992 establishing the Standardization and Quality Control 
Bureau (available in French). 
6.  The text of Decree No. 100/092, Law No. 1/03 and any other relevant documents can 
be obtained from the Burundian Standardization and Quality Control Bureau (BBN). 
 
__________