G/TBT/GEN/254  
 
7 February  2019 
(19-0718) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
 ACTIVITIES OF THE UNITED NATIONS I NDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMEN T ORGANIZATION 
(UNIDO) RELATED TO THE WORK OF THE WTO TBT COMMI TTEE  
STATEMENT BY UNIDO  
This document contains information provided by UNIDO at the TBT Committee meeting of 
14-15 November 2018 under Agenda Item 4  (Observers).  
 
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Since the last TBT Committee meeting in June, UNIDO has conducted various related activities to 
facilitate and contribute to the implementation of the WTO/TBT Agreement. UNIDO would like to 
update the Committe e about the following latest  development in this regard:  
1  FINALIZATION OF THE TRILOGY DOCUMENTS ON  QUALITY POLICY  
1.1.  It is noted that quality and standards related challenges and implementation of the TBT 
Agreement in developing countries rely on  a robust, ada ptive, cost -effective, user -friendly and 
sustainable quality infrastructure system that could provide public and private sectors with access 
to appropriate standardization, metrology, accreditation, conformity assessment, and market 
surveillance.  Countries  and regions realize that quality policy is a useful policy instrument to improve 
the governance of a quality infrastructure system and to coordinate and streamline quality 
infrastructure institutions and components.  
1.2.  Quality policy sets up the legal frame work for the quality infrastructure system through clearly 
assigning roles and responsibilities to each stakeholder, and promoting sustainable balance between 
the quality services offered and demanded. A well -designed quality policy supports, avoids 
fragme ntation, improves coordination between different ministries and quality infrastructure 
institutions, promotes international recognition and builds trust among value chains participants, 
regulatory agencies and consumers.  
1.3.  Learning from its TBT -related trade  capacity building activities , UNIDO, together with 
international quality infrastructure partners (BIPM, IAF, ILAC, IEC, ISO, ITC, ITU, OIML and UNECE), 
developed a trilogy for quality policy development, namely: i) Quality Policy Guiding Principles, ii) 
Quality Policy Technical Guide, and iii) Quality Policy: A Practical Tool.  
1.4.  The trilogy documents have been finalized and published and they could be found on UNIDO 
webpage:  https://www.unido.org/resources/publications/publications -advancing -economic -
competitiveness . 
1.5.  These publications provide a set of key principles for national and regional quality policy design 
and development as well as technical a nd practical support towards quality policy development. They 
can be used by governments as a "good practice " reference material when developing an inclusive, 
open, transparent and well -managed quality policy. In addition, to increase the awareness of these 
pillar documents and for further dissemination, these publications are being translated into the 
official U N languages.  
1.6.  UNIDO in cooperation with its long standing partner the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic 
Affairs (SECO) organized a side event entitled "Good Governance in developing modern quality 
infrastructure systems " during the TBT Committee Meeting on 20 June 2018. The side event served G/TBT/GEN/254  
 
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  as a platform to facilitate the dialogue on how to best support member countries in setting the good 
governance foundations for a modern quality infrastructure system. It was to raise awareness of 
WTO Members on good governance of quality infrastructure to facilitate the implementation of TBT 
Agreement and integrate effectively to the global trading system. The side event consisted of a panel 
discussion with representatives from the International Network for Quality In frastructure, in 
particular the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Laboratory 
Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), representatives from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic 
Affairs (SECO), WTO Secretariat and UNIDO.  
2  TRADE, INVESTMENT AN D INNOVATION (TII) K NOWLEDGE HUB  
2.1.  Due to the strong demand from countries for e -learning, UNIDO is integrating these 
publications as part of a wider project of the UNIDO, the Trade, Investment and Innovation 
Knowledge Hub, focusing on e -learning through online modules providing examples from good 
practice and simulations. More details could be found through https://tii.unido.org/ . 
2.2.  Trade has long been recognized as a potential engine for growth and w ealth creation. Many 
countries continue to face supply -side capacity and trade related infrastructure constraints which 
can inhibit their ability to compete on international markets. Based on a solid analysis of trade 
challenges and opportunities, the "UNIDO Quality Infrastructure and Trade" training is designed for 
encouraging trade development along value chains. The training seeks to promote systemic quality 
infrastructure development that is based on market needs and promotes inclusive and sustainable 
industrial development.  It aims to present and address the nexus among international trade, the 
multilateral trading system and various elements of a quality infrastructure system.  
2.3.  The "UNIDO Quality Infrastructure and Trade" training is structured into 10  modules . It 
provides an interactive online platform for government officials, quality infrastructure institutions 
and service providers, enterprises and consumers to better understand their roles in quality 
assurance in the context of international trade.  It also strengthen their knowledge on how a well -
implemented Quality Infrastructure System contributes to governmental policy objectives in areas 
other than trade of products and services , including industrial development, efficient use of natural 
and hum an resources, food safety, health, the environment, climate change, and other topics that 
are included in the UN 's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  
3  DEVELOPMENT OF QI4TF   
3.1.  In the effort to support the implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Ag reement (TFA) in 
member countries, UNIDO is developing its Quality Infrastructure for Trade Facilitation (QI4TF) 
Toolkit, with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.  
3.2.  QI4TF aims to identify the technical gaps in the provision of national quality infrastructure 
systems that hinder the effective implementation of the TFA and proposes corrective measures in 
terms of capacity building, in both the immediate and medium -term. Overcoming these obstacles is 
key to demonst rating compliance with the WTO TFA, specifically articles 4.3, 5, 8 and 10.3.  
3.3.  QI4TF Toolkit is split in two parts aimed at measuring both 1) government and 2) industry 
capacity to facilitate exports. Each questionnaire in QI4TF1 and QI4TF2 aims to identify  by sector 
and hierarchy the technical gaps in the national quality infrastructure system that government and 
industry have to address in order for the industry to enter and compete the international arena, by 
complying with the TBT and SPS Agreements.  
3.4.  QI4TF Toolkit  will enable a National Committee on Trade Facilitation (NCTF) or any other 
authority with the responsibilities of trade facilitation to assess their capacity to meet the high -value 
market import requirements according to the principles and us ing the mechanisms agreed in the 
TFA and in line with the SPS and TBT agreements. The tool is intended to be applied to any first 
level processed agro -food product group (only one product group at a time) passing from Country 
A (e.g., developing country) t o Country B (e.g., EU/Germany). The results of the toolkit will support 
the National Trade Facilitation committees and can feed into their action plans.  
3.5.  The toolkit has been piloted in both Malawi (May 2018) and South Africa (Sept 2018), with the 
support o f the National Trade Facilitation Committee. Two workshops were held in each country, G/TBT/GEN/254  
 
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  which brought together high -level public and private sector representatives to sensitize them on the 
toolkit and activities/data collection foreseen.  
4  A SIDE EVENT ON "QU ALITY INFRASTRUCTURE  FACILITATES TRADE A ND SUSTAINABLE 
DEVELOPMENT" IN THE FRAMEWORK OF CHINA I NTERNATIONAL IMPORT EXPO, 6 
NOVEMBER 2018  
4.1.  China hosted the first China International Import Expo from 5 to 10 November 2018 in 
Shanghai. The Expo was expected to  accelerate momentum for China to boost imports from its 
trading partners. It also serve d as a means to promote inclusive and sustainable development by 
fostering industrial development and export diversification in developing countries and LDCs.  
4.2.  Back-to-back with the Expo, UNIDO hand in hand with the leading Chinese ministry for quality 
infrastructure, the State Administration for Market Regulation, organized a sub -forum on "Quality 
Infrastructure Facilitates Tra de and Sustainable Development ".  
4.3.  The event was jointly opened by UNIDO Director General LI Yong and SAMR Minister ZHANG 
Mao, and was attended by more than 400 representatives from the public and the private sector 
who participated in policy and practical interactions on how to facilitate trade flow s and address non -
tariff barriers.  
4.4.  The forum focus ed on how developing countries and LDCs can improve their access to the 
Chinese market.  It aimed  to conduct a dialogue at the policy and practical level on how to address 
challenges caused by non -tariff bar riers in particular TBT measures through building a resilient 
quality infrastructure system in developing countries. The event also raise d awareness of 
China 's quality infrastructure system in standardization, conformity assessment, market surveillance 
and quality supervision, as well as best practice for quality assurance  by private sector .  
4.5.  The event demonstrate d how UNIDO was supporting developing countries to improve their 
quality infrastr ucture, and how this support could  assist them to enter the Chine se market in the 
future based on the long history of close collaboration between UNIDO and the government of China 
on food safety and quality issues.  
4.6.  More information could be found  through:  https://www.unido.org/news/unido -supports -
developing -countries -and-their-enterprises -enter-13-billion -strong -chinese -market . 
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