WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/TBT/GEN/134 
8 October 2012 
 (12-5443) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
 
 
 
IEC ACTIVITIES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 
MARCH – JUNE 2012 
  
 The following information was provided by  the IEC (International Electrotechnical 
Commission) at the TBT Committee meeting of 15-16 June 2012. 
 
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This report to the WTO Technical Barriers to Trade Committee highlights the activities of the 
IEC, its Members and Affiliates, and Regional Cent res, related to increasing the participation of 
developing countries in IEC International Standa rdization and Conformity Assessment activities. 
I. ADOPTION COURSE ON IEC’S AGENDA 
1. Last year, IEC and ISO decided to join their e fforts to enhance the adoption of International 
Standards in the developing world.  A first co mmon regional course on adopting and referencing 
International Standards was provided by both organi zations in Singapore in February 2011.  It was 
followed by a second regional course for French sp eaking African countries, 26-28 March 2012 in 
Burkina Faso.  Hosted by FASONORM in Ouagadougou, the course brought together 27 
representatives from 15 African countries involved with IS O and IEC either as Members or Affiliates.  
Two representatives of UEMOA (West African Econom ic and Monetary Union) also attended the 
seminar.  The idea was to demonstrate the potentia l value of the use of ISO and IEC International 
Standards in support of technical regulations and e xplain how they can be used by governments to 
support their regulatory practices.  The specifi c objectives of the course were as follows: 
- understand the benefits of the adoption of In ternational Standards as regional or national 
standards, and national obligations under th e WTO TBT Agreement regarding the use of 
International Standards as basis for technical regulations; 
- explain in detail the methods to adopt Inte rnational Standards on national or regional 
level and other normative documents, in accordance with ISO/IEC Guide 21; 
- provide advice on policies and practices that national organism members should establish 
in order to use and adopt International Sta ndards and to refer to them based on actual 
experience of the trainers; 
- provide the participants advice and practical experience of writing International Standards 
references, whether through voluntary standards or technical regulations. 
2. The feedback from participants was very positive and both organi zations have been 
encouraged to pursue their collaboration in this fiel d in order to give developing countries the capacity 
to use ISO and IEC International Standards.  After the course, the Côte d'Ivoire reported the adoption 
of IEC International Standards and Guinea asked to  receive 17 free standards under the terms of the 
IEC Affiliate Country Programme for consideration al so in view of adoption.  Being a key issue in 
developing countries and emerging economies, adopti on of IEC International Standards will be the 
theme of the "Industrializing country workshop" to be held during IEC 76th General Meeting in Oslo, 
Norway, 1-5 October 2012.  Both Affiliate countries and IEC Members will be invited to participate. G/TBT/GEN/134 
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  II. IEC AFFILIATE PROGRAMME: FOCUS ON FRENCH SPEAKING AFRICA 
3. As set by the IEC Affiliate Leader, the 2012  objectives of the IEC Affiliate Country 
Programme are amongst others to stimulate the par ticipation of French speaking African countries. 
Back to back with the ISO IEC regional course on adoption, IEC took the opportunity to provide 
some training for the NEC (National Electrotechnical  Committee) of Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire.  
It was the occasion for stakeholders to meet with IE C and learn to get involved in technical work and 
adoption procedures.  IEC also met with the el ectrical utilities in both countries and had high level 
discussions with decision-makers to boost local pa rticipation in international electrotechnical 
standardization.  As a result, Côte d'Ivoire a dopted additional standards and was upgraded Affiliate 
Plus in April.  This new status will offer the c ountry more standards for adoption (400 instead of 200) 
and mentoring benefits.  Contact was also estab lished with the DRC and Gabon in view of the 
establishment of their National Electrotechnical Co mmittees, paving the way to the Affiliate Plus 
status.  Webinars are being organized to reach out to more countries in the region. 
III. MORE IEC AFFILIATE PLUS COUNTRIES 
4. Since 2009, and upon the request of the previous IEC Affiliate Leader, IEC Affiliate countries 
can become Affiliate Plus if they meet two crite ria: the adoption of at least 50 IEC International 
Standards and the establishment of a NEC, which is considered to be the necessary infrastructure for 
technical participation.  Since the previous WTO TBT Committee meeting in March 2012, we are 
happy to report that Palestine (in March), Bangl adesh and Côte d’Ivoire (in April) have been 
upgraded Affiliate Plus, which brings to 15 the nu mber of countries benefiting from this status. 
5. Other IEC Affiliate countries progressed well with the establishment of their NEC 
(Afghanistan and Mozambique), or by reporting fi rst adoptions of IEC International Standards 
(Honduras) or additional adoptions (Afgha nistan, Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana). 
IV. IEC CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT SYSTEMS 
A. NEW BENEFITS : IECEE AFFILIATE STATUS  
6. Following discussions between the IEC Affiliate Leader and the IECEE (the IEC System of 
Conformity Assessment Schemes for Electrot echnical Equipment and Components) during the 
75th IEC General Meeting, the IECEE decided in Ma rch 2012 to offer an IECEE Affiliate status to 
developing countries that are participating in th e IEC Affiliate Country Programme.  The Programme 
encourages the participants to use IEC Conformity  Assessment Systems. IEC CA Systems can help 
them set the basis in their own countries to build the necessary conformity assessment structures to 
ensure that importing electrical goods are compliant with the IEC International Standards in terms of 
safety and efficiency.  Likewise the IEC Affiliate  Country Programme, the IECEE Affiliate status 
offers developing countries a form of participati on in the IECEE System without the financial burden 
of membership, but without a voting right.  The ne w benefits will include attendance to meetings, 
access to documents and participation in training an d workshops.  To date, 11 countries have applied 
and been granted the IECEE Affiliate status: Azer baijan, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, 
Ghana, Honduras, Mali, Rwanda, Suda n, Uruguay, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  
B. IECEE AT ITA SYMPOSIUM  
7. IEC had the opportunity to attend the Symposium on the 15th anniversary of the ITA 
(Information Technology Agreement)  held at the WTO, Geneva, 14- 15 May 2012.  With seven billion 
people connected on the planet, ICT (Information and Communications Technology ) is a driver of 
activity, including in developing countries, in partic ular in Asia.  First passive consumers, developing 
countries and emerging economies are now active in the production of ICT goods and services. In  G/TBT/GEN/134 
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  Niger, Bhutan, Ghana, Ethiopia, to quote just a few,  the population is benefiting of IT services such as 
money transfer, especially in Africa.  In general,  growth rate in LDCs (Least developed countries ) is 
remarkable (DRC, Guinea) and rose over the 15-year period from 5 per cent to 55 per cent. This 
symposium was the opportunity to review the ITA and explore ways of expanding the agreement to 
cover additional IT products. IEC's speaker – IE CEE Executive Secretary – was able to bring his 
input on the challenges and possible solutions to expa nding trade in ICT products.  Through its scope, 
IECEE facilitates trade and provides easy access to th e global market for electrotechnical equipment 
and components.  IECEE Executive Secretary enc ouraged countries like India – a Full Member of 
IEC and IECEE – to get more involved in conform ity assessment management committees in order to 
play a leading role in this field.  
C. IECE X: FROM DUBAI TO ABIDJAN1 
8. Following the success of the first IECEx Conferen ce on Safety in Ex Field in the Middle East, 
held 20-21 March 2012 in Dubai, with the pa rticipation of UNECE (United Nations Economic 
Commission for Europe), IECEx (IEC System for Cer tification to Standards relating to Equipment for 
use in Explosive Atmospheres) was approach ed by AFSEC, the African Electrotechnical 
Standardization Commission, to hold a similar even t in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, in November 2012. 
The seminar will address experts, senior staff and pr ofessionals from the electrical, oil and gas sectors 
on the African continent who are involved in the st andardization, manufacturing, inspection, repair, 
exploitation, maintenance and overhau l of equipment as well as system evaluation and certification of 
personnel competence.  The technical presentations w ill deal with daily problems participants are 
confronted with when using equipment in e xplosive atmospheres including issues of area 
classification, equipment installation and systems, installation and equipment inspection, repair and 
overhaul and evaluation of personnel skills.  On th e request of AFSEC, the seminar will provide a 
more practical approach with exercises to learn to  apply five IEC Internati onal Standards relating to 
the certification of electrical equipment and servi ces in explosive atmospheres and to draft an 
evaluation reports.  The United Nations via UNECE now recommends IECEx as the world's best 
practice model for the verification of conform ity to International Standards in explosive 
environments. 
V. IEC REITERATES ITS SUPPORT TO UPDEA AND AFSEC 
9. IEC participated in the 17th Congress of UPDEA (Union of Producers, Transporters and 
Distributors of Electric Power in Africa), held in Hammamet, Tunisia, 28-31 May 2012, at the 
occasion of UPDEA 40th anniversary.  This year, the congress focussed on the African energy 
potential and the sustainable development of the c ontinent. With nearly 1 000 participants this 
congress is a major event and a real opportunity to al l operators and actors in the electricity sector in 
Africa.  Hosted by the Tunisian  Company of Electricity and Gas, the event brought together utilities 
but also professionals and industrialists of the elect ric power sector, decision-makers and regulators. 
IEC's representative delivered a strong message of encouragement to UPDEA experts to participate 
actively in electrotechnical standardization thou gh AFSEC and IEC's programme for developing 
countries, the IEC Affiliate Country Programme. Po inting out that the IEC Family now counts eight 
African Members – including Tunisia – and 39 African  Affiliates, IEC believes that much more can 
be achieved in providing the solid technical f oundation for the development of sound electricity 
infrastructures.  With its help, utilities and regulat ors should be able to efficiently integrate, 
interconnect and maintain electricity networks . IEC International Standards and Conformity 
Assessment Systems can help African countries bui ld and connect reliable and interoperable power 
                                                      
1 The Dubai conference presentations are available on the IECEx website: 
http://www.iecex.com/dubai/index.html . The UNECE brochure, A Common Regulatory Framework for 
Equipment Used in Environments with an Explosive Atmosphere, is available on the IECEx website: 
http://www.iecex.com/docs/UNECE_CRO_en.pdf . G/TBT/GEN/134 
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  generation and transmission devices and systems, en suring long-term infrastructure investments. IEC 
work can also help Africa diversify its energy pr oduction by adding renewable energies such as 
concentrating solar power, wind, small hydro and energy  storage into the energy mix. Participation of 
African experts in IEC work is the key to achieve these goals.  
VI. REGIONAL COLLABORATION IN ASIA-PACIFIC 
A. IEC REGIONAL TRAINING FOR ASIA -PACIFIC COUNTRIES  
10. "Enhancing participation in the IEC work" was the theme of a training course organized by 
the IEC-APRC (IEC Asia-Pacific Regional Centre) and held in their offices in Singapore on 7-8 
March 2012.  IEC NCs (National Committees) and Affilia tes in the region responded positively to this 
initiative, with more than 20 participants fro m three IEC Members – Indonesia, Malaysia and 
Singapore – and from 3 IEC Affiliates – Bhutan, Cambodia and Papua New Guinea.  Whilst the 
training covered a wide spectrum of topics related to  the IEC organization and management structure, 
the role of IEC Central Office, the IEC Affiliate Country Programme, the IEC Young Professionals 
Programme etc., the two keynote activities were th e participation in the development of IEC 
International Standards and the use of IT tools.  There was very positive f eedback from the audience 
with requests for more hands-on/participativ e/interactive training sessions. IEC-APRC will be 
building on this initial experience to develop future  training sessions corresponding to the needs of the 
IEC NCs and Affiliates in the region.  
B. ACTIVE PARTICIPATION AT  APEC AND ASEAN SUBFORA  
11. The IEC has been collaborating closely with the relevant committees within APEC (Asia-
Pacific Economic Cooperation) and ASEAN (Associa tion of Southeast Asian Nations) to promote 
awareness of the IEC as a tool to help facilitate tr ade through the use of IEC International Standards 
and Conformity Assessment Systems.  
12. At the 38th ACCSQ (ASEAN Consultative Committee on Standards and Quality) Meeting 
held on 14-16 March 2012 in Brunei Darussalam, IECEE Executive Secretary shared on the new 
IECEE Affiliate status, launched earlier this year (see above). The IEC contributed a keynote address 
at the ASEAN workshop on "Renewable Energy (R E) Technical Standards and Harmonization" on 
26-27 March 2012 in Hanoi, Vietnam. The objective of the workshop was to set the basis for increased activities regarding RE technical standard s and their harmonization in the ASEAN region.  
It was attended by more than 40 participants representing National Standards Agencies/IEC National 
Committees, Ministries, Universities, Energy Re search Institutes, focal points of the ASEAN 
Renewable Energy Sub-sector Network and the private sector.  The IEC has four Technical 
Committees responsible for developing standards rela ting to energy generation from the sun, water 
and wind. 
13. At the APEC JRAC EEE (Joint Regulatory Advisory Committee for Electrical and Electronic 
Equipment) workshop on "Developing a Harmonized Electrical Equipment Regulatory Risk 
Assessment Tool" on 15-16 May 2012 in Singapore, the IEC and IECEE were presented as an intrinsic tool to mitigate against the risk of poorly-designed household appliances.  The workshop was 
attended by more than 80 participants from AP EC and ASEAN economies and featured the risk 
assessment methodologies deployed in APEC and ASEAN economies.  G/TBT/GEN/134 
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  VII. REGIONAL COLLABORATION IN LATIN AMERICA 
A. CANENA 
14. The Council for  Harmonization of Electrotechnical Standa rds of the Nations in the Americas 
held its annual meeting in Mexico City, Mexico  on 29 February-1 March 2012.  This year CANENA 
put regional standardization in a global context through discussions amongst its  various organizations, 
manufacturers, conformity assessment bodies and individual participants that make up its 
membership. One of the major outcomes was that CANENA's efforts to harmonize requirements 
across Canada, USA and Mexico are bearing fruits.  Presentations and discussions highlighted the fact 
that IEC International Standards are playing an increasing role in the work of CANENA and its 
harmonization efforts. IEC Vice-Pr esident provided an update on some  of the key topics and activities 
of the IEC and presented IEC’s two white papers, Coping with the Energy Challenge  and Electrical 
energy storage .  In his conclusion he emphasized the impor tance of IEC International Standards in 
eliminating obstacles to international trade in a world where innovation is accelerating, technologies 
are converging and industries are increasingly global.  
B. COPANT 
15. The General Assembly of the Pan American Standards Commission took place in Fortaleza, 
Brazil on 7-8 May 2012.  It brought together some 90 delegates representing the member countries of 
the Americas, adherent members from Europe and other organizations. Except for Nicaragua all 
COPANT members are involved with the IEC, nine  are IEC Members and 16 are participating in the 
IEC Affiliate Country Programme . IEC was represented by its Immediate Past President, its Deputy 
General Secretary and the Manager of IEC- LARC (IEC Latin America Regional Centre). 
C. VIRTUAL MEETINGS CONTINUE IN IE C REGIONAL CENTRE  
16. After the successful presentation of IEC IT T ools to Central American countries in March 
2012 (see our last report), IEC-LARC Manager reache d out to the Andean Community countries in 
April. Twelve delegates from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru and two representatives from the 
Andean Community authority were able to follow a virtual presentation of existing IEC IT tools and 
were introduced to new developments within the IE C. Other countries have now shown interest to 
host virtual meetings organized by IE C-LARC on the same or new subjects. 
VIII.  IEC AFFILIATE LEADER IS GETTIN G READY FOR IEC GENERAL MEETING 
IN OSLO 
17. Launched in 2001, the IEC Affiliate Country Pr ogramme is aimed at developing countries 
around the world and offers such countries a form of  participation in the IEC without the financial 
burden of membership.  Since June 2011, the IEC Affiliate Leader is Phuntsho Wangdi, the Director 
of the Bhutan Standards Bureau.  He was appoint ed by the IEC General Secretary to act as the 
Affiliates' collective voice with the IEC governi ng bodies.  With the supp ort of the Programme 
Secretariat based in Geneva, he encourages the Affiliates to submit comments or proposals to the 
relevant IEC Technical Committees/Subcommittees dur ing the standardization process and to identify 
issues in the work of the IEC relevant to developing countries.  The Affiliate Leader’s role is also to 
seek a common position for Affiliates and communicat e this position to the relevant technical or 
management committees during the IEC General Meeti ng. He will be chairing the Affiliate Forum in 
Oslo, Norway, during IEC 76th General Meeting.  The Forum will be attended by IEC Technical 
Committee 82:  Solar photovoltaic energy systems, and a first mentoring approach should be initiated 
with Affiliate delegates interested in participating in TC 82 work.  More will be to read in our next 
report in November.  G/TBT/GEN/134 
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  18. IEC's 76th General Meeting will be held in Oslo, Norway, 1-5 October 2012. IEC Affiliate 
Countries may send one or more delegates to the IEC Affiliate Forum, the workshop for 
industrializing countries and to attend any techni cal meeting of their choice as observers. More 
information is available through the IEC Affilia te Country Programme Secretariat in Geneva 
(affiliates@iec.ch ).  
 
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