G/TBT/GEN/147  
 
12 April 2013  
(13-1927)  Page: 1/3  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
INFORMATION ON ITC ACTIVITES FROM NOVEMBER 2012 - MARCH 2013 
This document contains information provided by the ITC at the TBT Committee meeting of 
6-7 March 2013 under Agenda Item 5 (Update by Observers). 
 
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The International Trade Centre is continuing its efforts to assist enterprises to meet technical 
requirements. The following new projects are of interest to the TBT Committee  
1  EIF - SECTOR COMPETITIVENESS AND EX PORT DIVERSIFICATION IN THE GAMBIA 
(2012-2015)  
1.1.  Technical barriers hindering market access of Gambian exports of groundnuts, cashew nuts, 
and sesame are being addressed by implementing activities which will include: 
a. Upgrading laboratory testing (aflatoxin) capacity and recognition at international level; 
b. Assistance to the Gambia Bureau of Standards to developing standards according to the 
Code of Good practice of the TBT Agreement; 
c. Assistance for the setting up of control of prepackages according to OIML 
recommendations; 
d. Providing training and tools for enhanced quality segregation of groundnuts by quality 
control inspectors; 
e. Enhancing food safety of groundnuts through implementation of HACCP1 and pre-
requisites such as GAP2 and GMP3; 
f. Developing a Quality Assurance Framework for cashew nuts and sesame; and 
g. Enhancing farmer capacity to grow groundnuts, cashew nuts and sesame of better 
quality and higher productivity thro ugh Farmer Field School Approach. 
2  THE CIS REGIONAL TRADE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT FOR BELARUS, KAZAKHSTAN AND 
RUSSIA 
2.1.   A guide for export of food of non-animal origin (in particular pasta and flour) to the EU has 
been finalised based on a study on the quality and SPS infrastructures of these countries and the 
roundtables with stakeholders. 
3  PUBLICATIONS 3.1.  The second edition of the Export Quality Management Guide for Small and Medium Exporters 
has recently published in French and Spanish. 
                                               
1 Hazard Analysis and Cr itical Cont rol Points. 
2 Good Agricultural Practice. 
3 Good Manufacturing Practice. G/TBT/GEN/147 
 
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  4  TRADE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (T4SD) PROJECT 
4.1.  ITC's Standards Map allows users to compare private standards with regards to, for example, 
social, environmental and economic criteria, geographic and product-related scopes, compliance policies and requirements for implementation. Compliance to these standards is not legally 
required by governments or regulations, but it could lead to more sustainable social and 
environmental practices and improved competitiveness for exporters.  
4.2.  As of March 2013, Standards Map covers over 100 voluntary standards, codes of conduct and 
sustainability frameworks operating in over 200 countries and applicable to over 80 sectors/ 
subsectors. The recently added standards, codes and frameworks include the UN Global Compact, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the USDA National Organic Program, among others. The team is working on additional 30 standards systems and certifications that will be 
loaded on the website by the end of 2013, includ ing sustainable tourism standards, aquaculture 
certification schemes, finance and investment codes of conduct. The team also co-published several papers in the past months, among which the Trade and Environment Briefings: 
Sustainability Standards, The World of Organic Agriculture, The Interplay of Public and Private 
Standards. The publications are accessible at www.standardsmap.org   
4.3.  In collaboration with the Sustainable Ag riculture Initiative (SAI) Platform, the Dutch 
Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) and IMD's Corporate Sustainability Management Platform (CSM) 
the team is also developing a business guide for sustainable sourcing. This guide will be published in the coming months and lays-out the key issues companies need to take into consideration when planning and implementing a sustainable sourcing strategy, with particular focus on developing a 
sustainable supply chain. Illustrating the main ch allenges in developing sustainable supply chains, 
this guide will develop a set of concrete actions and strategic responses to support businesses in dealing with sustainability issues along the supply chain.  
4.4.  We aim to have approximately 130 standards fully loaded on the website by the end of 2013. 
Should you be interested in a live demonstration of the website or in a webinar, please contact Joseph Wozniak, Program Manager ( wozniak@intracen.org ). 
5  NON-TARIFF MEASURES (NTM) PROJECT  
5.1.  This project aims to increase transparency and understanding of NTMs – in order to facilitate 
trade in the long-run. It helps countries to understand the non-tariff obstacles to trade faced by their business sector, and assists in defining strategies and solutions that meet their exporters' 
needs to speed up and ease cross-border trade. This project is implemented with the close 
collaboration of collaborates of ministries, export promotion agencies, research institutes, business associations and local experts in each country. 
5.2.  ITC has launched large-scale company surveys on NTMs and obstacles to trade in 23 
developing countries worldwide. As of early Ma rch 2013, the results of the survey have been 
thoroughly analysed and discussed in 15 countries in public-private dialogue. These stakeholder 
workshops have validated the survey results an d elaborated technical recommendations, policy 
options and practical solutions for problems repo rted by the private sector. The results of the 
workshop are used to finalize detailed country reports. Such reports are currently available for 5 countries (Burkina Faso, Malawi, Morocco, Peru and Sri Lanka) and accessible at 
http://www.intracen.org/publicationlist.aspx?taxid=2314  .  
5.3.  A stakeholder workshop in Mauritius wa s held on 24 January 2013 and brought together 
more than 60 participants from the Mauritian public and private sector. Survey results will serve 
the Mauritian government as supporting evidence in  on-going regional and bilateral negotiations, 
among others (1) with COMESA partners, which th e survey revealed to be disproportionately 
difficult to access, and (2) the European Commission , in particular with respect to certificates of 
origin and a number of technical requirements, including labelling, which Mauritian exporters have 
difficulties to meet. The stakeholder meeting al so recommended the development of a national 
food control strategy and of a comprehensive food  legislation covering food safety. ITC was asked 
to support this by providing technical assistance pertaining to SPS issues and other technical 
requirements. Furthermore, as result of the meeting, the Customs of Mauritius has already G/TBT/GEN/147 
 
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  cancelled the need for Tea Board clearance of rooibos tea imports, a policy change sought by 
Mauritian enterprises. For more information about NTM projects, please contact ntm@intracen.org . 
 
 
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