WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/GEN/31 
9 March 2006 
 (06-1024) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  
 
 
WORKSHOP ON THE DI FFERENT APPROACHES 
TO CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT 
 
16-17 March 2006  
 
Programme  
 
 1. At the Third Triennial Review of the TBT Agreement, concluded in November 2003, the 
TBT Committee agreed to a Work Programme on conformity assessment to improve Members' implementation of Articles 5-9 of the TBT Agre ement and to promote a better understanding of 
conformity assessment systems.
1  In particular, Members agreed to organize a workshop on the 
different approaches to conformity assessment, in cluding on the acceptance of conformity assessment 
results.  At its March 2005 meeting, Members decided to hold this workshop in March 2006.2     
2. The workshop will be held on 16 – 17 March 2006 , back-to-back with the regular meeting of 
the TBT Committee on 15 March and in the afternoon of 17 March 2006. 3  The programme is 
attached. 
3. It is stressed that all  Members should communicate the names of their capital-based 
participants (other than speakers and funded pa rticipants from developing country Members whose 
names have already been communicated to the WTO) , by fax or e-mail.  These names should be sent 
to Mrs. Inger Bauer (Fax:  +41 22 739 5620, e-mail: inger.bauer@wto.org) with a copy to:  
BAI@wto.org. 
 
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1 "Third Triennial Review of the Operation and Implemen tation of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade", 
11 November 2003, G/TBT/13, para. 40. 
2 "Minutes of the Meeting of 22-23 Ma rch 2005", 24 May 2005, G/TBT/M/35, para. 57. 
3 Participation of one capital-based expert from developing country Member s has been funded by the WTO Global 
Trust Fund.  91 invited developing country  Members have confirmed attendance in response to the invitations issued in 
December 2005.  For any inquiries that funded participants ma y have regarding logistics, they are invited to contact 
Mr. Felipe Vargas-Maza (+41 22 739 5018, logistic.unit@wto.org).  For any further information regarding the substance of 
this workshop, please contact Mrs. Ludivine Tami otti (+41 22 739 5694, ludivine.tamiotti@wto.org).  G/TBT/GEN/31 
Page 2  
– Thursday 16 March 2006 –  
 
8:30  – 10:00  R EGISTRATION  
 
 
10:00  – 10:20  I NTRODUCTION  
 
 
Opening remarks 
Mr. Margers Krams, Chairman of the TBT Committee 
 
Overview of the TBT Committee's work on conf ormity assessment procedures and of the 
relevant provisions of the TBT Agreement 
Mrs. Ludivine Tamiotti, Trade and Environment Division, WTO Secretariat 
 
 
10:20  – 13:00 S ESSION  I 
  C ONFORMITY ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL  
 
 
Moderator:  Mr. Margers Krams (Chairman of the TBT Committee) 
 
This session will give participants an opportunity to share experiences of conformity assessment approaches and procedures at the natio nal level and to address considerati ons that are to be taken into 
account for the use of conformity assessment procedures. 
 
10:20  – 11:30 
NATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE PREPARATION AND APPLICATION OF CONFORMITY 
ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES  
 
 
Presenters will identify the various considerations th at are relevant when deciding on the need for a 
conformity assessment procedure and on the type of  procedure, including costs and benefits of 
alternatives, level of risk, incentives for users to  comply, technical and physical infrastructure and 
existing monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.  
• Conformity assessment and regulations   
Mr. Peter Dennehy, Secretary of ISO/CASCO 
• Existing good regulatory practice in the a rea of conformity a ssessment in Colombia  
Mr. Ramón Madriñán, Chief Regulatory Officer, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism, 
Colombia  
• Trade impact on manufacturers 
Mr. Robert W. Noth, Manager, Engineering Standards, Deere and Company, United States 
• Conformity assessment procedures implemen ted by local and non-governmental bodies 
(Pursuant to Articles 7 and 8 of the TBT Agreement) 
Mr. Rafael Nava, President, Commission of Standardization and Conformity Assessment, 
Mexico 
• Handling complaints (Pursuant to Article 5.2.8 of the TBT Agreement) 
Ms. Anna Camboim, Manager, Intern ational Affairs, INMETRO, Brazil  
• Panel Discussion  G/TBT/GEN/31 
 Page 3 
 
11:30  – 12:30 
SECTOR -SPECIFIC APPROACHES TO CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT  
 
Speakers will identify the benefits and possible proble ms (including respective costs) of the different 
conformity assessment approaches and will focus their presentations on specific products or sectors. 
 
• Vehicle emission and noise standards  
Ms. Hui Chen Chien, Senior Specialist, Depa rtment of Air Quality Protection and Noise 
Control, EPA, Chinese Taipei 
• The electricity sector   
Ms. María Juana Rivera, Technical Barriers to  Trade, Ministry of Economy and Production, 
Argentina 
• Implementation of voluntary conf ormity assessment market programs  
Mr. Wayne Morris, Vice President, Division Services, Association of Home Appliance 
Manufacturers, United States 
• Canada’s experience in forest certification  
Mr. Guillaume Gignac, QMI, Senior Ma nager, Product Management, Canada 
• Panel Discussion 
12:30  – 13:00 
GENERAL DISCUSSION ON CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES  
AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL  
 
 
15:00  – 18:00 S ESSION  II 
FACILITATING THE ACCEPTANCE OF CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT 
RESULTS  
 
 
Moderator:  Mr. Juan Antonio Dorantes (Mexico) 
 
This session focuses on the implementation of the obligations contained in Article 6 of the 
TBT Agreement on the "Recognition of Conformity Assessment by Central Government Bodies" and 
discusses the effectiveness of the different mechanis ms to facilitate the acceptance of conformity 
assessment results.   
15:00  – 16:15 
APPROACHES TO FACILITATE THE ACCEPTANCE OF CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT RESULTS  
 
Speakers will address the advantages of, and possible difficulties with, various approaches to facilitate 
the acceptance of conformity assessment results and in particular the use of accreditation. 
 
• Trends in the mechanisms to facilitate th e acceptance of confor mity assessment results  
Ms. Barbara Fliess, Principal Administrator, Trade Directorate, OECD 
• Accreditation as an approach to facilitate th e acceptance of conformity assessment results 
and the benchmarking procedure  
Mr. Tony Craven, Chief Executive, Joint Accr editation System of Australia-New Zealand 
• The experience of Mauritius in the use of a ccreditation as an approach to facilitate the 
acceptance of conformity assessment results 
Mr. Robin Neeren Gopee, Acting Director, Mauritius Accreditation Service 
• Approaches to facilitate the recognition of results:  The experience of the European 
Co-operation for Accreditation  
Mr. Lorenzo Thione, Chairman, European Co-operation for Accreditation 
• Panel Discussion G/TBT/GEN/31 
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16:15  – 17:30 
MUTUAL ACCEPTANCE OF CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT RESULTS  
 
 
Speakers will address the merits and possible diffi culties in negotiating government-to-government 
mutual recognition agreements .  They will also discuss ways to promote acceptance by regulatory 
authorities of results by conformity assessment bodies participating in voluntary arrangements . 
 Mutual recognition agreements : 
• Experiences in formal mutual recogn ition agreements: sectors covered, possible 
difficulties faced in the negotiations and key elements for a successful conclusion 
Mr. Shinji Fujino, Director, International Affa irs Office of Technical Regulations, Standards 
and Conformity Assessment Policy Unit, Mini stry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan  
• Mutual recognition agreements and regulato ry cooperation:  Some EU experiences  
Mr. Paul De Lusignan, DG Trade and Mr. Brian Jenkinson, DG Enterprise, 
European Communities  
 
Mutual recognition arrangements :  
• Sector-specific examples of arrangements between conformity assessment bodies ("peer 
assessments")   
Mr. Toshiyuki Kajiya, Senior manager, Engineering Administration Group, Corporate R&D 
Strategy Office, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd, Japan  
• IEC experience in arrangements between conformity assessment bodies used by 
regulators 
Mr. Gabriel Barta, Secretary of the IEC Conformity Assessment Board and Head of Technical 
Coordination  
• Panel Discussion 
 
 
 
17:30  – 18:00 
GENERAL DISCUSSION ON FACILITATING THE ACCEPTANCE OF  
CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT RESULTS  
  
 
  
 
 
18:00  – 19:30 A PERITIF HOSTED BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE TBT C OMMITTEE AND 
THE PERMANENT MISSION OF LATVIA TO THE WORLD TRADE 
ORGANIZATION  
 
   G/TBT/GEN/31 
 Page 5 
 
– Friday 17 March 2006 –  
 
 
10:00  – 12:00   S ESSION  III 
BUILDING A CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT INFRASTRUCTURE IN 
DEVELOPING COUNTRY MEMBERS  
 
 
Moderator:  Ms. Brenda Dunbar (Canada) 
 
This session examines ways to put in place an ef fective conformity assessment infrastructure in 
developing country Members, taking into consider ation the resources available to them and their 
technical and infrastructural concerns. 
10:00  – 11:15 
THE CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT INFRASTRUCTURE OF DEVELOPING COUNTRY MEMBERS  
 
Presenters will examine the existing infrastructure and particular concerns and needs that developing 
country Members may have in evaluating conformity.  
 
• Nigeria's example of a conformity assessment system in a developing country Member:  
Concerns and challenges  
Mr. John Ndanusa Akanya, Director-General, Standards Organization of Nigeria 
• Overview of the conformity assessment pro cedures in India:  Role of the BIS  
Mr. Rakesh Verma,  Additional Director General, Bureau of Indian Standards, India 
• Specific needs and technical considerations id entified in relation to the conformity 
assessment infrastructure of developing co untry Members through the analysis of the 
responses to the WTO Questionnaire Mr. Gerardo Patacconi, Industrial Development Officer, UNIDO 
• Accreditation:  Role of ILAC and IAF  
Mr. Daniel Pierre, ILAC/IAF, ILAC Chair 
• Panel Discussion 
 
11:15  – 12:30 
ESTABLISHMENT OF A CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT INFRASTRUCTURE  
 
Presenters are invited to share ideas on ways to  put in place an effective conformity assessment 
infrastructure in developing country Members. 
 
• The experience of Brazil in establishing a co nformity assessment system and existing 
educational programmes on conformity assessment Mr. Alfred Lobo, Director, Department of Quality, INMETRO, Brazil 
• The example of technical assistance provided to Costa Rica on conformity assessment  
Ms. Maritza Madriz, Manager, Ente Costarricense de Acreditación, Costa Rica 
• Establishment of CA schemes in developing countries: Some case studies 
Mr. Gerardo Patacconi, Industrial Development Officer, UNIDO 
• Building a quality system at the regional level in the UEMOA zone  
Mr. Abdou Seyni, Director of Industry, Union Economique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine 
• Building a conformity assessment infrastructure at the regional level in the Caribbean 
region:  the experience of Trinidad and Tobago 
Mr. Terrence Awai, Head, Certification Division,  Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards  
• Panel Discussion 
 
12:30  – 13:00 
GENERAL DISCUSSION AND CONCLUDING REMARKS  
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