WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/TBT/GEN/126 
25 January 2012 
 (12-0485) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
INFORMATION ON IEC ACTIVITIES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 
 
 The following information was provided by the IEC  at the TBT Committee meeting of 
10-11 November 2011. 
 
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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. WTO DELEGATION VISIT THE IEC CENTRAL OFFICE 
1. Delegates from 25 different countries came to vi sit the IEC Central Office in Geneva on the 
morning of 8 June 2011. Part of the on-going training programme within the WTO includes a 
technical visit to international standards-setting bod ies, hence the visit to the IEC Central Office. 
Knowing that delegates had been told earlie r on by ISO (International Organization for 
Standardization) about the benefits  of participating in international standardization, the IEC session 
focused on the comparative differences that exis t in terms of membership (through National 
Committees), the IEC Conformity Assessment System s and the IEC Affiliate Country Programme for 
developing countries. After the presentations, the dele gates were able to inquire about the constitution 
of an IEC National Committee and the difference to a national standards body; they asked questions 
on the difference in rights between Associate and Full Membership as well as on IECEE Certificates and the benefits of IECEx Certification.  The visit gave the IEC Affiliate Country Programme 
Secretary, Françoise Rauser, the opportunity to invi te Azerbaijan to join the IEC Affiliate Country 
Programme and to discuss with representatives from Guatemala, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago 
about their country’s participation in the free IEC Programme for developing countries. 
II. AFRICAN EXPERTS LAUNCH WORK IN FIVE ELECTROTECHNICAL FIELDS 
2. In collaboration with the IEC and with th e support from AFREC (the African Energy 
Commission) and the European Union, AFSEC (t he African Electrotechnical Standardization 
Commission) organized a training event for African experts in electrotechnology, in Nairobi, Kenya, on 5-8 September 2011. IEC Standardization Strate gy Manager, Jack Sheldon, provided guidance and 
expertise on setting up and organizing technical committees, including explanation on strategy, 
procedures, policy statements and IEC electronic tools. Other IEC experts accompanying Sheldon included Etienne Tison, Chairman of IEC TC (Technical Committee) 64: Electrical installations and protection against electric shock, Hervé Rochereau , Secretary of IEC SC (Subcommittee) 77A: Low 
frequency phenomena, as well as electrotechnical experts Giuseppe Dell’ Olio from IEC TC 8: 
Systems aspects for electrical energy supply, Roland Hill from IEC TC 13: Electrical energy 
measurement, tariff- and load control, and Pa ul Johnson from IEC TC 57: Power systems 
management and associated information exchan ge, who is also AFSEC Executive Secretary. 
Together, they represented the five technical fields  that AFSEC has selected for its initial work and 
for which it has set up its own regional mirror committees. The event was considered by AFSEC G/TBT/GEN/126 
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  members as a successful experience, and brought to gether 68 participants from 11 countries – Benin, 
Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Ke nya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan and 
Uganda. Representatives from EAPP (the Easter n Africa Power Pool) and SAPP (the Southern 
African Power Pool) as well as from the African Union Commission, ECOWAS ( the Economic 
Community Of West African States) and ARSO (the African Organisation for Standardisation) 
also attended the meetings. Demonstration of IEC’s electronic Collaboration Tools was a good 
practical contribution to the work of AFSEC a nd good exchanges between IEC experts and AFSEC 
experts which permitted to establish the strategic bu siness plan and the road map for the new AFSEC 
technical committees. The harmonization work shou ld now be possible in the coming months, but 
further support from IEC TC experts will still be n ecessary to tackle the techni cal aspect of the work. 
III. WORKSHOP ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN CHILE 
3. Enabling efficient energy use was the theme of a workshop held by INN, the Chilean National 
Institute of Standardization, on 11 May 2011, just  prior to the COPANT (Pan American Standards 
Commission) General Assembly of 12-13 May 2011. This provided an ideal platform for James E. 
Matthews, IEC Vice-President and Chairman of the IEC SMB (Standardization Management Board), 
to present the work of the IEC in the area of electri cal energy efficiency and more efficient energy use 
globally. The economic development is largely de pendent on a sufficient and steady power supply. 
The rapid increase in electricity-consuming devices represents an increasing challenge for governments, including in Latin America. Befo re government representatives, standardization 
professionals and members of industry, the IEC demonstrated the importance of smart electrification 
and the need to measure efficiency with globally re levant metrics in order to compare and improve it. 
IEC, then, presented concrete examples of its wo rk in existing and new technologies, and its broad 
involvement in the development of smart grid s, electric vehicles and intelligent buildings. 
IV. BRUNEI DARUSSALAM PRESENTED AT IECEX WORKSHOP FOR 
INDUSTRIALIZING COUNTRIES  
4. During its 75
th General Meeting in Melbourne, Aust ralia, on 24-28 October 2011, the IEC 
brought together over 80 participants represen ting 31 countries to a workshop on International 
Certification of Personnel Competence in hazardous environments. The IECEx is the IEC Conformity 
Assessment System for Certification to Standa rds Relating to Equipment for Use in Explosive 
Atmospheres. The System provides the assurance th at equipment is manufactured to meet safety 
standards and that services such as installation,  repair and overhaul also comply with IEC 
International Standards on safety. IECEx has recently  been endorsed by the United Nations via the 
UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) as “world’s best practice” and recommended model for regulating Ex equipment and services for hazardous environments. 
5. IECEx CoPC (Certification of Personnel Competence) Scheme provides regulators and those 
responsible for safety and compliance of Ex inst allations, such as oil and gas, grain handling, 
hospitals, etc. with an instant means of confirming the competence of individual to apply Ex related 
work according to IEC International Standards. 
6. The workshop held in Melbourne provided a practical approach to online certificates and 
International Certification of Personnel Competence to ensure safety in Ex environment. Liaw Wai 
Khiong is the Co-Chairman of the Brunei Da russalam National Electrotechnical Committee (TECO 
Electrical) and also IECEx focal point in Brunei Da russalam. He presented the challenges faced by his 
country to ensure Ex-competency in hazardous envir onments, in particular in oil and gas refineries, 
petrochemical industries, power plants, armed forc es, etc., with no formal national standards nor 
regulation and a high turnover of personnel, but ad option of IEC International Standards (e.g. IEC 
60079-10 series).  G/TBT/GEN/126 
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  V. NEW DEVELOPMENT IN THE IEC AFFILIATE COUNTRY PROGRAMME 
A. NEW AFFILIATE : AZERBAIJAN  
7. At the end of June 2011, the IEC Affiliate Country Programme welcomed Azerbaijan as its 
newest participating country. With 81 Full and Associate Member countries and 82 developing 
countries now following the Programme, the IEC Family numbers 163 (See annexes A and B). 
Azerbaijan decided to join the Programme after the visit in May of the IEC Immediate Past President, 
Jacques Régis, to Turkmenistan where he was speak ing to representatives of the Caucasus and Central 
Asia regions at EASC, the Euroasian Intersta te Council for Standardization, Metrology and 
Certification. In June 2011, Azerbaijan was part of a WTO delegation visiting IEC Central Office in 
Geneva, and was invited to join the IEC Affiliate  Country Programme. Today, Azerbaijan has already 
benefitted from its first IEC Inte rnational Standard under the term s of the IEC Affiliate Country 
Programme.  
B. NEW AFFILIATE PLUS: MALAWI  
8. Since our last report, our Affiliate in Mala wi set up its NEC (National Electrotechnical 
Committee). The newly established NEC decided to sort out 91 IEC technical fields into four groups 
where Malawi experts could get involved: Environment, Safety and Terminology  (Group 1), Energy 
Generation and Transmission  (Group 2), Information and Communication Technology  (Group 3) and 
Domestic and Industrial Application (Group 4). Malawi designated 5 experts who now have access to 
working documents of the relevant 10 IEC Technical Committees. These experts come from the academia, the regulatory authorities, the electrica l utilities, and of course the standardization 
organization. With its NEC, Malawi fulfilled the second criteria to be granted the Affiliate Plus 
Status, which offers a greater number of free IEC In ternational Standards for adoption with increased 
mentoring possibilities. IEC is now looking forward to  Malawi NEC’s contribution in its international 
standardization work. 
C. M
ORE PARTICIPATION , MORE ADOPTIONS  
9. Grenada, affiliated to the IEC since 2001, h as started to use the IEC Affiliate Country 
Programme in July 2011 by ordering its first batch of free IEC International Standards. The adoption 
trend is confirmed with additiona l adoptions in Sudan (now 85) and Botswana (now 97) whereas 
Ecuador was the 37th Affiliate Country to have declared th e national adoption of 32 IEC International 
Standards. IEC will persevere in its efforts and cont inue its collaboration with its sister organization 
ISO to provide regional courses on adopting and re ferencing International Standards in national 
regulations in developing and newly industrialized countries in 2012. 
VI. AFFILIATE FORUM IN MELBOURNE  
10. Some 40 delegates from 17 countries – Affilia tes and IEC Members – attended the annual 
Affiliate Forum during the 75th IEC General Meeting in Melbour ne, Australia, 24-28 October 2011. 
At the Forum, they met the new IEC Affiliate Leader from Bhutan, Phuntsho Wangdi, and the IEC 
Affiliate Coordinator for Africa, Evah Oduor from Keny a. During the Forum, they were able to listen 
to a presentation from the Chairman of IEC TC 86, Umberto Rossi, on fibre optics. He demonstrated 
how an expert from a developing country who par ticipates actively in the IEC Affiliate Country 
Programme can access and comment on IEC documents. Delegates were able to ask questions on the 
scope of IEC TC 86 and how they could get involved in its standardization work without the financial 
burden of IEC membership. They were also inter ested by a case study presented by Thomas Mnunguli 
from the Tanzania Bureau of Standards, which is  affiliated to the IEC since the Programme was 
launched in 2001. After the Foru m, the delegates attended regional sessions on Africa, Latin America 
and Asia-Pacific, respectively convened by the IE C Affiliate Coordinator, IEC-LARC (IEC Regional G/TBT/GEN/126 
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  Centre for Latin America) Manager and the IEC Affiliate Leader. During the African Forum, the 
delegates were given a feedback  on the AFSEC capacity building event held earlier on in Nairobi, 
Kenya (see previous AFSEC article). Besides the Fo rum, IEC Affiliates were invited to attend 27 
different technical meetings as observer to become more familiar with the work of the IEC (see annex 
D). Their Heads of Delegation had also the opportunity to attend the IEC Council Statutory session. 
The 75
th IEC General Meeting was also the occasi on for the Affiliates to celebrate the 10th anniversary 
of the IEC Affiliate Country Programme with their mentors. 
VII. IEC CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT BOARD INITIATIVES FOR DEVELOPING 
COUNTRIES 
11. The IEC CAB (Conformity Assessment Board) is a decision-making body that supervises 
IEC Conformity Assessment activities, including th e oversight of the IEC Conformity Assessment 
Systems. The CAB is responsible for setting the IE C Conformity Assessment policy, promoting and 
maintaining relations with inte rnational organizations on confor mity assessment matters, creating, 
modifying and disbanding conformity assessment sy stems, monitoring the operation of conformity 
assessment activities and examining the continued relevance of the IEC Conformity Assessment 
activities in general. In April 2011, the CAB circul ated a survey to developing countries through the 
IEC Affiliate Country Programme Secretariat. The survey aimed at receiving their input on CA (Conformity Assessment) aspects of Electrical Energy Efficiency (E
3). 44 Affiliate Countries took 
part in the survey and expressed th eir needs for capacity building and gui dance in this field (see annex 
C). Following the survey, the CAB decided to suppor t the development of dedicated material focusing 
on E3 for developing countries to be used in capac ity building initiatives. This would include an 
update of the IEC Guide on CA for developing nati ons, and a workshop to be held during the IEC 
General Meeting in 2012 as an appropriate platfo rm to increase knowledge and understanding of the 
E3 subject among developing countri es (both IEC Members and Affiliates). The CAB further decided 
to investigate new ways for developing countries to participate in the IE C Conformity Assessment 
activities and, if it is appropriate, to develop an  additional module to address the first steps developing 
countries should take to satisfy their conformity  assessment needs and to enter the IEC Community.  
VIII.  IEC COLLABORATES WITH UNIDO TO ESTABLISH AN ELECTRICAL 
TESTING LABORATORY IN BHUTAN 
12. The project has been developed to strengthen the Bhutan’s conformity assessment 
infrastructure, namely to establish an electrical testing laboratory at BSB (Bhutan Standards Bureau) 
in Thimphu. The objective is to ensure the protec tion of the public from fraudulent trade transactions 
and enhance public safety by inspection and testi ng of identified electrical components and products, 
both in the consumer products and in the buildi ng industry. Conformity assessment capacity building 
is one of the identified priority areas of the Government of Bhutan within the EIF (Enhanced 
Integrated Framework) assistance programme. The proj ect started in 2011 should be completed within 
three years. Through IECEE (IEC System of Conformity Assessment Schemes for Electrotechnical 
Equipment and Components), UNIDO (United Nati ons Industrial Development Organization) 
mandated a consultant from TCA (Testing and Certifi cation Australia) to Bhutan in order to identify 
major electric and electronic products and their techni cal specifications, identify products to be tested, 
design the electrical laboratory, identify key staff and their job description, and draw-up technical specification of test equipment, estimate financ ial value, propose list of suppliers. The IEC and 
UNIDO are further planning to pursue their collaboration by publishing joint manuals. 
13. New services are in the pipeline. IECEE is developing new services to respond to demand 
from industry: industrial automation and automation devices, Smart Grid – with focus on the smart 
home, the smart building and the smart factor y – electric vehicles and energy efficiency.  G/TBT/GEN/126 
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  IX. NEWS FROM IEC-LARC 
14. In August 2011, Amaury Santos who is in ch arge of IEC-LARC (IEC Regional Centre for 
Latin America) attended the Latin America Electrical  Energy Symposium in Mexico. He reported on 
the increasing participation of Latin American c ountries in the IEC in the panel on Latin America 
Electrical Market Evolution, chaired by Rafael Nava, Vice-President of IEC National Committee of 
Mexico. Other presentations were made by Me xico, Guatemala and Colombia. During this 
symposium, he met the representatives from Uruguay and Guatemala, as both countries are participating in the IEC Programme for de veloping countries. IEC-LARC Manager took the 
opportunity to discuss their participation and the ch allenges they face while using the IEC Affiliate 
Country Programme. He followed up in October 2011 by  a visit to the Unit and Ministry of External 
Relationship authorities in Uruguay. Since our last report, we are also happy to announce that 
members of COPANT, the Pan American Standards Commission, are now using the IEC Collaboration Tools. IEC Affiliates in the COPANT  region will benefit from the expertise from IEC 
Members and learn to comment on working docum ents. The IEC National Committee of the United 
States of America has launched a mentoring approach with our Affiliate in Costa Rica. 
X. THE 2012 IEC-IEEE CHALLENGE 
15. The IEC and IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) are launching the 2012 
IEC-IEEE Challenge, an opportunity for academics thro ughout the world to submit a paper of up to 
4 000 words on the impact of electrotechnology on economic, social and environmental development. 
The premise is that broad access to safe and effi cient electrotechnology is dependent on universally 
accepted technical specifications and standards that, in  turn, enable interoperability and international 
trade. It follows that the paper should identify some of the driving forces and prerequisites for 
achieving successful outcomes anywhere in the world and underline why electrotechnology is able to 
determine a society’s ability to ex change information, develop and prosper. The IEC-IEEE Challenge 
is open to all persons affiliated with an Academic Institution of higher education that offers post-
graduate study programmes. Those include members and heads of faculty, professors, lecturers, post-
graduate students, teaching and rese arch staff. Anyone qualified can s how they intend to participate 
by registering on the dedicated challenge websit e (http://www.iecieeechallenge.o rg). The deadline for 
pre-registration is 1 March 2012 at 24:00 UCT. Th e date for final submissions is 28 October 2012. 
XI. ABOUT THE IEC 
16. The IEC is the world leading organization that  prepares and publishes International Standards 
for all electrical, electronic and related technologi es – collectively known as "electrotechnology". The 
IEC also administers three global Conformity A ssessment Systems, IECEE,  IECEx and IECQ, for 
testing, certification and approval of equipment, systems, components and in selected areas services 
and personnel to its International Standards. 
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