WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/GEN/63 
4 December 2007 
 (07-5277) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
UNIDO TRADE-RELATED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND CAPACITY-BUILDING 
ACTIVITIES RELATED TO TECHNICA L BARRIERS TO TRADE: 2001-2007 
 
 
 The following information was provided by the United Nations Industrial Development 
Organization (UNIDO)  at the TBT Committee meeting of 9 November 2007. 
  
_______________ 
 
 
 
I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... .2 
A. THE UNIDO  3CS APPROACH FOR TRTA/CB..............................................................................2  
II. COUNTRY/REGIONAL COOPERATION ..........................................................................4  
III. HIGHLIGHTS OF CURRENT UNIDO TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 
RELATED TO TECHNICAL BARR IERS TO TRADE (TBT) ..........................................5  
IV. COOPERATION WITH THE WTO AN D OTHER ORGANI ZATIONS .......................11  
A. UNIDO  - WTO..........................................................................................................................11  
B. UNIDO  - ISO ............................................................................................................................ 13 
C. UNIDO  - ILAC/IAF..................................................................................................................13  
D. JCDCMAS ........................................................................................................................ ........14  
V. TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE...............................................................................14  
A. PARTICIPATION IN THE TBT  COMMITTEE .................................................................................14  
B. NEEDS ASSESSMENT .................................................................................................................14  
1. UNIDO and the WTO Quest ionnaire G/TBT/W/178 ..........................................................15  
2. TBT Surveys at the en terprise level ......................................................................................15  
3. Key Export Sectors Supply-Side constraints – UNIDO’s Competitiveness 
Analysis Tool .................................................................................................................. .........15  
4. Analysis of Quality Infr astructure Constraints ...................................................................16  
5. Analysis of developing countries product refusals/notifications.........................................16  
C. RESEARCH ............................................................................................................................... ..17 
VI. CONCLUDING REMARKS .................................................................................................17  
 G/TBT/GEN/63 
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  I. INTRODUCTION 
1. The present document summarizes UNIDO trade-related technical assistance and capacity 
building approach (3Cs) and the current and pla nned technical assistance activities UNIDO provides 
to developing countries and least developed countries aimed at overcoming technical barriers to trade (TBT) and fostering trade and access to export markets. 
2. UNIDO assistance is delivered through country , regional and global programmes and global 
forum activities.  The technical assistance is n eeds-based and established on country/sub-regional 
specific analysis of poverty, industrial development and trade capacity needs, and is jointly developed 
with partner countries’ strategies and projects.  The UNIDO programmes developed ensure that the 
principles of relevance, demand - orientation, lo cal ownership, and effectiveness – efficiency are 
followed to achieve sustained benefits for the client s. UNIDO strategy is also characterised by strong 
emphasis on building and strengthening existing regi onal trade-related organi sations and agreements 
(e.g. African Union, NEPAD, UEMOA, ECOWAS, SAARC, EAC), which promote harmonization and optimal use of resources.  
3. UNIDO commitments for trade-related assistance and capacity building activities, with focus 
on setting up and upgrading count ries’ standards and conformity  assessment infrastructure and 
supply-capacity building, amounted to about US$ 181 million over the 2001-2007 period. 
A. T
HE UNIDO  3CS APPROACH FOR TRTA/CB 
4. In the emerged “rules based” trading system, deve loping countries stand to gain appreciable 
benefits in terms of economic gr owth and wealth creation from great er market penetration and fuller 
participation in global trade. In order to devel op and exploit the full their export potential, developing 
countries need to strengthen and diversify their productive capacities, overcome supply-side 
constraints, improve competitiveness and exploit the economies of scale thereby integrating in 
regional and global value chains. They also ne ed to enhance standardization capabilities and 
compliance with technical standards and market requirements so as reduce in-flow of sub-standards goods, heighten consumer confiden ce and pursue global acceptance of their products. Furthermore, 
the developing countries need to increase their know ledge of and bargaining-power within the rules-
based trading regime.  
5. Many developing countries, however, are ill equi pped to take advantag e of the opportunities 
provided by trade.  Weak infrastructure, lack of  productive capacities and the inability to meet product 
specifications and increasingly stringent requirement s in terms of quality, safety, health and the 
environment play strongly against their successful integration into global markets. They lack the 
supply capacity to produce goods that can compete in terms of quality and price in export markets, so 
only by removing supply-side constraints, ensu ring compliance with t echnical standards and 
strengthening negotiating capacities can the devel oping countries aspire to full and effective 
integration in the global trading syst em on mutually beneficial terms.  
6. UNIDO, based on its know-how and 40 years of experience in industrial development and in 
setting up Standardization, Metrolog y, Testing and Quality (SMTQ) infrastructures, has developed a 
strategic Trade Capacity-Building (TCB) approa ch to overcome supply-side and conformity 
constraints hampering effective industrial producti ve capacity. Its prime objective is to achieve a 
palpable increase in developing country Manufacturing Value Added and exports by: 
(a) Removing supply-side constraints and developing competitive manufacturing 
capability ( compete );  G/TBT/GEN/63 
 Page 3 
 
 
  (b) Developing and ensuring product conformity with technical and market requirements 
(conform ); and 
(c) Enhancing integration with a nd connectivity to markets ( connect ). 
7. The stage of development of the standards and conformity assessment systems in partner 
countries tends to reflect their gene ral level of economic and industrial  development and in turn has a 
bearing on the efficacy of their technical regulation regimes as well as on their need to protect 
consumers, ensure efficiency of productive and trad e activities, and foster market access. In order to 
maximise sustainability, UNIDO’s assistance is care fully targeted and sequenced to ensure it is 
appropriate to the needs of part ner countries and regional groupings. 
 
Connect 
to the 
MarketM 
A 
R 
K 
E 
T 
SP 
R 
O
D 
U 
C 
T 
SProducts to Market
….by upgrading supply capacities and quality infrastructureDevelop
Competitive 
Supply-side
CapacitiesProve Conformity 
with Market 
Requirements
Compete Conform ConnectUNIDO TRADE CAPACITY BUILDING
Connect 
to the 
MarketM 
A 
R 
K 
E 
T 
SP 
R 
O
D 
U 
C 
T 
SProducts to Market
….by upgrading supply capacities and quality infrastructureDevelop
Competitive 
Supply-side
CapacitiesProve Conformity 
with Market 
Requirements
Compete Conform ConnectUNIDO TRADE CAPACITY BUILDING
 
 
 The UN Secretary General and the President of the fifty-eight session of the UN General Assembly 
supported the UNIDO Approach (3Cs) on the occasion of the Africa industrialization day on 
20 November 2003.  
 
8. Over the past forty years th ere has been significant support by UNIDO to developing 
countries’ enterprises and standards and conformity  assessment organisations through strengthening 
legal, institutional and human capacities and infrastructure with emphasis on: 
(a) Measurement standards; 
(b) Legal metrology; 
(c) Standards development and harmonization; 
(d) Material Testing laboratories; 
(e) Certification and inspection; 
(f) Accreditation (of testing and inspection bodies and certification bodies); G/TBT/GEN/63 
Page 4  
 
  (g) Quality management; and 
(h) Consumers and environmental protection. 
9. Typical areas of UNIDO intervention are:  
(a) Development of national standards bodies (NSBs
), including TBT and SPS enquiry 
points and the upgrading of national legal and regulatory frameworks; 
(b) Development of metrology (calibration) capacities  towards international 
recognition of their services for the calibra tion of national product testing equipment; 
(c) Development of product testing capacities  (micro-biological, chemical, textile, 
leather, electrical laboratories, etc.) toward s international recognition of their services 
for the proof of conformity with foreign buyer requirements; 
(d) Establishment and Upgrading of inspection and certification schemes and 
services  for the assessment of conformity ag ainst products and system standards 
including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22000, etc.) with increased emphasis on public-
private partnerships; 
(e) Development of national and/or regional accreditation schemes  for the 
accreditation of national laboratories, inspectors, certification bodies, etc.; 
(f) In the case of important high profile products  important for groups of developing 
countries (e.g. cotton, sugar, horticulture, fish, garments) develop projects covering 
supply capacity, value addition and conformity ; 
(g) SMEs quality and productivity improvement and conformity to standards and other 
market requirements; 
(h) Participation in international standardi zation and strengthening participation of 
consumers in standards activities; 
(i) Regional harmonization  of standards and conformity assessment systems; 
(j) Pilot projects to assist developing countries to implement farm-to-fork traceability 
systems ; and 
(k) Assessment of barriers to trade  at the country, sector, and enterprise levels. 
II. COUNTRY/REGIONAL COOPERATION 
10. According to UNIDO estimates, in 2002 UNIDO trade-related technical assistance 
commitments amounted to US$ 18.5 million. Afte r raising up to US$ 37.3 million in 2004 the 
commitments further increased to about US$ 46.8 million in 2007. According to the WTO-OECD 
TRTA/CB Database UNIDO ranks as one of the top players in trade-related technical assistance and 
capacity building among international organizations.  
  G/TBT/GEN/63 
 Page 5 
 
 
  TRTA/CB activities committed by UNIDO: 2001 – 2007 (US$ million)  
 
25.037.3
18.5
12.115.226.646.8
y =  3.025x + 1 3.829
01020304050
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007US$ millionTrendline
Average
25.037.3
18.5
12.115.226.646.8
y =  3.025x + 1 3.829
01020304050
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007US$ millionTrendline
Average
 
 Source:  UNIDO elaboration, September 2007 
 
 
11. Approximately 60% of all Trade Capacity-B uilding Trade Assistance during 2001-2007 was 
devoted to Least Developed Countries. At th e same time, the prospects for expanded UNIDO 
activities in LDCs have continued to grow.  
III. HIGHLIGHTS OF CURRENT UNIDO TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE RELATED TO 
TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE (TBT) 
12. The geographical distribution of UNIDO programmes related to standardization, conformity 
assessment and TBT related matters are presented in the figure below. It should be noted that UNIDO 
is increasingly involved in the de velopment and implementation of (sub-) regional projects, ranging 
from the ongoing projects in the Economic and Monetary Union of West Africa (UEMOA), Mekong countries, the South Asian Association of Regi onal Cooperation (SAARC), the Economic Community 
of West African States (ECOWAS), the East Africa Community (EAC) and Central America, and 
new projects under development for the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), CIS states, and the Caribbean (CARICOM). G/TBT/GEN/63 
Page 6  
 
   
 
 
13. Highlights of the main activities and achie vements of UNIDO country and regional 
TRTA/CB projects over the period reported (2001-2007) are presented below: 
(a) In Afghanistan , the UNIDO intervention (US$ 1.2 million) started in January 2005 
as part of a World Bank trade facilitation and custom modernization project, focused on setting up the basic standards and conformity assessment infrastructure through the establishment of the Afghan National Standards Authority (ANSA). The main outputs achieved are: the drafting of th e Afghan Standards and Metrology laws 
together with the Regulatory Framework Act; ANSA joining ISO as correspondent 
member; membership and participation in  DEVCO/ISO General Assembly and MOU  G/TBT/GEN/63 
 Page 7 
 
 
  signed with ASTM, ISIRI, BIS; training of ANSA staff in standardization, metrology 
testing and quality; cooperation in drafti ng ECO scheme-Tehran; field sample testing 
producing a Baseline Fuels Study Report a nd a Kerosene Market Surveillance Report; 
drafting of certification procedures; standards harmonization on selected food items and petrochemicals initiated in 2006; 
(b) The Bangladesh
 Quality Support Programme funded by the European Union (€ 8.5 
million) aims at bringing quality standard s and quality management in Bangladesh up 
to international standards, and at in creasing awareness of international quality 
standards in the business community to s upport the development and diversification 
of exports. UNIDO supports the country for the development of the national quality 
infrastructure in the areas of National Quality Management Systems, Textiles and 
Fisheries. The immediate beneficiari es of the programme are the cooperating 
organizations in the public and the private sector. Assistance is also provided in setting-up the Bangladesh Accreditation Body (BAB); 
(c) In Ghana
, in the framework of the Memora ndum of Understanding signed between 
UNIDO and the WTO, UNIDO is currently implementing a Trade Capacity Building 
Programme funded by the Government of Switzerland through the State Secretariat 
for Economic Affairs - SECO (US$ 2.7 milli on) aimed at developing the supply-side 
capacity and competitiveness in selected ag ro-based sectors. Assistance is also 
provided to develop reliable assessment bodi es, to enhance the country’s integration 
into the multilateral trading system, and at the same time strengthen the local 
consumer participation in the national st andardization process. The programme also 
supports institutions, enterprises and cons umer organizations. The assistance focuses 
on the areas of standardization, training of  industry specialists, testing of products, 
certification and consumer-related capacity  building. The enterprises will benefit 
from the inspection and testing of their produc ts, training of their specialists in quality 
and food safety management, and will ha ve better access to information on export 
opportunities, standards, technical re gulations and buyers’ requirements; 
(d) In the East African Community  (EAC)  UNIDO is currently implementing a project 
funded by the Government of Norway through the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation - Norad to the tune  of US$ 2.6 million, aimed at enhancing 
the capacity of the three participating countries (Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania), 
through a coordinated effort at the regional le vel, to participate in international trade 
mainly through (1) the enhancement of en terprise’s capacity to produce according to 
international market requirements and through (2) the strengthening of export-
oriented support services, mainly relating to conformity assessment; 
(e) The UNIDO project “Increase access to export markets for Lebanese products and 
improvement of its Quality Infrastructure to increase TBT/SPS Compliance” started 
in 2006 in Lebanon
 funded by the Government of Switzerland through the State 
Secretariat for Economic Affairs - SECO (U S$ 2.2 million) aims at enhancing the 
capacities of the Lebanese quality infrastru cture focusing on testing and conformity 
assessment procedures for packaging testi ng and legal metrology mobile laboratory 
services and on supporting the creation of an advisory services on packaging and 
labelling to enhance compliance with TBT/SPS systems requirements in order to 
facilitate exports in selected sectors with important trade potential as well as assuring adequate consumer protection. In this pers pective, the project will improve the quality 
chain for selected food products. Under this  project, up to two laboratories and other 
institutions of the Lebanese quality infr astructure will be improved to provide 
certification and testing services to institutional and private sector customers. Actions G/TBT/GEN/63 
Page 8  
 
  to quickly achieve international recognition of products will be pursued to ensure 
access to export markets of Lebanese goods a nd overcome potential barriers to trade. 
Focusing on the actual needs of producers a nd exporters, the project will strengthen 
the certification capability to provide services to exporters (related to standards and conformity assessment procedures, market  information and technology solutions 
focusing on labelling and packaging and quality marks) and assist a group of 
producers on a pilot-basis in implementing GHP/GMP and quality systems as well as food traceability; 
(f) The Libyan
 Laboratory Accreditation Programme started in 2005 and funded by 
UNDP (US$ 1.0 million) supports the international accreditation of the International 
Research Centre (IRC) laboratories. It also  facilitates in human capacity building by 
training the laboratory experts in quality management systems and its 
implementation, Laboratory Information Management Systems, operational and 
application aspects of sophisticated equipm ent, specialized te chnical issues and 
certifying their competence to work as laboratory assessors; 
(g) In Egypt , UNIDO is currently providing technical assistance in the area of physical 
traceability systems (farm-to-fork) of agro-industrial products for the European markets through a project financed under a debt-for-development swap agreement between the governments of Egypt and Italy (US$7.0 million).  The UNIDO/ETRACE (Egyptian Traceability Centre for Agro-Industrial Exports) scheme aims at reducing barriers to trade for Egyptian enterprises by supporting the adoption 
of traceability schemes at the enterprise level, upgrading technology related to 
traceability, quality, safety and supply-chain management and fostering certification and accreditation. Additionally, the project provides for the preparation of traceability 
manuals and national guides outlining lega l and technical requirements, thus 
facilitating the integration of Egyptian e xporters in global value chains. ETRACE 
aims to ensure that in terms of quality , safety and traceability, fresh produce complies 
with international regulations on food safety, including the European legislation 179/2002; 
(h) Mekong Programme Phase I & II
: In the Mekong region countries of Cambodia, 
Lao PDR, and Vietnam , UNIDO, by way of an intervention funded by the 
Government of Norway through the Norwegian Agency for Development 
Cooperation - Norad (US$ 2.5 million), is supporting the industrial development and 
export capabilities of the three countries by reducing technical barriers to trade through the strengthening of standards, me trology, testing and quality institutional 
structures and national capacities. The firs t Phase of the programme, initiated in 2003 
and completed in December 2005, focused primarily on awareness creation of and 
initial capacity building in the importance of SMTQ for industrial development in 
general and more importantly demonstrated  the way the absence of such capacities 
can act as a significant non-tariff barrier to trade. Mekong Phase I accomplished its main focus of assessing the shortfalls in  the countries’ SMTQ infrastructure and 
closing some of the identified gaps. Moreover, the project went a long way towards ensuring that the countries are prepared to participate as members of the WTO in the 
medium term. Based on this foundation, a second phase of the project has been 
approved (funded by the same donor) and commenced in 2006. The objectives of the second Phase of the Mekong project, are thus  concentrating on development and 
strengthening of new and existing physical conformity infrastructure, further extensive training and securing of national training capabilities on the various 
standards involved in the main identifie d export industries, ensuring regional and  G/TBT/GEN/63 
 Page 9 
 
 
  international credibility of the conformity infrastructure, and development of 
operational TBT and SPS enquiry points in each country; 
(i) The UNIDO Trade Related Technical Assistance Project in Pakistan  funded by the 
European Union (€2.5 million) focused on im provement of Standardization Practices 
(advisory services strategic and business plan, National Enqu iry Point (NEP) on 
standards/technical regulations, training) through assistance to the national standard 
body (PSQCA). The Pakistan Systems Cer tification Body (PSCB) was launched and 
support was given towards accreditation of Testing Labs to ISO/IEC 17025 (19 
testing laboratories were prepared for accreditation to ISO/IEC17025 including manuals, equipment, training and PT). The National Measurement Services (design, 
conditioning, equipment, training) was stre ngthened and Certified/Registered Courses 
Provided (HACCP, Method Validation, Measurement Traceability, Measurement 
Uncertainty, ISO/IEC Assessor Courses). Finally, the National Accreditation Process was strengthened (ISO Guide 62) and international SPS compliance and TBT 
reviewed. In view of due recognition of the successes registered within the 
framework of the 2004-2007 TRTA and the capacity development gaps still 
outstanding that need to be addressed , the European Commission has earmarked, 
under its third generation coope ration arrangement with Pakistan, funds in excess of € 
8 million to support implementation of a successor TRTA programme in the country. The four-year successor programme cove rs the programming period of 2008-2011 
and pursues the following objectives: (i) to expand and improve the existing SMTQ 
service and infrastructure, (ii) to upgrade t esting laboratories and enlarge the scope of 
the existing accredited laboratories, (iii) to establish a SPS management plan for application on sector and product basis, and (iv) to develop value chains and sectors 
by matching supply competitiveness and market  requirements (chain approach and 
demand chain approach); 
(j) The UNIDO SMTQ intervention started in 1999 in Sri Lanka
 funded by the 
Government of Norway through the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation - Norad (US$ 2.5 million) manage d within a relatively short time span to 
make available in the coun try seven internationally accr edited testing laboratories 
covering the areas of chemical, microbiology, rubber/plastics and food analysis testing at the Sri Lanka  Standards Institution (SLSI), Industrial Technology Institute 
(ITI) and Textile Training & Services Centre (TT&SC). Furthermore, to ascertain the 
accuracy of the tests and the testing e quipment used by these laboratories, the 
country’s industrial metrology capabiliti es were strengthened by upgrading the 
Industrial Metrology Laboratories at ITI in the areas of dimensional, volume, mass, 
thermometry, pressure and electrical metrology. Summing up, a total of eight testing 
and metrology facilities were strengthened according to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard 
guidelines towards achieving international accreditation of their services by 2007. All 
laboratories developed under the UNIDO/Nor ad intervention in Sri Lanka have met 
the international ISO/IEC 17025 strict cr iteria for accreditation, and were granted 
international recognition for their test s and calibration services by the Swedish 
Accreditation Body (SWEDAC). This is a remarkable achievement since apart from 
India, Thailand and Malaysia  no other developing country in Asia has reached this 
milestone; 
(k) A new UNIDO/Norad SMTQ intervention commenced in 2006 "Strengthening 
international certification in Sri Lanka with particular reference to Social 
Accountability Standard (SA 8000) and Food Safety (HACCP/ISO 22000) Standard” 
with a budget of US$ 757,100.  The F ood Safety Management component was 
initiated in December 2006 under the aegi s of UNIDO and key partnership of The G/TBT/GEN/63 
Page 10  
 
  Ceylon National Chamber of Industries (CNCI), National Chamber of Exporters of 
Sri Lanka (NCE) and Sri Lanka Standa rds Institution (SLSI). The National 
Certification body named "IND-EXPO Certifi cation (Pvt) Ltd" was incorporated on 
13th March 2007. National awareness se minars, validation workshop and Gap 
analysis have been conducted. The Na tional capacity for the Food Safety 
Management System (HACCP/ISO 22000) standard development and certification 
will be achieved through the tr aining of consultants, accred ited trainers and auditors 
as stipulated under the international practices; 
(l) For the LDCs of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation
 (SAARC) 
the UNIDO project funded by the Government of Norway through the Norwegian 
Agency for Development Cooperation - Nora d (US$ 1.0 million) for Market Access 
and Trade Facilitation Support for South Asian LDCs, assisted Bangladesh, Nepal, 
Bhutan and Maldives in strengthening thei r SMTQ institutions to overcome technical 
barriers in their external trade and enable  them to increase value added exports and 
generate additional income from their pr oducts thereby overcoming poverty. The 
development of national standards will also help in upgrading the quality of products 
in their domestic markets. UNIDO also supported Maldives  in becoming a member of 
ISO and sponsored Bhutan  and Nepal  to attend the ISO General Assembly in 2005 
and 2006 respectively for networking am ong standards bodies worldwide. UNIDO 
also sponsored participants from SAARC LDCs to attend the training workshops 
organized by ISO and BIS in India. A second phase of the project aimed to 
consolidate the gains of the first phase has been approved (€ 2.2 million) and the 
implementation will commence at the end of 2007; 
(m) In the West Africa Economic and Monetary Union  (UEMOA) UNIDO 
implemented a large-scale project funded by the European Union (€ 14 million), 
UEMOA Phase I, which achieved remarkable results by creating regional legal and 
institutional systems in fields of accreditation, certification, standardization and 
metrology. Considering the positive achieve ments and experience gained from this 
programme, the European Union decided to finance, as part of the 9th European Development Fund (EDF), the Programme to Support competitiveness and harmonisation of Technical Barriers to Trad e (TBT) and Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary 
Measures (SPS) in West Africa (West Africa Quality Programme) to the tune of € 14 
million. This programme has been divi ded in two main components: UEMOA 
Quality Programme Phase II (UPQ2 - € 6 million), and ECOWAS Quality Programme (non-UEMOA, plus Mauritania) (ENUM- € 8 million). The activities planned under UPQ2 consolidate the achievements of UEMOA Phase I, by targeting the strengthening of the capacity of the UEMOA Commission to implement the 
application of the UEMOA Quality Regula tion at the regional and national levels. 
The activities planned under ENUM will focus on strengthening the quality infrastructure within the ECOWAS Co mmission, in order to support the 
implementation of the ECOWAS Common Industr ial Policy, particularly in its trade-
related aspects, namely those related to European market. The West Africa Quality 
Programme will provide to this region, the s upport needed in terms of quality in order 
to comply with the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which could be signed 
between the European Union and ECOWAS and Mauritania by the end of 2007.  The project in the UEMOA countries is also complementary to the €16 million for Restructuring and Upgrading industrial en terprises of the UEMOA member states 
also implemented by UNIDO; and 
(n) In Tanzania
, the UNIDO project funded by the Government of Switzerland through 
the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs - SECO (US$ 2 million) aims at upgrading  G/TBT/GEN/63 
 Page 11 
 
 
  the capacities of the Tanzanian quality infrastructure - with emphasis on the 
Tanzanian Bureau of Standards (TBS) - to enhance compliance with TBT/SPS systems requirements and to deliver globa lly accepted metrology, testing, quality and 
certification services in order to facilitate exports in selected sectors with important trade potential. In this perspective, th e project will improve the quality chain for 
coffee and cashew nuts production. Assist ance has so far focused on metrology 
through assistance in accreditation and upgrading of metrology laboratories.  During 2007, internal auditor training for Food Safety Management Systems based on the 
ISO 22000 was undertaken, and the nine participating companies are being assisted to implement food safety management systems complying with ISO 22000.  
It should be noted that several other projects, not listed above, cover also TBT-related issues 
but give emphasis on SPS matters or on suppl y-capacity including industrial upgrading . 
 
IV. COOPERATION WITH THE WTO AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 
A. UNIDO
 - WTO 
14. An MoU  was signed in Cancun (200 3) between UNIDO and the WTO establishing a strategic 
partnership between the two Orga nizations for the purpose of impl ementing the Doha Development 
Agenda (DDA), thereby ensuring that trade and i ndustrial development enha nce economic growth and 
that developing countries, least developed countries and transition economies integrate into the global 
economy and the multilateral trading system. Under the MoU, UNIDO and the WTO are providing 
assistance to developing countries and transition economies focusing on: (i) Removing supply-side  
constraints; (ii) Developing systems to prove conformity  to market technical and regulatory 
requirements; and (iii) Enabling better integration  into the multilateral trading system.  In the initial 
phase the two organization developed projects in ni ne pilot countries (Armenia, Bolivia, Cambodia, 
Cuba, Egypt, Ghana, Jordan, Kenya, Mauritania), later extended to Azerbaijan and Zambia (2006). 
The projects are focusing on strengthening the countries standards and conformity assessment infrastructures and on supporting strategic export sectors to improve quality and overcoming barriers 
to trade thereby fostering integration in the multilateral trading system. 
15. UNIDO's contribution to the Aid for Trade
 initiative: By adopting a holistic approach to the 
complex and multi-dimensional problems of trade capacity-building and joining forces with other common-system organizations and agencies, as we ll as bilateral agencies and professional institutions 
to meet the supply capacity and conformity n eeds of developing countries and LDCs, the UNIDO 
Trade Capacity-Building programme demonstrates the practical application of the Aid for Trade 
objectives. Hence, UNIDO's submission to the Aid for Trade Task Force emphasises its type of 
technical assistance in trade capacity -building, geared towards practical projects that help developing 
countries build up their manufacturing capabilities and pr omote conformity with market requirements.  
Projects that, in the end, enable them to produ ce competitive exportable products. The main services 
and tools offered are grouped in three clusters: co mpetitiveness analysis and trade-related policies; 
quality management and enterprise upgrading; and standards, metrol ogy, conformity assessment and 
accreditation. The type of assistance UNIDO offers is in line with the recommendations of the WTO 
Aid for Trade Task Force, the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effec tiveness and the UN system-wide 
coherence goals. In cooperation with key donors, such  as the European Union, Austria, France, Italy, 
Japan, Norway, Switzerland, and the United King dom, UNIDO implements TCB programmes using 
innovative approaches such as linking debt swaps and trade-related technical cooperation, specifically 
to overcome TBT/SPS constraints and to establish “farm-to-fork” traceability mechanisms, as in the 
case of a debt swap agreement between Egypt and Italy. 
16. UNIDO was invited to attend the three Aid for Trade Regional Review events 
held during 
September/October 2007 in Lima fo r Latin America and the Caribbean , in Manila for Asia and the G/TBT/GEN/63 
Page 12  
 
  Pacific, and Dar es Salaam for Africa and specifi cally to provide inputs and deliver technical 
presentations on its Trade Capacity Building initiati ve and the contribution to Aid for Trade during 
the two side events contributing to defining capacity  building needs related to AFT: the Standards and 
Trade Development Facility Workshop (STDF) and Private Sector and The Aid for Trade Initiative 
Workshop. The results and recommendations of the th ree Regional Reviews are to be discussed at the 
Global Aid for Trade Review Meeting in Geneva on the 20-21 November 2007. 
17. At the 46th session of the Sub-Committee on Least Developed Countries held in March 2007 
(WT/COMTD/LDC/M/46) UNIDO reported on its t echnical assistance activities to Least-Developed 
Countries in the Diversification of their Production and Export Base. During the meeting the member countries emphasized UNIDO’s efforts to incr ease LDC trade capacity, acknowledging UNIDO’s 
activities towards building LDCs production and export base and highlighted the additional 
possibilities for UNIDO - LDC cooperation under the Integrated Framework (IF) process. 
18. Hence, UNIDO has been building stronger ties with the Enhanced Integrated Framework 
(EIF ), the separate trade related initiative providing  assistance to LDCs only within the auspices of 
Aid for Trade, where it is being acknowledged as a potential implementing partner. The new EIF 
document , prepared and circulated at the Stockholm Pl edging Conference on the Enhanced Integrated 
Framework (EIF) that took place on 25 September 2007 clearly mentions UNIDO as an implementing partner and also as an observer at the EIF Steering Committee. 
19. In addition, UNIDO serves as an observer at the Standards and Trade Development 
Facility (STDF ) whose aim is to assist developing countri es enhance their expertise and capacity to 
analyze and to implement international sanitary a nd phytosanitary (SPS) standards and to act as a 
vehicle for co-ordination among technical co-operation providers. 
20. Currently, a UNIDO-WTO project for Zambia  is being developed as a first example of “aid-
for-trade”. The project will comp lement the background Integrated Framework (IF) work and will 
include specific actions to overcome supply-side constraints as well as conformity and market access 
issues. The kick-off seminar that was organized in  September 2006, had identified gaps in the DTIS 
for Zambia especially in the areas of supply capac ity and conformity and had created some consensus 
on the objectives of the proposed project as: strengthening the TBT and SPS infrastructure with focus on the Zambia Bureau of Standards and SPS-related institutions such as the Plant Quarantine, Phyto-
Sanitary and Sanitary Branch of the Zambia Agri culture Research Institute  as well as strengthening 
supply capacity in selected sectors (such as honey, co tton, wood products, and ho rticulture) based on 
the value-chain analyses to be conducted. As with  the previous UNIDO-WTO joint projects, the WTO 
will focus on TBT/SPS enquiry points and training. 
21. Another clear demonstration of Aid for Trade in practice is the new Joint UNIDO/WTO 
Cotton initiative  for the development of the African cotton sector  that aims to help eleven African 
countries to strengthen their position in global market s. The initiative was de veloped in response to 
the key concern surrounding the plig ht of millions of cotton farmers in Africa expressed during the 
Cancun WTO Ministerial Meeting, and the challenges faced due to trade distorting subsidies given to 
cotton producers in the rich countries. UNIDO took th e challenge to assist the cotton farmers in Africa 
by enhancing their product quality and value addition.  G/TBT/GEN/63 
 Page 13 
 
 
   
B. UNIDO  - ISO 
22. A UNIDO-ISO MoU was signed in December 2003 to jointly assist developing countries and 
transition economies focusing on the use of standard ization to enhance industrial development and 
participation in world trade.  In the implem entation of the MoU, UNIDO has being supporting a 
number of NSBs towards ISO membership, including, more recently, Afghanistan, UEMOA 
countries, and the Maldives. Specific joint activities covered:  
(a) UNIDO-ISO publication on " National Standards Bodies in the 21st Century - A 
primer for developing countries " (being printed); 
(b) UNIDO-ISO joint training programme on ISO 22000 for East Africa Community 
(EAC) and development of a joint UNIDO-ISO training package on ISO 22000; 
(c) UNIDO-ISO seminar on CA in Arab Regi on (Jordan), ISO participation in the 
UNIDO-UNECA-AU Conference of African Minister of Industry (Egypt); UNIDO participation in the ISO regional Semina r on Food Safety Management Systems (ISO 
22000:2005) (Indonesia); 
(d) Cooperation in the development of the Qu estionnaire for the ISO survey of NSBs 
which will allow detailed analysis of NSBs in developing countries; 
(e) UNDO membership in ISO/DEVCO, TC 34, ISO WG on CRS, TCs on 
Environmental labelling, Footwear, and Leather. 
(f) UNIDO-ISO seminar on Food Safety Management Systems based on the ISO 22000 
standard in East African Community and trai ning of trainers cour se; ISO participation 
in the UNIDO-AU Expert Group Meeting on “Standards Compliance and Conformity 
Assessment for the Development of Su stainable Trade in Africa”; UNIDO’s 
participation at the ISO/SABS workshop of Conformity Assessment (South Africa); and 
(g) Cooperation in the development of the Qu estionnaire for the ISO survey of NSBs 
which will allow details analysis of  NSBs in developing countries. 
C. UNIDO
 - ILAC/IAF 
23. UNIDO also signed in 2004, a cooperation ag reement with the International Laboratory 
Accreditation Council (ILAC) and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) to maximize synergies 
between UNIDO and the development activities undertaken by these two bodies in building the 
capacities of developing countries to participate in international trade. The Agreement formalized a 
longstanding working relationship with ILAC and IAF with focused on Pre-Peer Evaluations for 
Laboratory Accreditation Bodies (with ILAC), and on accreditations of Certification Bodies (with 
IAF). Joint activities aim at raising awareness of the important role accredited tests and calibration 
results (ILAC) and accredited management systems certificates (IAF) play in the competitiveness of exports. The Pre-Peer Evaluation Procedure ( PPEP) to assist accreditation bodies understand the 
requirements of the "ILAC Arrangement" and therefor e make it more likely that they satisfy the 
formal process for admission. The "ILAC Arrangeme nt seeks to give global recognition to laboratory 
accreditation bodies through a single peer evaluation ag ainst internationally agreed criteria.  UNIDO 
and ILAC jointly published a manual on laboratory accreditation for developing countries, which is 
currently being updated. G/TBT/GEN/63 
Page 14  
 
  D. JCDCMAS 
24. The Joint Committee on Coordination of Technical  Assistance to Developing Countries in the 
fields of Metrology, Accreditation and Standard ization (JCDCMAS) was established in 2002 and 
unites specialist organizations operating at globa l level that are active promoting Metrology, 
Accreditation and Standardization (MAS) as a tool  for sustainable economic development. The 
following organizations are JCDCMAS members: BIPM, IAF, IEC, ILAC, ISO, ITC, ITU-T, OIML 
and UNIDO, who is currently holding the Secretariat.  
25. During the last annual meeting held in Marc h 2007 in Vienna, several activities to be 
undertaken in the course of the year were agreed upon. In addition to the further development of the 
JCDCMAS web-portal that is now ready for the Me mbers to provide inputs and is expected to 
become publicly available at end of the year, a seri es of events on relevant matters have been planned 
in order to further underline the JCDCMAS agenda. In this context, an Expert Group Meeting on 
"How Best to Assemble and Conduct Analysis of Non-Compliances Affecting Market Access for 
Developing Economies" organized by UNIDO and co-sponsored by OIML, ILAC and ITC that 
explored the links between the international sta ndards, non-tariff measures to trade and harmonized 
trading system codes took place on 26th-27th September 2007. The events will result in a number of 
joint publications among the releva nt partner organizations on different aspects of MAS, such as 
UNIDO-ILAC publication on Proficiency Testing (P T) for Developing Economies and the updated 
UNIDO-ILAC publication on Laboratory Accr editation for Developing Economies.  
V. TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE 
A. P
ARTICIPATION IN THE TBT  COMMITTEE  
26. UNIDO holds an ad-hoc observer status in th e WTO TBT Committee and attends regularly its 
meetings.  Although the last official technical assistance report submission to the TBT Committee was 
made in 2001, UNIDO presented its Trade Capacity -Building initiative and related activities with 
various occasions since, including at the Committ ee’s last meeting held on 5 July 2007, were 
delegations discussed many different trade concerns related to standards and technical barriers to 
trade. 
27. UNIDO made two presentations at the Works hop on the different approaches to Conformity 
Assessment organized by the TBT Committee on 16–17 March 2006 in Gene va, namely “Specific 
needs and technical considerations identified in rela tion to the conformity assessment infrastructure of 
developing country Members through the analys is of the responses to the WTO Questionnaire” & 
“Establishment of CA schemes in developing countries: Some case studies”. 
B. NEEDS ASSESSMENT  
28. As one of the top providers of TRTA with  emphasis on TBT matters, UNIDO has developed 
over the last ten years several needs assessment t ools. Moreover, UNIDO projects are conceived and 
developed through communications received via different channels.  Among them, typical schemes 
are: (i) Government request for TBT-related TRTA  to cover legal framework, institutional and human 
capacity and physical infrastructures (testing labor atories, mobile calibration….); (ii) Requests by 
businesses associations such as national/sectoral indust rial associations, chambers of commerce and 
Industry…) or local institutions (standards bodi es, certifyers, inspection bodies, labs…); (iii) 
Identification of new standards or conformity asse ssment procedures which might have a significant 
impact on developing countries’ export; or (iv)  Product banned to export; (v) TRTA linked with 
bilateral, regional or multilateral trade negotiations.  Usually, donors are associated with the project 
development process from the initial development phase and often UNIDO puts some seed money 
either to carry out the needs assessmen t or to contribute to tackling urgent problems and requests. The  G/TBT/GEN/63 
 Page 15 
 
 
  UNIDO methodology for needs assessment requires both desk research and field work and it is 
supported by the UNIDO field representation syst em, as well as by its technical networks which 
include: National Cleaner Production Centres, Tec hnology Centres, Investment and Partnership 
Promotion Offices, Sub-Contracting Exchanges…  A brief presentation of the key needs assessment tools is presented below.  
1. UNIDO and the WTO Questionnaire G/TBT/W/178 
29. Relevance of UNIDO services to the responses to the WTO Questionnaire G/TBT/W/178
: 
UNIDO carried out an assessment of the 53 responses to the WTO questionnaire G/TBT/W/178 
designed to assist WTO developing country memb ers in the identification and prioritization of 
their specific needs in the field of technical barriers to trade (TBT)  that had been collected by 
January 2005 with emphasis on data from the first pa rt (focusing on the curr ent situation, specific 
problems, difficulties and/or interests and identifi cation of technical assistance and/or cooperation 
activities required in relation to different TBT elem ents) as well as the second part  (providing a form 
to prioritize needs). The results of the WTO needs assessment questionnaire G/TBT/W/178 were 
confirmed by UNIDO through an analysis based on TB T-related technical assistance needs that could 
be met through technical cooperati on activities offered by the orga nization, and included:  TBT 
surveys carried out at the enterprise level, Analysis of supply-side constraints of key export sectors (competitiveness analysis tool), and country/regional quality infrastructure need s assessment surveys.  
2. TBT Surveys at the enterprise level 
30. UNIDO has developed a methodology for ente rprise-level surveys on “Trade Related 
Challenges Faced by Exporters” aimed to qualify an d quantify the problems exporters in developing 
countries are facing in the regional and internati onal trade environment by identifying common trade 
barriers related to supply side, standards and c onformity assessment and integration into the multi-
lateral trading system and reviewing the possi bilities of overcoming these obstacles through Trade 
Related Technical Assistance and Capacity Building (TRTA/CB).  
31. Based on the methodology developed, pilot surv eys were carried out in various countries 
(including Armenia, Bahrain, Cambodia, Jordan, Guinea, Ghana, Kenya, Lao PDR, Lebanon, 
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and also initiated in  Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Libya, Maldives, and 
Nepal) from different geographical areas, on differe nt levels of economic development and having 
different economic structures.  
3. Key Export Sectors Supply-Side constraints – UNIDO’s Competitiveness Analysis Tool 
32. Since 2004, UNIDO has been building up a competitiveness analysis programme
 which 
helps countries to identify those sectors and produc ts in which they have the greatest competitive 
potential and in which they could be competitive in  the medium to long term. The methodology used 
is the fruit of an earlier research programme develope d in cooperation with Oxford University in the 
UK, which formulated a series of economic indi cators and indices measuring industrial and export 
performance. Competitiveness analysis starts with an overview of the competitive performance of the 
industrial sector as a whole. It is then possible to work down to an assessment of sectoral performance 
and of performance at product level. By assembling data  for each stage of the export value chain, it is 
possible to see which stages in processing offer th e greatest share of manufacturing value added 
(MVA) or at which stage the competition from peers is  weakest (or strongest).  Moreover, the use of 
internationally recognized sets of data also facilita tes benchmarking exercises with other countries in 
the region producing the same products and with wi der flung star performers. The trade analysis 
programme also produces data on and explanations  of the cost of doing business in a country. 
UNIDO’s strategy has three phases: raising aw areness on industrial and trade competitiveness; 
training public and private sector counterparts on industrial diagnosis and trade competitiveness G/TBT/GEN/63 
Page 16  
 
  analysis; and setting up an inter-institutional (or ins titutional) unit staffed by young professionals from 
key Ministries and private sector institutions. 
4. Analysis of Quality Infrastructure Constraints 
33. In its efforts to contribute to make the Ai d for Trade initiative a su ccess for Africa, UNIDO 
elaborated a questionnaire to identify the gaps and asses s the specific needs of African countries 
in the field of quality infrastructure  (quality promotion, metrology,  accreditation, standardisation 
and conformity assessment) that should allow better elaboration of trade capacity building projects at 
the national and sub-regional levels. The UNIDO survey of the existing situation of quality 
infrastructures was the basis for the elaboration of an Action Plan to address the weaknesses of those 
infrastructures with a view to building trade capacity  in African countries and improving the prospects 
of economic development on the continent. The findings of this survey and the proposed UNIDO 
action plan were presented and discussed during the “Standards Compliance and Conformity Assessment for the Development of Sustainable Trade in Africa” Expert Group Meeting organized 
jointly with the African Union (AU) and held in Tunis in February 2007. Building up on the initial 
survey, which covered 32 African Countries, UNIDO is currently updating the already received data 
expanding at the same time the scope and geographic coverage of the survey. 
34. A similar survey was conducted at the end of 2006 in the six Gulf Cooperation Council 
(GCC) country members (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qata r, Saudi Arabia and the UAE) at the request of 
the Standardization Organization of the Gulf C ooperation Council (GSO-GCC). The results of the 
survey led to the formulation of a number of na tional/regional assistance intervention proposals that 
included concrete action plans aimed at strengt hening the existing capacities. These were presented 
and discussed in a joint GSO-UNIDO workshop he ld in the beginning of June 2007 at the 
headquarters of the Saudi Arabia Authority of Sta ndards and Specifications in Riyadh. Among others, 
the interventions proposed by UNIDO target the ha rmonization of standards and technical regulations 
at the regional level, increased coordination a nd cooperation in the area of metrology, as well as 
establishing a GCC-wide regional accreditation me chanism and a GSO-led Management System 
Certification Body. 
5. Analysis of developing countries product refusals/notifications 
35. Starting from the analysis of product refusals/notifications for developing countries originated 
by the United States Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA), European Union Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (EU-RASFF) and Japan (Min istry of Health, Labour and Welfare), UNIDO 
worked out an enhanced classification of Non-Tari ff Measures (NTMs)/Non-Tariff Barriers 
(NTBs) to trade .  The classification was developed in the context of the Multi-Agency Support Team 
established by the Group of Eminent Persons on N on-Tariff Barriers (MAST) through the SPS/TBT 
Sub-Groups with the participation of several inte rnational organizations (C odex Alimentarius, FAO, 
ITC, OECD, UNCTAD, WTO, US-ERS, and US-ITC) led by OECD and UNIDO.  
36. UNCTAD, UNIDO and ITC in cooperation with other MAST members (IMF, FAO, OECD, 
WTO, WB) launched in 2007 a Pilot Project on Collection and Quantification of Non-Tariff 
Measures (NTMs) Database  (UNCTAD-DITC Draft, 18 July 2007). Aimed at developing a 
systematic methodology of definition and collec tion of Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs) the project 
covers nine pilot countries (Brazil, Chile, Indi a, Kenya, Mozambique, Philippines, Switzerland, 
Thailand and Zambia). The objective is to initiate a country level data collection on NTMs that will 
help MAST to draw up an analytical framework to carry out a multi-agency effort in data collection 
process and prepare studies on the impact assessment of NTMs.   G/TBT/GEN/63 
 Page 17 
 
 
  C. RESEARCH  
37. UNIDO in cooperation with the Norwegian Agen cy for Development Cooperation (Norad) is 
developing a global research project aimed at provi ding a practical yet comprehensive guide to the 
private/industry standards that are influential in  determining buyer-supplier relationships in world 
markets for manufactured goods. The proposed Guide to Private Standards, will provide not only an 
inventory of relevant industry standards by selected  sectors (e.g. textiles and apparel, furniture and 
wood products, leather and footwear, chemicals etc. ) for developing country exporters, but also an 
assessment of their implications vis-à-vis other barriers to trade to yield benefits for both policy makers and private enterprises in developing coun tries and enable UNIDO and other interested 
institutions to better focus and design their Techni cal Assistance and Capacity Building projects.  
VI. CONCLUDING REMARKS 
38. UNIDO is committed to foster developing countries access to and integration in the global 
markets assuring adequate protection of consumers a nd of the environment. This is defined in the 
Organization’s Trade Capacity Building (TCB) pr ogramme, which is one of the three thematic 
priorities of the Organization.  UNIDO’s TCB approach encompasses the improvement of supply 
capacity and upgrading of standardization capabilities and greater conformity to market requirements 
to overcome barriers to trade. The UNIDO TCB appro ach has been developed on the basis of project 
and research activities carried out by UNIDO and on th e Organization’s forty years of experience in 
strengthening developing countries’ industrial capac ity and their Standards, Metrology, Testing and 
Quality (SMTQ) infrastructure and skills.    
39. UNIDO’s assistance attends the whole supply-ch ain and takes into account that developing 
countries need capacities to produce competitive expor table products that c onform to international 
standards. Only through this way, participation in international trade and investment flows can 
become a feasible path out of the poverty trap. 
40. UNIDO, through its TCB programme, will continue  to provide demanded technical assistance 
and capacity building at the national and (sub-) regiona l levels in the field of standards and related 
fields and also to increase participation of deve loping countries in international standardization 
activities.  In this perspective UNIDO will stre ngthen, even further the strategic partnership 
established with WTO, ITC, UNCTAD and key tech nical organizations such as ISO, ILAC, IAF. 
For further information please contact: 
UNIDO Trade Capacity-Building Branch
 
Lalith Goonatilake, Director  
Tel:  (+43) 12 6026 3859 
Fax:  (+43) 12 6026 5830  Email: L.Goonatilake@unido.org  
Gerardo Patacconi, Chief    
Tel:  (+43) 12 6026 3859  
Fax:  (+43) 12 6026 73605 G.Patacconi@unido.org   
Productivity, Quality and Enterprise Upgrading Unit 
United Nations Industrial Deve lopment Organization (UNIDO) 
Vienna International Centre; P.O. Box 300 A-1400, Vienna 
 
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