WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/2/Add.102 
24 February 2010 
 (10-1064) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   Spanish 
  
 
IMPLEMENTATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE AGREEMENT ON 
TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE 
 
Communication by Guatemala
 
 
Addendum 
   The following statement, submitted under Article 15.2 of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, has been received from the delegation of Guatemala. 
 
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 1. This notification is made in accordance with Article 15.2 of the Agreement on Technical 
Barriers to Trade and with the decision adopted by the Committee on Technical  Barriers to Trade, 
contained in document G/TBT/1/Rev. 9 of 8 September 2008. 
2. The Republic of Guatemala approved the Agreement establishing the World Trade 
Organization and the Agreements in annex theret o, signed in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 15 April 1994 
following the conclusion of the Uruguay Round of mu ltilateral trade negotiations, by Decree of the 
Congress of the Republic No. 37-95 of  15 May 1995, published in the Diario de Centro América  
(official journal) of 2 June 1995, volume CCLI, No . 57, page 1629, valid as from 10 June 1995.  This 
Decree was ratified by the President of the Republic of Guatemala on 15 June 1995 by 
Convention No. 247, published in the Diario de Centro América  on 4 November 1995, 
volume CCLII, No. 21, pages 1 to 6. 
3. As laws in force in Guatemala, the WTO Agre ements are binding and are enforceable in the 
country's courts.  Consequently, no special legi slation is required in Guatemala to apply the 
agreements covered by the WTO and no special notif ication is required, since by virtue of their 
publication in the offici al State journal, the Diario de Centro América , it is understood that like any 
national law, they are known to all Guatemalans. 
4. Guatemalan technical regulations are adopted in the country and are enforceable throughout 
the territory once they have been published in the Diario de Centro América , the official journal of 
the Republic of Guatemala, which estab lishes the date of entry into force.  
5. The government agencies responsible for adoptin g technical regulations in Guatemala are: 
 (a) Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing; 
 (b) Ministry of the Economy;  (c) Ministry of Energy and Mining; 
 (d) Ministry of the Interior; 
 (e) Ministry of National Defence;  (f) Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare; G/TBT/2/Add.102 
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   (g) Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food; 
 (h) Ministry of Energy and Mining;  (i) Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources.  6. The Guatemalan Standards Commission (COGUANOR) is an entity attached to the Ministry 
of the Economy whose purpose is to develop standa rdization activities that contribute to improving 
the competitiveness of Guatemalan enterprises and to enhancing the quality of the products and 
services marketed by those enterprises domestically a nd internationally in all sectors of the economy.  
It was created by Decree No. 1523 of 25 April 1962, published in the Diario de Centro América  on 
15 May 1962, volume CLXIV, No. 72, page 665.  It entered into force on 1 August 1962.  
7. 8 December 2005 saw the publication in the Diario de Centro América , volume CCLXXVIII, 
No. 19, pages 1 to 7, of Decree No. 78-2005 of the Congress of the Republic providing for the implementation, as of 16 December 2005, of the Law on the National Quality System whose 
objective, inter alia , is to lay down the basis for ensuring that technical regulations adopted to prevent 
and limit risks liable to cause injury or prejudice to persons, animals, plants or the environment do not 
constitute unnecessary barriers to trade, and to est ablish mechanisms to provi de the production sector 
and the public in general with information on the current standards and accreditation procedures, as 
well as on the technical regulations and assessment procedures in effect in Guatemala and in the territory of its major trading partners.  This D ecree redefined the functi ons on COGUANOR as set 
forth in Decree No. 1523, adapting them to the curr ent requirements of the changing international 
trade system.  
8. All Guatemalan technical regulations and standa rds are available and can be obtained through 
the National Enquiry Point.  
9. The National Enquiry Point foreseen in Articles 10.1 and 10.3 of the Agreement on Technical 
Barriers to Trade is made up of COGUANOR and the Ministry of the Economy.  
NATIONAL ENQUIRY POINT OF GUATEMALA 
NAME INSTITUTION TELEPHONE FAX E-MAIL 
Héctor Herrera Comisión 
Guatemalteca de 
Normas 
─COGUANOR ─ 
Calzada Atanasio 
Tzul 27-32, zona 12.  
Ciudad de 
Guatemala (502) 2476 6784 
(502) 2476 6785 
(502) 2476 6786 
(502) 2476 6787 (502) 2476 6777 hherrera@coguanor.gob.gt  
Lidia Esperanza 
García Palacios Ministerio de 
Economía de 
Guatemala 
8ª Avenida 10-43, 
zona 1 Ciudad de 
Guatemala (502) 2412 0200 
Ext. 4219 (502) 2412 0327 ligarcía@mineco.gob.gt  
Francisco Vásquez Ministerio de 
Economía de 
Guatemala 
8ª Avenida 10-43, 
zona 1 
Ciudad de 
Guatemala (502) 2412 0337 (502) 2412 0327 fvasquez@mineco.gob.gt  
  G/TBT/2/Add.102 
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  10. The government agency responsible for tec hnical regulation notification procedures in 
Guatemala under Article 10.11 of the Agreem ent on Technical Barriers to Trade is: 
 Ministry of the Economy 
 Directorate for the Administration of Foreign Trade (DACE)  8ª Avenida 10-43, zona 1.  Ciudad de Guatemala 
 Tel.: +(502) 2412 0337 
 Fax: +(502) 2412 0327  E-mail: fvasquez@mineco.gob.gt
 
  Via: 
 
 Permanent Mission of Guatemala to the WTO  35-37 Avenue Giuseppe MOTTA  1202 GENEVA SWITZERLAND  Tel.: +(4122) 730 1337 
 Fax: +(4122) 730 1345 
 E-mail: alberto.mision@wtoguatemala.ch
 
 
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