WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/GEN/68 
23 April 2008 
 (08-1937) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
IEC REPORT ON ACTIVITIES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES  
(NOVEMBER 2007– MARCH 2008) 
 
 
 The following information was provided by th e International Electrotechnical Commission
 
(IEC) at the TBT Committee meeting of 20 March 2008. 
 
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 I. INTRODUCTION 
1. 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. 
2. The IEC is the world's leading organization that prepares and publishes International 
Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies – collectively known as 
"electrotechnology". The IEC also manages Co nformity Assessment Schemes that certify that 
equipment, systems or components conf orm to its International Standards. 
II. IEC MEMBERSHIP  
3. Libyan Arab Jamahiriya joined the IEC as a Fu ll Member in January 2008, after seven years 
in the IEC Affiliate Country Programme. The countr y has already adopted over 200 IEC International 
Standards. 
4. The IEC Family now comprises 148 countries: 69 Members and 79 Affiliates. 
5. To further encourage membership from devel oping countries who require more services than 
those offered under the IEC Affiliate Country Programme, IEC Member dues (annual membership 
fees) have been reduced for the second year in succession. 
III. IEC PROGRAMME FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 
6. The IEC Affiliate Country Programme has conti nued to grow, with four new countries joining 
since the last TBT Committee meeting. This bri ngs to 79 the number of developing countries 
participating in its International Standardization wo rk (but who are not IEC Members). Over the past 
four months, Myanmar, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, El Salvador and, recently, The Gambia have also joined the Programme. 
7. The Affiliate Programme is unique in that it en courages active participation in standardization 
work without the financial burden of membership  fees. To date, more than 30 countries have 
identified the IEC International Standardization activ ities in which they want to participate. Most G/TBT/GEN/68 
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  recently, experts from Bhutan have chosen to partic ipate in the standardization of plugs, circuit-
breakers and luminaires. 
8. The Affiliate Programme encourages developi ng countries to use and adopt international 
standards in line with the Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement. Trinidad and Tobago, Ghana and 
Benin are the latest countries to adopt IEC In ternational Standards as national standards or 
regulations. Eritrea recently starte d its adoption programme and this brings to 28 the number of 
developing countries using IEC International Standards. 
9. The Affiliate Programme continues to witn ess a high demand for IEC electrotechnical 
standards. A total of 54 Affiliate countries have st arted a basic electronic library, with the focus on 
standards for cables, lamps, batteries and/or safet y of household appliances. While several countries 
have used their quota of 200 free IEC International St andards, they can continue  to obtain standards at 
substantial discounts. 
10. The IEC Affiliate Country Programme Leader, Carlos Rodríguez from Costa Rica, helped 
raise the awareness of the IEC in his region (leadin g to the recruitment of Saint Vincent and the 
Grenadines). He also encouraged El Salvador to join the IEC Programme. In addition, he has been 
advising Affiliates on how to establish nationa l electrotechnical committees which are fully 
representative of stakeholders in the country. 
IV. IEC CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT 
11. The IEC Scheme for certification to standards relating to equipment for use in explosive 
atmospheres (IECEx) held an Industry Symposium in Brunei Darussalam in January. This event 
brought together more than 180 experts in the Ex industry from Australia, Germany, Malaysia, 
Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand,  the United Kingdom and, of course, Brunei 
Darussalam itself. It addressed users, service providers and manufacturers of Ex equipment. As a result, all standards from IEC Technical Committee 31: Equipment for explosive atmospheres, are to be adopted as Brunei national standards, a nd IECEx certification will serve as a minimum 
requirement for Ex equipment and services. 
12. The IEC System for conformity testing and certification of electrotechnical equipment and 
components (IECEE) is currently negotiating with the Latin American members of the Pan-American 
Standards Commission (COPANT), as well as Uganda and Brunei Darussalam, to  consider using the 
IECEE as the basis for their national conformity assessment programmes. The IECEE Secretariat will be attending the Asia Pacific Economic Co-ope ration (APEC) EE MRA Seminar in Brunei and will 
also meet the governmental authorities to discuss their participation in IECEE. In addition, the new 
IECEE brochure,  IECEE. Taking Conformity Assessment  Further  will be made available to 
developing countries. 
13. Brazil is currently examining the possibility of joining IECQ, IEC quality assessment system 
for electronic components. 
V. IEC REGIONAL CENTRES  
14. The IEC Latin America Regional Centre made count ry visits to Argentina and Chile (which is 
now discussing its membership in the IEC) and closer  contacts have been established with the Andean 
Community (CAN). 
15. Since the last TBT Committee meeting, the IEC Asia-Pacific Regional Centre held a common 
training seminar with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in Indonesia on importance of international standa rds and global conformity assessment.  G/TBT/GEN/68 
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  VI. AN ELECTROTECHNICAL STANDARDIZATION COMMISSION IN AFRICA: 
AFSEC  
16. 60-80 participants from almost 15 African countries attended the Constitutive General 
Assembly of the newly-created African Electro technical Standardization Commission (AFSEC) in 
Accra, Ghana, on 26-28 February 2008. IEC w as represented by the Affiliate Country Programme 
Secretary. 
17. AFSEC is a subsidiary of the African Union’s Energy Commission, officially launched by the 
AU Ministers in charge of energy in Algiers on 17 February 2008. 
18. The IEC has been supporting the creation of AFSEC from the beginning, attending the 
preparatory meetings, including the hosting of a special event during the 2005 IEC General Meeting 
in Cape Town, South Africa. The IEC commits to support AFSEC in its task to adopt and harmonize 
existing IEC International Standards fo r use as African regional standards. 
19. IEC will help its Affiliates in Africa to establish their national electrotechnical committees, a 
pre-requisite to join AFSEC. 
20. In the future, liaison and cooperation agre ements will be established with AFSEC. 
 
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