Road Map for Accession to and Implementation
of the United Nations1998 Agreement

TABLE
OF CONTENTSA.

INTRODUCTION

3

A.1:

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

3

A.2:

Transport in UNECE

4B.

PURPOSE, SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE ROADMAPS

5

C.

THE 1998 AGREEMENT ON UN GLOBAL TECHNICAL REGULATIONS

6

C.1:

Construction of Safer and more Environmentally Friendly Vehicles

6

C.2:

The 1998 Agreement

9

C.3:

Main provisions of the 1998 Agreement

10

C.4:

Format and contents of UN GTRs annexed to the Agreement

12

C.5:

Benefits of acceding to the 1998 Agreement

13

C.6:

Main web-links for information on the 1998 Agreement and its UN GTRs

14

D.

THE ROAD MAP FOR ACCESSION TO AND IMPLEMENTATION
OF THE 1998 AGREEMENT

15

STEP 1: PREPARING FOR ACCESSION

16

1.1:

Coordination and responsibilities at national level

16

1.2:

Overall coordination and supervision

16

STEP 2: ADDRESSING STRATEGIC ISSUES PRIOR TO ACCESSION

16

2.1:

16

Studying the 1998 Agreement and related national legislation

STEP 3: ACCESSION TO THE 1998 AGREEMENT

17

3.1:

Accession documentation

17

3.2:

Actions upon becoming a Contracting Party

STEP 4: REGULATORY PROCESS UNDER THE 1998 AGREEMENT

18
18

E.

SUMMARIZED ROAD MAP TABLE OF ACTIONS CONCERNING
THE 1998 AGREEMENT

20F.

ANNEXES AND BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS

21

UNECE ROAD MAP
FOR ACCESSION TO AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UN 1998 AGREEMENT

1Photos and credits:
Cover: lurii/Depositphotos.com;
Page 3: Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland;
Page 4: UNECE, Inland Transport Committee (ITC);
Page 5: UNECE, Workshop on the implementation of the 1958-1998 Agreements;
Page 7: UNECE, World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29);
Page 13: ITC side event “Emissions Measurement System Technical Demonstration”;
Page 14: Heavy-duty vehicle engine test cell, courtesy of CATARC;
Page 15: ITC side event “Emissions Measurement System Technical Demonstration”;
Page 18: UNECE, Working Party on Automated/Autonomous and Connected Vehicles;
Page 21: thesomeday123/istockphoto.com.

The design of this brochure is based on the publication “For Safer and Cleaner Vehicles –Road Maps for Accession to and Implementation of the United Nations 1958 and 1997
Agreements” by the EuroMed Transport Support Project (UNECE and the European Union).

A.

INTRODUCTION

A.1 UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is one of the five United
Nations regional commissions, administered by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
It was established in 1947 with the mandate to help rebuild post-war Europe, develop
economic activity and strengthen economic relations among European countries, andbetween Europe and the rest of the world. During the Cold War, UNECE served as the uniqueforum for economic dialogue and cooperation between East and West. Despite thecomplexity of this period, significant achievements were made, with consensus reached on
numerous harmonization and standardization agreements.
In the post-Cold War era, UNECE acquired not only many new member States, but also new
functions. Since the early 1990s the organization has focused on analyses of the transition
process, using its harmonization experience to facilitate the integration of Central and Eastern
European countries into the global markets.
UNECE is the forum where the countries of western, central and eastern Europe, central Asia
and North America – 56 countries in all – come together to forge the tools of their economic
cooperation. That cooperation concerns economics, statistics, environment, transport, trade,sustainable energy, timber and habitat. The Commission offers a regional framework for theelaboration and harmonization of conventions, norms and standards. The Commission’s
experts provide technical assistance to the countries of South-East Europe and theCommonwealth of Independent States. This assistance takes the form of advisory services,training seminars and workshops where countries can share their experiences and bestpractices.

UNECE ROAD MAP
FOR ACCESSION TO AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UN 1998 AGREEMENT

3

A.2 TRANSPORT IN UNECEThe UNECE Sustainable Transport Division is the secretariat of the Inland Transport
Committee (ITC) and the ECOSOC Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous
Goods and on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals.
The ITC and its 17 working parties, as well as the ECOSOC Committee and its Sub-committees
are intergovernmental decision-making bodies that work to improve the daily lives of people
and businesses around the world in measurable ways and with concrete actions that enhance
traffic safety, environmental performance, energy efficiency and the competitiveness of thetransport sector.
The ECOSOC Committee was set up in 1953 by the Secretary-General at the request of the
Economic and Social Council to elaborate recommendations on the transport of dangerous
goods. Its mandate was extended to the global (multisectoral) harmonization of systems ofclassification and labelling of chemicals in 1999. It is composed of experts from countries
which possess the relevant expertise and experience in the international trade and transportof dangerous goods and chemicals. Its membership is restricted in order to reflect a proper
geographical balance between all regions of the world and to ensure adequate participationof developing countries. Although the Committee is a subsidiary body of ECOSOC, theSecretary-General decided in 1963 that the secretariat services would be provided by the
UNECE Transport Division.
The ITC is a unique intergovernmental forum that was set up in 1947 to support thereconstruction of transport connections in post-war Europe. Over the years it has specialized
in facilitating the harmonized and sustainable development of inland modes of transport.

The main results of this persevering and ongoing work are reflected among other things (i) in
58 United Nations conventions and many more technical regulations which are updated on aregular basis and provide an international legal framework for the sustainable development of
national and international road, rail, inland water and intermodal transport, as well as thetransport of dangerous goods and the construction and inspection of road motor vehicles; (ii)in the Trans-European North-South Motorways, Trans-European Railways and the Euro-Asia
Transport Links projects that facilitate multi-country coordination of transport infrastructure
investment programmes; (iii) in the TIR system (Transports Internationaux Routiers),which isa global customs transit facilitation solution; (iv) in the tool called For Future Inland Transport
Systems (ForFITS) which can assist national and local governments to monitor carbon
dioxide (CO2) emissions coming from inland transport modes and to select and design
climate change mitigation policies based on their impact and adapted to local conditions; (v)in transport statistics – methods and data – that are internationally agreed on; and (vi) in
studies and reports that help transport policy development by addressing timely issues basedon cutting-edge research and analysis. The ITC also devotes special attention to Intelligent
Transport Systems, sustainable urban mobility and city logistics, as well as to increasing theresilience of transport networks and services in response to climate change adaptation andsecurity challenges, including cyber-security and interconnectivity of automated vehicles.

B.

Purpose, scope and objectives of the Road Map

UNECE ROAD MAP
FOR ACCESSION TO AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UN 1998 AGREEMENT

5The implementation of vehicle regulations related activities demonstrated that, throughaccession to and implementation of the 1998 Agreement, vehicles safety will be increased
considerably. However, the main issue for many countries remains how to prepare foraccession and implementation of this Agreement so that they can benefit from its provisions,ensuring that safer and less polluting vehicles are used in their countries.
This brochure, prepared by the secretariat of the United Nations Economic Commission for
Europe (ECE), presents the main steps and several sub-steps that countries worldwide
wishing to accede to and fully implement the 1998 Agreement, are advised to follow (theRoad Map).
The first two steps deal with the preparatory work for accession, including coordination andresponsibilities and highlight the strategic issues that need to be considered before
accession. Step three exclusively deals with accession to the agreement, eligibility and related
procedures. Step four lays out the process for the development and establishment of UN
Global Technical Regulations (GTRs).
All related legislative and explanatory documents are annexed. However, due to their volume,
most of them are made available in electronic form only.

C.

The 1998 Agreement on UN Global Technical Regulations

C.1 Construction of Safer and more Environmentally Friendly Vehicles
Road transport plays an essential role in the economy and, jointly with the automotive
industry, contributes considerably to the gross domestic product. On the other hand, roadtraffic has two main negative aspects: road accidents as well as noise and pollutant emissions.
The World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29), was established by the
ECE Inland Transport Committee (ITC) in 1952 to address and seek remedies for these two
negative aspects and to facilitate international trade by eliminating technical barriers to tradeof vehicles. At the turn of the century it expanded its geographical coverage to include any
country or region of the UN system that wants cooperate in increasing vehicles’ safety andenvironmental performance.
The World Forum services three UN Agreements, the 1958 Agreement on theapproval/certification of Vehicles, the 1997 Agreement on Periodic Technical Inspections (PTI)
and the 1998 Agreement on Global Technical Regulations, and their annexed UN Regulations,
UN Rules and UN GTRs.

6

In addition to the Governments of the contracting parties (CPs) to the three agreements,
Governmental Organizations (GOs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) canparticipate in the work of the World Forum, but in a consultative capacity.
The World Forum's work is transparent: agendas, working documents, reports, informal
documents as well as the agreements and their UN Regulations, UN Global TechnicalRegulations and UN Rules as well as all the documents of their Informal Working Groups arefreely accessible on the WP.29 website: http://www.unece.org/trans/main/welcwp29.html.
The Sustainable Transport Division of the ECE Secretariat carries out the day-to-day
management of the activities of WP.29.
Sessions of WP.29 are held three times a year. Those of the subsidiary Working Parties
of Experts (GRs) are held twice a year. Sessions of WP.29’s Administrative Committee for
the Coordination of Work (AC.2) are held prior to each WP.29 session. The structure of theWorld Forum WP.29 is reproduced in the following chart:

UNECE ROAD MAP
FOR ACCESSION TO AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UN 1998 AGREEMENT

7

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe(ECE)

WP.29/AC.1
Administrative Committee of the1958 Agreement

WP.29/AC.3
Executive Committee of the1998 Agreement

WP.29
World Forum for Harmonization of
Vehicle Regulations

WP.29/AC.2
Administrative Committee for
the Coordination of Work

WP.29/AC.4
Administrative Committee of the1997 Agreement

GRPE
Pollution andEnergyGRBPNoise and
Tyres

GRSG
General Safety
Provisions

GRSP
Passive Safety

GRE
Lighting andLight-Signalling

GRVA
Automated /Autonomousand Connected
VehiclesLegend:Treaty Body

Working Party

Subsidiary Working
Party

The World Forum WP.29 administers the following three UN Agreements:(A) The agreement concerning the Adoption of Harmonized Technical United Nations
Regulations for Wheeled Vehicles, Equipment and Parts which can be Fitted and/or be
Used on Wheeled Vehicles and the Conditions for Reciprocal Recognition of Approvals
Granted on the Basis of these United Nations Regulations (Revision 3). (The UN 1958
Agreement),(B) The agreement concerning the Adoption of Uniform Conditions for Periodical TechnicalInspections of Wheeled Vehicles and the Reciprocal Recognition of such Inspections, of1997. (The UN 1997 Agreement),(C) The agreement concerning the Establishing of Global Technical Regulations for
Wheeled Vehicles, Equipment and Parts which can be fitted and/or be used on Wheeled
Vehicles, of 1998 (The UN 1998 Agreement).
WP.29 ensures consistency between the UN Regulations, UN Rules and UN GTRs developedin the legal framework of these three UN Agreements.
8C.2. The 1998 Agreement
The official name of the 1998 Agreement is the Agreement Concerning the Establishing of
Global Technical Regulations for Wheeled Vehicles, Equipment and Parts Which Can Be
Fitted and/or Be Used on Wheeled Vehicles – also informally known as the Global
Agreement of 1998.
The 1998 Agreement was negotiated and concluded under the auspices of ECE and opened
for signature on 25 June 1998. The United States of America became the first signatory. The
Agreement entered into force on 25 August 2000 for eight Contracting Parties. In 2020 theAgreement had 38 Contracting Parties. To date, 20 UN GTRs have been established under thisAgreement

The goal of the 1998 Agreement is to continuously improve global road safety, decrease
environmental pollution and consumption of energy and improve anti-theft performance ofvehicles and related components and equipment through globally uniform technicalregulations. This is achieved through a regulatory framework for the global automotive
industry, the consumers and their associations. Unlike the 1958 Agreement, the 1998
Agreement does not provide for mutual recognition of approvals, thus, allowing countries
which are not ready or are unable to assume the obligations of reciprocal recognition toeffectively engage in developing UN GTRs, regardless of these countries type of complianceor enforcement procedures.

UNECE ROAD MAP
FOR ACCESSION TO AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UN 1998 AGREEMENT

9The 1998 Agreement establishes a process by which countries from all regions of the world
can jointly develop UN GTRs on safety, environmental protection systems, energy sources andtheft prevention of wheeled vehicles, equipment and parts and to implement theseregulations in line with the uniform provisions of UN Regulations. The equipment and parts
cover, but are not limited to, vehicle construction, exhaust systems, tyres, engines, acoustic
shields, anti-theft alarms, warning devices and child restraint systems.
The 1998 Agreement takes into consideration those nations that are employing a"self-certification system," in which manufacturers guarantee the conformity of their vehicles
to relevant standards and the governments confirm the conformity of vehicles after they areplaced on the market. UN GTRs under the 1998 Agreement and UN Regulations under the1958 Agreement are expected to incorporate newly established provisions of the other into its
own provisions. This system facilitates the harmonization of regulations with those countries
employing the self-certification system. However, the type-approval system prescribed in the
UN Regulations under the 1958 Agreement, is not included in UN GTRs.
For the preparation of new UN GTRs, the Agreement envisages two different approaches. The
first consists of harmonising existing regulations or standards applied by contracting parties,
while the second involves drawing up new UN GTRs for previously unregulated aspects ofvehicles, equipment and parts.
Mechanisms within the Agreement enable the listing of existing regulations of the contracting
parties that could be harmonised in a Compendium of Candidate Global TechnicalRegulations in order to make it easier to transform them into GTRs. A national regulation isadded to the compendium if it is supported by at least one third of the votes cast by thecontracting parties present at a session of the Executive Committee of the 1998 Agreement,
including a vote of the European Union, Japan and the United States.

C.3. Main provisions of the 1998 Agreement
Members of ECE, of the United Nations and of Regional Economic Integration Organizations(REIO) formed by countries that participate in ECE activities are eligible to become Contracting Parties to the 1998 Agreement. Specialized agencies and organizations that havebeen granted consultative status in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement may
participate in that capacity in the deliberations of particular concern to that agency ororganization. (Article 2)
The Executive Committee of the 1998 Agreement (AC.3) is composed of all the Contracting
Parties to the Agreement. AC.3 oversees the process of recommending, developing andamending UN GTRs and adopts the new UN GTRs or new amendments once developed.
The Agreement explicitly recognizes the importance of continuously improving and seeking
high levels of safety and environmental protection, and the right of national and subnational
authorities to adopt and maintain technical regulations that are more stringently protectiveof health and the environment than those established at the global level. (Preamble)

10

The Agreement explicitly states that one of its purposes is to ensure that actions under the
Agreement do not lead to, or result in, a lowering of safety and environmental protection
within the jurisdiction of the Contracting Parties, or in the subnational level (Article 1). To
achieve high levels of environmental protection and vehicle safety, the Agreement seeks topromote the global harmonization of wheeled vehicle and engine regulations. (Preamble)
The Agreement emphasizes that the development of UN GTRs will be transparent (Article 1).
Annex A of the Agreement states that the term 'transparent procedures' includes theopportunity to have views and arguments represented at:- Meetings of WP.29 and Working Parties through organizations granted consultative status;- Meetings of WP.29, Working Parties and of AC.3 through pre-meeting consultation withrepresentatives of Contracting Parties.
The 1998 Agreement includes six unique and significant provisions for the development andestablishment of UN GTRs.
a) It provides for the consideration of regulatory development proposals from Contracting
Parties to the Agreement (Article 3);b) It requires the establishment of a Compendium of Candidate Global Technical Regulations.
The Compendium consists of existing national or regional regulations that are selected as
candidates for global harmonization (Article 5);c) It specifies the criteria required for the harmonization of regulations from the Compendium
and existing UN Regulations, the development of new UN GTRs and the amendment ofexisting ones (Article 4);d) It requires the establishment of a Registry of UN GTRs (Article 6);e) It specifies the process for the amendment of established UN GTRs (Article 6);f) It requires the consensus of all Contracting Parties for the establishment or amendment of
a UN GTR (Article 6, para. 6.3.).
The Agreement does not oblige Contracting Parties to any specific conformity assessment
regime (i.e. type approval, self-certification, etc.), nor to commit to reciprocal recognition of
UN GTR compliant vehicles, equipment or parts adopted by other Contracting Parties nor
does it impose an enforcement regime. The Agreement does preserve the sovereign rights ofeach Contracting Party to implement and enforce the UN GTR in accordance with their own
national or regional regulatory process and/or laws. Annex III provides more details.
The fact that a UN GTR has been established does not oblige the contracting parties to giveit legal force in their domestic legislation. On the other hand, the contracting parties must
notify the ECE secretariat their decision on whether to implement/transpose a global
technical regulation and the effective date from which it will apply. Furthermore, every
contracting party that votes in favour of establishing a UN GTR is required to submit theregulation to the process it uses to give such regulations legal force and report on an annual
basis on the state of the art of the above-mentioned transposition of the UN GTR into national
legislation.

UNECE ROAD MAP
FOR ACCESSION TO AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UN 1998 AGREEMENT

11C.4. Format and contents of UN GTRs annexed to the Agreement
The UN GTRs govern all categories of road vehicles, non-road mobile machinery as well as
their parts and equipment. Documents TRANS/WP.29/883 and TRANS/WP.29/883/Add.1 –“Format of Global Technical Regulations” provides guidelines to the Working Parties ofexperts on the formats that shall be used in drafting of UN GTRs. Two different formats aredescribed and exemplified.
The general format for UN GTRs shall include:(a) Statement of Technical Rationale and Justification – A summary of the report that theworking group is required to prepare when it recommends the UN GTR, including a synopsis
of the UN GTR's:
1. Technical and economic feasibility;
2. Anticipated benefits; and3. Potential cost effectiveness.
(b) Text of a regulation
1. Purpose – A simple statement that appears at the beginning of the UN GTR that
describes the particular aspect of safety or environmental performance addressed by the
UN GTR.
2. Application / Scope – A clear description of the types of wheeled vehicles, and/or
wheeled vehicle equipment and/or parts that are subject to the UN GTR.
(c) Definitions - Explanation of some technical terms that are used in the body of theregulation.;(d) General Requirements (if applicable) – This section should be short and apply to all
vehicles and/or equipment covered by the regulation (e.g., all vehicles must have type 2 seatbelts or meet specified emission standards). This section could include labelling
requirements;(e) Performance Requirements – This section should be drafted in performance-oriented
terms so as to permit design flexibility, e.g., permitting the use of not only of current designs
and technologies but also possible future designs. It should also be drafted in quantified,objective terms so that compliance can be determined on the basis of scientificmeasurements. Depending on the regulations, labels could also be addressed in this section;(f) Test Conditions – Test conditions (e.g., ambient temperature, road test surface, seat anddummy positioning, etc.) may be same for all test procedures or may be specific to each test
procedure. If possible, the numbering of the paragraphs of the test conditions should trackthe numbering of the paragraphs of the test procedures and performance requirements;(g) Test Procedures – Test procedures relate to specific performance requirements (e.g.,
impact vehicle into a fixed barrier at any speed, including and up to x, emission sampling done
at a specified humidity range). If possible, the numbering of the paragraphs of the test
procedures should track the numbering of the paragraphs of the performance requirements;(h) Annex (Applicable to Contracting Parties of 1958 Agreement) - Conditions for granting
type approval and their reciprocal recognition including any approval markings andconditions for ensuring conformity of production.
12

The alternative format for UN GTRs with many different requirements and test procedures
may differ from the general format in the following point (i.e. all other points as describedabove remaining the same, subpoints (e), (f) and (g) are grouped into one):
Performance Requirements and Associated Test Conditions and Procedures: For
regulations with multiple performance requirements, test procedures, and test conditions
for each vehicle type, performance requirements could be organized by vehicle type orengine family and grouped together with the appropriate test conditions and procedures.
Further guidance and examples are available in document TRANS/WP.29/883.

C.5. Benefits of acceding to the 1998 Agreement
The advantage of international harmonization of regulations is that design specifications ofvehicles do not have to be changed to meet country-specific regulations. Common
specifications of vehicle parts will reduce the cost of development and production and theretail price of vehicles. It will also make homologation of certification procedures easier, makethe market larger, and giving the consumers a wider range of choices.
The international harmonization of regulations:a) Enhances vehicle’s safety and environmental performance – UN GTRs are developed withthe most stringent provisions for safety and environmental performance of vehicles.
Acceding to the agreements and mandatory application of the UN GTRs for the registrationof vehicles will result in safer and more environmentally friendly vehicles.
b) Contributes to the application of the recommendations of the UN Plan of Action for the
Decade Road Safety – The UN Global Plan of Action for the Decade is based on five pillars.
The third pillar is dedicated to safer vehicles and recommends the application of UN GTRs,
Regulations and Rules developed by the World Forum WP.29.
c) Facilitation in the elaboration of national vehicle regulations – The elaboration of newvehicle regulation is a complex, time consuming and very expensive process. By theapplication of UN GTRs, which have demonstrated their efficiency, countries have prompt andfree access to a set of technical performance requirements for vehicles.

UNECE ROAD MAP
FOR ACCESSION TO AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UN 1998 AGREEMENT

13d) Technological development of national manufactures – By the application of UN GTRs,
national industry can upgrade its technological knowhow to adapt the manufacturing processof vehicles, equipment and parts to the most developed technologies in practice. The
adaptation of national regulations in parallel with the UN GTRs can facilitate the smooth
integration of technological innovations.
e) Participation on the decision-making process for the elaboration of UN GTRs – Theparticipation in the elaboration of UN GTRs is open to all the member states of the United
Nations. Nevertheless, only the contracting parties to the agreement can vote whenestablishing a new UN GTR, or when amending a UN GTR.

C.6. Main web-links for information on the 1998 Agreement and its UN GTRs
Text of the 1998 Agreement:
http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp29/wp29wgs/wp29gen/wp29glob.html
UN GTRs annexed to the 1998 Agreement:
http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp29/wp29wgs/wp29gen/wp29glob_registry.html
Notifications on UN GTRs:
https://wiki.unece.org/display/TRAN
Status of the 1998 Agreement:
http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp29/wp29wgs/wp29gen/wp29glob_stts.html
Authorisations to develop UN GTRs:
http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp29/wp29wgs/wp29gen/wp29glob_proposal.html
Candidates of UN GTRs:
http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp29/wp29wgs/wp29gen/wp29glob_candidate.html
Notifications on Listing in the Compendium of Candidates:
http://www.unece.org/trans/areas-of-work/vehicle-regulations/agreements-and-regulations/global-reg
ulations-1998-agreement/notifications-on-listing.html
United Nations Office of Legal Affairs (New York):
https://treaties.un.org/pages/Overview.aspx?path=overview/overview/page1_en.xml
World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicles Regulations (WP.29) -Homepage:
http://www.unece.org/trans/main/welcwp29.html
14

Terms of Reference (WP.29):
http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp29/wp29wgs/wp29gen/wp29tor.html
World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicles Regulations (WP.29) –How it works – How to join it (Fourth
edition, 2019):
https://www.unece.org/index.php?id=51355&L=0

D.

The Road Map for accession to and implementation of the 1998 Agreement
The current Road Map aims to provide guidance to countries wishing to accede andimplement the 1998 Agreement.
The Road Map proposes the implementation of main steps that, if pursued in a proper andtimely manner, would result in the full application of the system in their territories.

STEP 1:
PREPARING FOR ACCESSION
1.1 COORDINATION AND RESPONSIBILITIES AT NATIONAL LEVEL
The 1998 Agreement itself as well as the UN GTRs may, depending on the national
governmental structure, be under the responsibility of different ministries or administrative
entities. The ministries, administrations and bodies concerned need to be identified and theirrepresentatives should be invited to take an active role in the pre-accession process.
A non-exhaustive list of usual ministries, administrations and bodies include sectorial entities
in: transport, industry, environment, interior affairs, trade and customs.

UNECE ROAD MAP
FOR ACCESSION TO AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UN 1998 AGREEMENT

15

Representatives of the private sector should be involved, if possible, in the process asrepresentatives of the final users of the UN GTRs: transport sector, vehicle manufacturers andtheir suppliers, competent laboratories, etc.
A formal coordination of interested participants should be organized in the process of
preparation of the accession.
It should be noted that each country should assess and define an administrative structure
according to their own needs, based on its culture, standard operating procedures, hierarchy
schemes, staff and expertise availability. The sub-steps presented below arerecommendations only and should not be regarded as obligatory.

1.2 Overall coordination and supervision
Although the UN GTRs annexed to the 1998 Agreement may involve different ministries
and/or bodies, the main responsibility should be assigned to one ministry or government
agency. Since the accession to the 1998 Agreement is more relevant to those countries thatconsider the "Self certification" system as the most fitting one to their national situation, adeclaration from manufacturers that a vehicle complying with UN GTRs provisions (selfcertification) shall be accepted by the Governmental Authority as sufficient to comply withminimum safety/environmental standards as an alternative to the type approval certificate of
UN Regulations.
Thus its application could be effective only if a well-proved enforcement system could verify
such declarations from manufacturers through an agency (such as the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the United States of America) performing: test
inspections, recall campaign of non-complying models etc.
Regardless of which one of the two Agreements (1998 or 1958) is right for the country, theestablishment of such an agency or a public institution that would perform market
surveillance and conformity of production is advisable.

STEP 2:
Addressing strategic issues prior to accession
2.1 Studying the 1998 Agreement and related national legislation
A National Focal Point and a competent authority shall study the 1998 Agreement, the UN
GTRs annexed to the agreement and the related national legislation. They are also responsible
for ensuring that the translation of the 1998 Agreement (as appropriate) is made available.
Concerning the translation, it is convenient to note that the 1998 Agreement is made available
by the ECE in its three official languages - English, French and Russian. In addition, and dueto the accession of the European Union to the 1998 Agreement, the European Commission
provides a translation of the agreement in all the official languages of the European Union1.

16

1
As part of “2000/125/EC: Council Decision of 31 January 2000 concerning the conclusion of the Agreement concerning the establishing of
global technical regulations for wheeled vehicles, equipment and parts which can be fitted and/or be used on wheeled vehicles ('Parallel
Agreement')” - https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:32000D0125.

Following the study of the 1998 Agreement and the analysis of the UN GTRs annexed to it, thecompetent authority responsible for road transport vehicles shall be informed about theadvantages of the accession to the 1998 Agreement. Departments that have technicalcompetencies on the matter should be involved. Other Departments that have administrativeand legal competencies to sign international agreements (i.e. foreign affairs, environment,
industry, etc.) should be consulted.
After completion of the above, the national/regional authority of the country should take thepolitical decision, if necessary, to initiate the national/regional (internal) procedure for theaccession to the 1998 Agreement.

STEP 3:
Accession to the 1998 Agreement
Articles 2 and 9 of the 1998 Agreement stipulate the eligibility for accession to it. Currently,
States members of ECE and States admitted to the Commission in a consultative capacity
may become contracting parties to the agreement, as well as States which may participate incertain activities of the Economic Commission for Europe by acceding. In practice, this meansthat the 1998 Agreement is open to all UN Member States.

3.1. Accession documentation
Countries that wish to accede to the 1998 Agreement shall submit to the Secretary-General of
the United Nations:(a) Signature without reservation as to ratification, acceptance or approval;(b) Signature subject to ratification, acceptance or approval, followed by ratification,
acceptance or approval;(c) Acceptance; or(d) Accession;(e) The instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession shall be deposited with
the Secretary-General.

3.2. Actions upon becoming a Contracting Party
After the Agreement has entered into force, each country or REIO shall give notification inaccordance with Article 7 as to which, if any, UN GTR(s) established pursuant to Article 6 of
the Agreement it will adopt, and as to any decision to accept products that comply with anyof those UN GTRs, without adopting those GTRs into its own laws or regulations. If theestablished UN GTR contains more than one level of stringency or performance, thenotification shall specify which of those levels of stringency or performance is adopted or
accepted by the Contracting Party.
Each REIO shall declare in matters within its competence that its Member States havetransferred powers in fields covered by the 1998 Agreement, including the power to makebinding decisions on their Member States.

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FOR ACCESSION TO AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UN 1998 AGREEMENT

17

STEP 4:
Regulatory process under the 1998 Agreement
The Agreement outlines two processes to establish UN GTRs. The first is the harmonization ofexisting regulations or standards. The second is the establishment of new UN GTRs if
regulations or standards are non-existent. (Article 6, paras. 6.2 and 6.3) (see Chart 4)
The Agreement states that the existing regulations of Contracting Parties in need ofharmonization can be entered into the Compendium of Candidate Global TechnicalRegulations to facilitate their transition to GTRs. The entry must be supported by a vote of
one-third of the Contracting Parties present and voting at AC.3, including the vote of either
Japan, the United States of America or the European Union. The Compendium expands orcontracts in direct proportion to the regulations that need harmonizing. (Article 5)
18

The process for developing a harmonized UN GTR includes a technical review of the existing
regulations of the Contracting Parties, of the UN Regulations under the 1958 Agreement andof relevant international standards (e.g. International Organization for Standardization). If
available, comparative assessments of the effectiveness of these UN Regulations (also known
as functional equivalence assessments) are also reviewed. (Article 1, para. 1.1.2 and Article 6,para. 6.2.)
The process for developing a new UN GTR includes an assessment of technical and economic
feasibility and a comparative evaluation of the potential benefits and cost effectiveness ofalternative regulatory requirements and the test method(s) by which compliance will bedemonstrated. (Article 6, para. 6.3.)
The process for amending any UN GTR follows the same procedures specified in paragraph
6.3 of the 1998 Agreement for establishing the UN GTR. (Article 6, para. 6.4.)
A consensus vote at AC.3 is required to establish a new UN GTR. Thus, if any Contracting
Party votes against a recommended UN GTR, it would not be established. (Annex B, Article 7,para. 7.2.). Contracting parties may abstain from voting.
Once harmonized or developed, UN GTRs are established in a Global Registry, which serves
as a repository of UN GTRs that could be adopted by countries from around the world.
The establishment of a UN GTR does not oblige Contracting Parties to adopt that UN GTR
into its laws and regulations. Contracting Parties retain the right to choose whether or not toadopt any technical regulation established as a UN GTR under the Agreement. (Preamble,
Article 7)
Consistent with the recognition of that right, Contracting Parties have only a limited
obligation when a UN GTR is established under the Agreement. If a Contracting Party voted
to establish the GTR, that Contracting Party must initiate procedures used by the Party toadopt such a UN GTR as a domestic regulation. (Article 7). When this has not been done
within a one-year period, the Contracting Party shall report on the status of the regulation inits domestic process. Other obligations under the Agreement include notifying the ECE
secretariat of the decision to adopt a UN GTR and the effective date of application of that
regulation, the notification of the decision not to adopt the regulation, the decision to rescindor amend a UN GTR, etc.
The Agreement allows for UN GTRs to contain a 'global' level of stringency for most parties
and 'alternative' levels of stringency for developing countries. In this way, all countries,
including the least developed ones, can participate in the development, establishment andadoption of UN GTRs. It is anticipated that a developing country may wish to begin byadopting one of the lower levels of stringency and later successively adopt higher levels ofstringency. (Article 4)
It is advisable to organize expert workshops/seminars to strengthen the expert knowledge ofthe different stakeholders involved in the application and enforcement of the provisions of the1998 Agreement and its annexed UN GTRs. Such workshops/seminars should focus on
administrative process set out by the 1998 Agreement and its UN GTRs.

UNECE ROAD MAP
FOR ACCESSION TO AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UN 1998 AGREEMENT

19

PREPARATION FOR ACCESSIONSTEP 1NR

STEP 2STEPSACCESSION

IMPLEMENTATIONSTEP 3

STEP 4

TIME OF COMPLETIONRESPONSIBLE

STEP 1: Preparing for accession
1.1

Coordination and responsibilities at national level

Planning period

Highest government level

1.2

Overall coordination and supervision

Planning period

Highest government level

Planning period

Highest government level / National Focal Point
Competent Authority / National Experts

STEP 2: Addressing strategic issues prior to accession
2.1

Studying the 1998 Agreement and related national legislation

STEP 3: Accession to the 1998 Agreement
3.1

Accession documentation

After planning period

Highest government level

3.2

Actions upon becoming a Contracting Party

After planning period

Highest government level /National Focal Point

Upon decision

National Focal Point

Annually

National Focal Point

STEP 4: Regulatory process under the 1998 Agreement and reporting

20

4.1

Notify ECE of the decision to adopt (not to adopt, rescind, amend) a UN
GTR and the effective date of application of that regulation

4.2

Status reports on the domestic implementation of UN GTRs

REMARKSF.

Annexes and background documents
All documents referenced in this Road Map can be accessed through the ECE website,
including:(a) Agreement Concerning the Establishing of Global Technical Regulations for Wheeled
Vehicles, Equipment and Parts Which Can Be Fitted and/or Be Used on Wheeled Vehicles(ECE/TRANS/132 and Corr.1):
http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp29/wp29wgs/wp29gen/wp29glob.html)(b) UN Regulations annexed to the 1998 Agreement:
http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp29/wp29wgs/wp29gen/wp29glob_registry.html(c) Status of the 1998 Agreement, and of the annexed UN Regulations and of the TypeApproval Authorities and Technical Services:
http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp29/wp29wgs/wp29gen/wp29glob_stts.html

UNECE ROAD MAP
FOR ACCESSION TO AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UN 1998 AGREEMENT

21

Road Map for Accession to and implementationof the United Nations 1998 Agreement

The goal of the 1998 Agreement is to continuously improve global road safety,
decrease environmental pollution and consumption of energy and improve anti-theftperformance of vehicles and related components and equipment throughglobally uniform technical regulations. This is achieved through a regulatory
framework for the global automotive industry, the consumers and their associations.
The 1998 Agreement establishes a process by which countries from all regions of theworld can jointly develop UN GTRs on safety, environmental protection systems,
energy sources and theft prevention of wheeled vehicles, equipment and parts
and to implement these regulations in line with the uniform provisions of UN
Regulations. The equipment and parts cover, but are not limited to, vehicle
construction, exhaust systems, tyres, engines, acoustic shields, anti-theft alarms,
warning devices and child restraint systems.
This brochure, prepared by the secretariat of the United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe (ECE), presents the main steps and several sub-steps that countries
worldwide wishing to accede to and fully implement the 1998 Agreement, are advised
to follow (the Road Map).