Agenda Item 3: technical Cooperation
activities
update by ansi on activities related to the work of the
tbt committee
This
document contains the statement provided by the United States at the TBT
Committee meeting of 13-15 June 2022 under Agenda Item 3.
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1. The United States takes our commitment to capacity building
seriously. As such, we would call member attention to our continued efforts to
support the understanding and implementation of the TBT Agreement through the
Standards Alliance program. The Standards Alliance is a public-private
partnership between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI), which coordinates with developing
and least developed countries to identify and prioritize areas for technical
assistance.
2. The Standards Alliance was established in 2012 with a focus on the
implementation of the TBT Agreement in 10 country/regions and was expanded in
2016 to include West and Southern Africa. The first phase of the Standards
Alliance ended in September 2021; however, the program was renewed for a second
phase in 2019. Phase 2 of the Standards Alliance remains active and builds upon
the successes and measured impacts of first phase to provide targeted technical
assistance to developing countries. The second phase focuses on support related
to the development and implementation of National Quality Infrastructure and
Good Regulatory Practices that are rooted in the principles of the TBT
Agreement.
3. Altogether, the Standards Alliance Phase 1 completed 107 trainings,
workshops, and delegation visits. Under Phase 2, the Standards Alliance has so
far delivered 31 events, reaching 5021 participants. These activities have
advanced partner countries’ understanding and application of the TBT principles
and transparency mechanisms. All Standards Alliance Phase 2 activities have
begun work, and in particular between April to June 2022 have included the
following:
·
In response to
the COVID-19 pandemic, the Standards Alliance continues to support technical
capacity in the medical devices sector, while also
helping participating nations identify technical and regulatory barriers to
trade. This activity, the "Medical Device Regulatory
Convergence (MDRC) project", builds the capacity of partner
countries to effectively implement standards and conformity assessment
procedures related to medical devices; remove technical barriers to trade for
medical devices; increase patients’ access to needed high-quality Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE) and other medical technologies in response to
COVID-19 and future global health crises; and foster private sector engagement
in the (medtech) regulatory space. The project countries of focus include
Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Indonesia, Vietnam, Ghana, Kenya and South
Africa.
·
The MDRC has
hosted 22 trainings and workshops to advance objectives for global, regional,
and local stakeholders in the public and private sectors. These workshops
convened an estimated 4,650 participants, of which about 2,860 were from the
private sector and about 2,880 were women (61.9%). This group includes experts
and professionals from academia, the private sector, Standards Developing
Organizations (SDOs), national regulatory authorities (NRAs), international
organizations, and numerous other vital stakeholders.