UNECE update TO THE TBT COMMITTEE
INFORMATION
PROVIDED BY the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
This
document contains information provided by UNECE at the TBT Committee
meeting of 5‑8 November 2024 under Agenda Item 6 (Update by
Observers).
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The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) would like to
congratulate the WTO on a productive TBT Committee meeting and would like to
take the opportunity to provide a brief update of topics under development
within UNECE of relevance to the TBT members.
1 Declaration for technical regulation of products with embedded
artificial intelligence
1.1. As announced at the June 2024 TBT meeting, the UNECE Working Party
on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP.6) has completed
guidance with overarching principle to promote the convergence of product
regulation for the compliance of products with embedded artificial
intelligence. This guidance:
·_
Underlines the legitimate regulatory objectives for such products and/or
services
·_
Provides guidance on identifying and assessing risks
·_
Identifies current international standards relevant for the development
of regulations
·_
Provides the basis for conformity assessment and market surveillance
mechanisms
1.2. This guidance takes the principles on artificial intelligence
developed elsewhere within the United Nations and its agencies and translate
these into elements which can be integrated into technical regulations for
products or services with embedded artificial intelligence. This encompasses
guiding principles on human rights, children's rights, sustainable development
goals, trustworthiness and cybersecurity among other.
1.3. In the annex of this publication this guidance is accompanied by a
declaration that government agencies can sign in order to demonstrate their
intention to work towards these overarching principles in their product
regulation.
1.4. The assistance of WTO TBT members to contact the relevant national
agencies in order to disseminate this work is appreciated.
1.5. The Guidance and declaration are available at: ECE/TRADE/486
1.6. For more information, contact: lance.thompson@un.org
2 WP.6 April 2025 Forum
2.1. The 4th annual forum of the subgroups of WP.6 will meet
from 7 to 11 April 2025. During this event, we will host a conference on
artificial intelligence, looking at the conformity of products with embedded AI
from multiple perspectives: gender, market surveillance, risk management and
harmonized regulations.
2.2. The forum will also host regular meetings of the Team of Specialists
on Gender-Responsive Standards, the Advisory Group on Market Surveillance, the
Group of Experts on Risk Management in Regulatory Systems, the Ad-Hoc Team of
Specialists on Standardization and Regulatory Techniques and the initiative on
education on standardization.
2.3. Agendas and further information will progressively be shared at:
WP.6 4th Forum Website
2.4. For more information, contact: lance.thompson@un.org
3 Climate action and resilient infrastructure for a sustainable future
3.1. The 71st Session of the UNECE will launch the theme of "Climate
action and resilient infrastructure for a sustainable future" as a
cross-cutting theme that all divisions and working parties of the UNECE will be
asked to work on during the period 2025-2027.
3.2. WP.6 will also be looking at this topic from a quality
infrastructure point of view during this period.
3.3. Agenda and further information will progressively be shared at: ECE 71st Commission Session website
3.4. For more information, contact: unece_info@un.org
4 Regulatory and proecedural barriers to trade
4.1. The UNECE Steering Committee on Trade Capacity and Standards has
produced a series of studies on the regulatory and procedural barriers to trade
that economies in the ECE region face. As part of a series of national studies
prepared under a project on "Fostering Resilient, Diversified and
Sustainable Value Chains in the Eurasian Region after COVID-19", studies
for Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan were discussed. Each of the studies
highlight the implications of technical barriers to trade for achieving
sustainable development goals and provide action-oriented recommendations to
improve integration in global and regional value chains. The studies
respectively aim to enhance export opportunities for fish products (Armenia),
vegetable oil (Kazakhstan) and dried apricots and prunes (Kyrgyzstan).
4.2. In 2025, similar studes will commence for Turkmenistan and
Azerbaijan.
4.3. Study on Armenia available at: ECE/CTCS/2024/3
4.4. Study on Kazakhstan available at: ECE/CTCS/2024/4
4.5. Study on Kyrgyzstan available at: ECE/CTCS/2024/5
4.6. For more information, contact: ariel.ivanier@un.org
5 Basics of Risk Management in Trade
5.1. WP.6 is preparing a series of publications linked to quality
infrastructure which are of relevance to the WTO TBT Committee. The first
publication, Basics of Quality
Infrastructure for Trade provides short articles on the different
elements which make up quality infrastructure (metrology, standardization,
market surveillance, conformity assessment, regulatory cooperation,
accreditation) as well as some transversal issues (risk management, gender
considerations, new technologies).
5.2. WP.6 is please to announce the launch of its second "Basics"
publication on the Basics of Risk Management
in Trade. This publication provides the core concepts of managing
risk in cross-border trade from multiple perspectives: regulatory reform,
market surveillance, customs procedures, conformity assessment and business
profiles. It also examines how risk is managed in the private sector, in supply
chains and how to build risk competence. It finally looks at risk management in
relation to some cross cutting issues such as circular economy, gender
considerations and artificial intelligence.
5.3. The Basics of Quality
Infrastructure for Trade is available at: ECE/TRADE/478
5.4. The Basics of Risk Management in
Trade is available at: ECE/TRADE/485
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