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Global Initiatives of Interest

Presentation to ANSI CMCEC

OECD and UN/ECE

George Willingmyre

June 12, 2001

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Structure Of The Presentation

• OECD Trade Committee…regulatory reform

• OECD activity Codes of Practice for Ecommerce and privacy

• OECD work on Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises

• UN/ECE WP6 on Technical Harmonization and Standards Policies

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OECD Study on Standards-related Trade Barriers: Sector Study on

Telecommunication Terminal

Equipment Project of the Trade Committee continuing work on regulatory harmonization described at http://www.oecd.org//ech/16-17%20march%202000/documentation-eng.htm

US Participates through USTR…FCC for this project

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Potential for International Co-operation and Reduction of Trade Barriers arising from Technical Requirements and Conformity Assessment procedures in the Telecommunications Sector in February, 2001. This report is available at http://www.gtwassociates.com/alerts/Feb6OECD.pdf

Standards-Related Barriers and Trade Liberalisation: Telecommunications Sector Study- Interim Report available at http://www.olis.oecd.org/olis/2001doc.nsf/linkto/td-tc-wp(2001)11-rev1

WTO Committee on Expansion of Trade in Information Technology Products (ITA Committee) examining the economic and developmental impact of Non tariff trade measures on trade in ITA products (see http://www.wto.org/wto/english/news_e/pres00_e/pr198_e.htm)

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GTW findings

• The Telecommunications ITA definitional scope of the effort could be expanded to include Information and Communications Technology products

• Costs of meeting technical regulations and related standards in the global telecommunications market are hard to quantify but are significant.

• many strong "best practice" examples ( Declarenet; South Africa test acceptance)

• major distinction   between the Technical Regulations  and standards applicable to products and the conformity assessment requirements (Mature vs Immature)

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The analysis so far has identified three areas that appear to be candidates for international harmonisation: Electrical Safety, EMC and Avoidance of Radio Interference.

OECD Members covered in this study tend to use international standards in their technical regulations on Electrical Safety and EMC, while many challenges remain for achieving international harmonisation in other areas

OECD Interim Report

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ICSCA on OECDICSCA VII welcomes the OECD ongoing initiative on Potential

for International Co-operation and Reduction of Trade Barriers arising from Technical Requirements and Conformity Assessment procedures and encourages OECD to expand the scope of the project to include Information Technology products in order that the OECD work will have the greatest positive impact on the ongoing WTO ITA initiative on NTMs. ICSCA members offer their continued cooperation for further OECD efforts in this regard including potential for additional product sectors.

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OECD Committee for Information Computer and Communications Policy

US participates though the Department of State and FTC also involved. Industry participates through the Business Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC)

Existing OECD Guidelines for privacy are basis for numerous standards initiatives. Current OECD focus to survey and inventory codes of practice and marks of conformity

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Government6%

Public sector authorities (other than

Government)6%

Business or commerce

associations, councils10%

Consumer protection associations

8%

Specific accreditation bodies (other than

DMAs)10%

Direct marketing/distance selling associations

20%Internet industry association or

representatives12%

Telco/communications associations

4%

Professional associations

2%

Other industry associations

4%

Private sector/industry18%

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OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises

http://www.oecd.org/daf/investment/guidelines/mnetext.htm

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Companies will meet  "agreed or legally required standards for consumer health and safety..." 

While "voluntary"... Consumerist/labor pressure on the State Department to gear up and staff a "US enquiry point" for addressing allegations from "interested parties" that US companies are not meeting the Guidelines.

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is one of five regional commissions of the United Nations. Its 55 member States include western, central and eastern Europe as well as Israel, the United States and Canada

Participation is through government membership…NIST in the US

The United Nations Economic Commission for

Europe UN/ECE

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The UN/ECE Working Party on Technical Harmonization and Standardization Policies WP6

an ad hoc team of specialists on STandardization And Regulatory Techniques “START” established in 1999 to provide guidance for good regulatory practice and a mechanism for voluntary cooperation between regulatory authorities, standardizers and industry, so that legislation could make appropriate use of international standards.

“START Team” prepared an "International Model for implementing good regulatory practice in the preparation, adoption and application of technical regulations via the use of international standards“

November, 2000 Workshop with private sector participation.

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UN/ECE November 7, 2000 Workshop

•UN/ECE WP 6 calls on UN/ECE Governments and international organizations:

•       to show their commitment to the facilitation of international trade by wider participation in international regulatory cooperation and international standardization and effective implementation of the results;

       to encourage effective coordination and cooperation between Governments and regulatory authorities and economic operators, and different international organizations and intergovernmental forums and to follow up on practical proposals on regulatory cooperation, in particular sectors/product areas;

       to involve, where appropriate, private-sector representatives in such activities thus promoting a public-private partnership approach.

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• ICSCA VII thanks UN/ECE Working Party 6 on Technical Harmonization and Standardization Policies for the opportunity to participate in its November 7 Workshop and plenary discussion 6 & 8. ICSCA endorses the November 7 Workshop conclusion: with respect to private sector participation

• ICSCA VII urges UN/ECE WP 6 to adopt this approach in its further work on an “International Model for Implementing Good Regulatory Practice for the preparation adoption and application of technical regulations via the use of International Standards.”

ICSCA on UN/ECE

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THANK YOU

GTW ASSOCIATES

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