The Standards Alliance , a public-private partnership between the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will be hosting a number of conferences and workshops in Southern Africa, Vietnam, Colombia, and Guatemala in the coming months. These events are a part of each country's agreed-upon year-one work plan.
Speaker slots are still available, and limited travel funding may be possible, for the following events:ISO National Mirror Committee Training
The Standards Alliance is partnering with USAID's Southern African Trade Hub (SATH) to organize a training session on International Organization for Standardization (ISO) national mirror committees that engages Lesotho, Malawi, and Zambia. The training will take place March 30-April 1, 2015, in Maseru, Lesotho. Based on the three countries' expressed areas of interest, the agenda will include topics related to general mirror committee operation, as well as specific topics pertaining to ISO Technical Committee (TC) 34, Agricultural food products; ISO TC 82, Mining; and ISO TC 242, Energy management.
Best Practices for Regulation and Standards Development in Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals, and Cosmetics
The Standards Alliance is hosting this training workshop in Hanoi and Vinh Phuc, Vietnam, April 16-17, 2015. Objectives include: increasing understanding of implementation of regulatory schemes on standards and technical regulations focusing on medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics; and sharing information, experiences, and best practices between U.S. parties and Vietnamese officials, standards developing organizations (SDOs), and related stakeholders. Sessions will focus on the importance of regulatory cooperation to help facilitate trade and protect health and safety, regulatory priorities and best practices for the health sectors, conformity assessment procedures, and implementation of regulatory cooperation in the U.S. and Vietnam.
UPDATE: The agenda has been altered to focus on the cosmetics and pharmaceuticals sectors, but will otherwise target a similar audience of regulators, standards development professionals, and industry.
U.S. - Colombia Conference on Technical Barriers to Trade, Code of Good Practice
The Standards Alliance is hosting a conference in Bogota, Colombia, on May 12-13, 2015. The conference will focus on the implementation of the Code of Good Practice for the preparation, adoption, and application of standards. Sessions will focus on: participation in international standardization bodies, avoiding duplication and achieving consensus in standardization, the development of performance standards, work programs for standards, and public review and accepting comments on standards from other World Trade Organization (WTO) members.
Code of Good Practice Workshop with SABS
The Standards Alliance is partnering with the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) to organize a Code of Good Practice workshop in Pretoria, South Africa. Lasting 2-3 days, the workshop will take place in late May or early June 2015, and will be similar to the program in Colombia, above. In addition to an exchange on the Code of Good Practice, the workshop will emphasize trade ties between the U.S. and South Africa and the region.
Good Regulatory Practice Workshop with SADCSTAN and SADCTRLC
The Standards Alliance is partnering with USAID's Southern African Trade Hub to organize a workshop on Good Regulatory Practices (GRP) that engages the Southern African Development Community Cooperation in Standardization (SADCSTAN) and Southern African Development Community Technical Regulations Liaison Committee (SADCTRLC). Lasting 2-3 days, the workshop will take place in June 2015, most likely in South Africa. The workshop is intended to increase understanding and use of GRPs through an exchange on principles of GRP, public consultation, and related topics. Sessions will focus on the positive effects of good regulatory practice on trade and competition, and contributions of GRP in the elaboration of technical regulations, standards and conformity assessment procedures.
Central America Conference on Textiles Standards and Customs Procedures
The Standards Alliance is hosting a conference on June 23-26, 2015, in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Conference participation may include representatives from Guatemala and other Central American countries. The conference will focus on components of successful textiles trade and production, textile standards, and customs requirements for competitive textiles exports.
For information or questions about event participation, please contact [email protected].
The Standards Alliance provides capacity building and other technical exchange in developing countries, specifically related to implementation of the WTO Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement. For more information, visit standardsalliance.ansi.org.