The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the launch of Standards Alliance: Phase 2. The public-private partnership will build upon the success of Phase I to support the capacity of developing countries in the areas of legal and regulatory framework, standards development, conformity assessment procedures, and private sector engagement.
The second phase of the Standards Alliance will involve collaboration with U.S. private sector partners, U.S. government experts, and USAID eligible countries over a five-year period. A key goal of Phase 2 is to help increase the capacity of developing countries to implement accepted international best practices to reduce instances of poor quality and unsafe products, services, and infrastructure. Ultimately, better adoption and implementation of international standards will improve the quality and safety of goods on a global scale.
The expansion of the program will also seek to create new avenues for bilateral partnership, and will pursue inclusive approaches to support gender balance and responsiveness, especially in fields related to science, technology, and innovation. In particular, the program will support balanced gender representation during events and in speaking roles.
Project activities, which may include in-country training and capacity building workshops, longer term mentoring, study tours, and other activities, will help developing countries prevent and remove non-tariff barriers, and stimulate economic growth, while also preserving and expanding markets for U.S. businesses. The Standards Alliance: Phase 2 will conduct activities in the Latin America, Middle East, North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, and Indo-Pacific regions.
In May 2013, USAID and ANSI entered into a partnership under the Standards Alliance Phase I, which focused on increased understanding of World Trade Organization's Technical Barriers to Trade principles. Since then, ANSI has engaged more than 10 countries and regions, including those in the East African Community (EAC), the Southern African Development Community, and South America. As of May 2019, the Standards Alliance has completed more than 90 trainings, workshops, and delegation visits, with more than 4,200 participants. These activities have advanced U.S. business interests in a variety of export categories, paved the way for U.S. investment, and have helped improve Standards Alliance countries' understanding and application of standards- and conformity assessment-related principles and mechanisms. Phase I of the Standards Alliance will continue until September 2021.
As the implementing partner for Phase 2, ANSI will recruit private sector partners to join the alliance and assist with implementing program activities. For more information about the Standards Alliance and how to get involved, please contact [email protected].
About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations.
The Institute represents and serves the diverse interests of more than 270,000 companies and organizations and 30 million professionals worldwide. ANSI is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). For more information, visit www.ansi.org.