On World Standards Day on October 14, 2020, Mary Saunders, vice president for government relations and public policy at the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) will join experts during a webinar hosted by the World Trade Organization (WTO) to focus on use of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee's six principles for developing international standards.
In an effort to help international standards work more effectively for global trade, the WTO TBT Committee in 2000 adopted the Six Principles for the Development of International Standards, which are widely followed by standards bodies seeking international relevance. The principles cover transparency, openness, impartiality and consensus, effectiveness and relevance, coherence, and the development dimension.
Ms. Saunders will engage in discussions with other standardization experts to examine whether, in the two decades since their adoption, the principles remain fit for purpose in a world of rapid change. Other experts on the panel will include, Sergio Mujica, secretary-general, International Organization for Standardization (ISO); Shawn Paulsen, vice president and chair of the conformity assessment board, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and Dr. Eve Gadzikwa, director-general, Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ), and past president, African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO).
ANSI and the WTO TBT Six Principles for the Development of International Standards
As ANSI is responsible for coordinating the market-driven bottom-up U.S. standardization approach, Ms. Saunders will explain how ANSI-accredited standards developing organizations apply the “Six Principles.” Of note, the principles are referenced in The United States Standards Strategy (USSS), which guides how the United States develops standards and participates in the international standards-setting process. The Strategy is undergoing its 5-year revision.
The WTO webinar is the third in the TBT@40 Dialogue Series. The WTO TBT Agreement originated from the GATT "Standards Code," which entered into force 40 years ago. To mark the anniversary, the WTO's Trade and Environment Division organized the series of dialogues on TBT-related topics.
Access the WTO event webpage for more information and to register.