Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP.6)
Introduction
The Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP.6) encourages increased regulatory coherence in specific sectors that have a critical impact on sustainable development and promotes greater resilience to natural and man-made hazards. WP.6 also works to:
- Promote the use of standards by policy-makers and business as a tool for reducing technical barriers to trade, promote increased resilience to disasters, foster innovation and good governance
- Advocate the use of standards in the implementation of UN-wide goals, including the implementation of the Agenda 2030 and the Sendai framework for action
Key areas of work
In focus
WP.6 held its thirty-fourth Annual Session from 26 (pm) to 28 August in Geneva. The meeting reviewed and endorsed the work achieved by all of the subgroups (GRM, ToS-GRS, MARS, START). It also featured a panel discussion on how quality infrastructure can help to prevent a green and digital divide, identifying capacity development for sustainable trade in developing economies.
Highlights
14 November 2024: WP.6 and its subgroups have developed a calendar of WP.6 meetings for 2025.
1 November 2024: WP.6 is happy to announce the release of its publication, Basics of Risk Management in Trade (ECE/TRADE/485). This publication brings together the core concepts of risk management as it relates to how government regulate, to market surveillance, to conformity assessment, to customs, and to economic operator identification. It is suggested as a resource to obtain a base understanding of risk management in trade.
31 October 2024: WP.6 is happy to announce the release of its publication, Compliance of products with embedded artificial intelligence (ECE/TRADE/486). This cornerstone publication provides an overarching common regulatory arrangement (CRA) for products with embedded AI as well as a declaration that national agencies are invited to sign to signify that they will aim to apply the principles in the overarching CRA. For more information, don’t hesitate to contact the secretariat.
28 August 2024: WP.6 has finalized its 34th Annual Session which featured detailed insight into the work of each subgroup, approved the key deliverables like the revision of recommendations L and M and the Overarching CRA on AI. The session was also the occasion for a conference on Quality infrastructure helping to prevent a green and digital divide. The relevant documents and presentations are available on the event webpages.
Recent Events
22 November
Palais des Nations Salle H207-209 1211 Geneva Switzerland
and online
