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News Archives....

29 January 2024: WP.6 has launched a project to revise Recommendation L. Recommendation L was last updated in 2015. The new revision is taken up in order to broaden the scope of the recommendation to include services. This will include a revision of Annex A and potential splitting Annex A into two separate annexes: a model CRA for products (basically the current text) and a separate model CRA for services, processes and systems.

This project will also review Rec.L Annex B to check if it is doable; this research may result either in the deletion of this annex or updating it to a process which would be achievable. If you would like more information, please contact the secretariat.

17 January 2024: The MARS “Revision of Recommendation M on "Use of Market Surveillance Infrastructure as a Complementary Means to Protect Consumers and Users against Counterfeit Goods” project is pleased to announce that it has finalized the draft text of the revised recommendation. The draft is open for Public Review until 18 February 2024. If you are interested, please see the text and comment template on the projects page, Public Review segment.

5 January 2024: WP.6 has launched a project to develop a common regulatory arrangement for trunk pipeline safety in relation to hydrogen. This project reflects the need for harmonization of conformity assessment procedures and approaches as there are currently a lot of different standards in this area. The project seeks to provide guidance on harmonizing standards and conformity assessment systems for the transportation of hydrogen through trunk pipelines, using the template of Recommendation L for a Common Regulatory Arrangement. If you would like more information, please contact the secretariat.

24 November 2023: WP.6 launches the publication Basics of Quality Infrastructure for Trade during the 33rd Annual Session. This publication, authored by experts in the field, provides the general explanation of the various elements of quality infrastructure for trade and its relation to cross-cutting themes.

23 November 2023: WP.6 elected its new Bureau today. Heidi Lund (Sweden) is renewed as chair and Gabrielle White (Canada) is renewed as vice-chair. We also welcome Davit Tkemaladze (Georgia), Marco Pangallo (Israel) and Anthony Quinn (USA) as newly elected vice-chairs.

16 November 2023: Today, we welcome the Lesotho Standards Institution as the 86th signatory to the Declaration for Gender-Responsive Standards and Standards Development.
 
 
8 September 2023: WP.6 is pleased to announce that its annual session will take place on 23-24 November 2023 in Geneva. The documents for this session are available on the event webpage. During this meeting, member States will elect the WP.6 Bureau (chairperson and vice chairpersons) for a two year period. The procedure is also available on the event webpage. Candidatures will need to be communicated to the secretariat by 9 October 2023 the latest (45 days prior to the election).
 
 
15 August 2023: WP.6 has launched a project to revise Recommendation M on Use of Market Surveillance Infrastructure as a Complementary Means to Protect Consumers and Users against Counterfeit Goods. This update aims to reflect the reference to the updated United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection in 2015 in recommendation text and consider other relevant UN and European Union documents on strengthening rules for the control of restrictive business practices. If you would like more information, please contact the secretariat.
 
10 July 2023: Today, we welcome UL Standards and Engagement as the 83rd signatory to the Declaration for Gender-Responsive Standards and Standards Development.
 
6 June 2023: The WP.6 project team on “Regulatory compliance of products with embedded artificial intelligence or other digital technologies” is pleased to announce that it has finalized a draft white paper. The draft is open for Public Review until 10 July 2023. If you are interested, please see the text and comment template on the projects page, Public Review segment.
 
1 June 2023: During the continuation of the annual meeting of the START group on 12 July 2023, the leadership nominations will take place. Any active member in this group that would like to nominate a candidate to take such a leadership role should send the nomination to the secretariat by 12 June 2023.
 
22 - 26 May 2023: WP.6 hosts its second annual forum of its subgroups and initiatives from 22 to 26 May 2023. All meetings are fully virtual and open to the public upon registration. More information available at the WP.6 2nd Forum webpage.
 
19 May 2023: WP.6 is pleased to announce that the revised Common Regulatory Framework for Equipment Used in Environments with an Explosive Environment has been published. This version provides significant changes and updates to most recent IEC standards.
 
16 May 2023: Today, we welcome KazStandard, Kazakhstan lnstitute of Standardization and Metrology as the 82nd signatory to the Declaration for Gender-Responsive Standards and Standards Development.
 
15 May 2023: The candidatures for the leadership of the GRM and the MARS are available on the event webpages. The nominations are expected to take place during the annual sessions of these groups on 25 and 26 May respectively.

15 May 2023: The MARS “Revision of Recommendation K on Metrological Assurance of Conformity Assessment and Testing” project is pleased to announce that it has finalized the draft text of the revised recommendation. The draft is open for Public Review until 16 June 2023. If you are interested, please see the text and comment template on the projects page, Public Review segment.

21 April 2023: The WP.6 project on “Regulatory compliance of products with embedded artificial intelligence and other digital technologies” will have its launch meeting on 21 April 2023 from 12:00 Geneva-time. If you would like to join this virtual meeting, please send an email to the WP.6 secretariat.
 
17 April 2023: The GRS “Gender and Salutation Code List” project is pleased to announce that it has finalized the draft text of its White Paper guidance. The draft is open for Public Review until 19 May 2023. If you are interested, please see the text and comment template on the projects page, Public Review segment.
 
11 April 2023: WP.6 is saddened to announce the passing of Professor Marta Orviská of Matej Bel University in Banska Bystrica and Acting Coordinator of the WP.6 Initiative on Education on Standardization (START-Ed) Focal Point Network. She fully embraced this international project and helped to implement it both in Slovakia and helped others to implement it. Her passing is a hard blow to our work and she will be greatly missed.
The elections that would have taken place for START-Ed leadership in May shall be postponed to the October meeting.
 
4 April 2023: During the annual meetings of the MARS, the GRM and the START-Ed in May 2023, the leadership nominations will take place. Any experts interested in taking such a leadership role in these groups should send their self-nomination intentions to the secretariat by 25 April 2023.
 
20 March 2023: Raising awareness on the essential role of quality infrastructure to other links on the international supply chain, Secretary Lance Thompson publishes an article in the UNCTAD Transport and Trade Facilitation Newsletter.
 
7 March 2023: The WP.6 GRS project meeting on gender and salutation code list takes place on 7 March from 15:00 CET. If you would like to join this project work, please contact the secretariat
 
24 February 2023: Europe’s CEN/CENELEC has contributed to the Gender Action Plan Repository of best practices. WP.6 welcomes other organizations to fill out the template and share their experience on this topic.
 
20 February 2023: Today, we welcome Standards Australia as the 81st signatory to the Declaration for Gender-Responsive Standards and Standards Development.
 
 
 
 
 
2 January 2023: WP.6 launches a project to revise Recommendation K on Metrological Assurance of Conformity Assessment and Testing. This update aims to align to best practices and more recent tools. If you would like more information, please contact the secretariat.
2022

30 December 2022: Download the WP.6 Newsletter with updates on activities in 2022 in English or in Russian.

23 December 2022: WP.6 is happy to announce the publication of the “Guidelines on Developing Gender-Responsive Standards” (ECE/TRADE/472) which is available on the publications web page.

How can digital and green transformations improve quality infrastructure in trade

16 December 2022: Today, we welcome the Agence des Normes et de la Qualité of Cameroon as the 78th signatory to the Declaration for Gender-Responsive Standards and Standards Development.

14 December 2022: The Gender-Responsive Standards Team of Specialists held its first official meeting. The report is available on the event web page. Ms. Michelle Parkouda (Canada) was appointed chair, Ms. Stephanie Eynon (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) was appointed vice-chair and Ms. Lucy He (New Zealand) was appointed vice-chair.

 
 
 
 
 
 
2021
 
13 July 2021: The 19th meeting of the Advisory Group on Market Surveillance was held online on 13 July. Experts discussed risk-informed policies and enforcement strategies. Highlight of the event was the panel discussion on the challenges of the COVID pandemic for market surveillance, enforcement authorities and exporting companies with speakers sharing perspectives from the UNECE region and beyond. The Group progressed its work on deliverables for the annual session of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies to take place from 24 to 26 November 2021.
 
2020

23 June 2020: Today, we welcome Rwanda Standards Board as signatory to the Gender Responsive Standards Declaration.
12 June 2020: Following the online Joint Expert Groups meeting of the GRM and MARS groups on 11 and 12 June 2020 please read the news item on how regulatory authorities advance risk management during pandemics.
9 June 2020: UNECE joins forces with UN/WOMEN and 70 standards setting bodies to ensure that Personal Protective Equipment fits the needs of women health care personnel, during the COVID pandemic and beyond.
29 May 2020: Registration is now open for the Joint Expert Groups meeting of the GRM and MARS groups online on 11 and 12 June 2020.
22 May 2020: Today, we welcome WOCAN (Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management) as signatory to the Gender Responsive Standards Declaration.
14 May 2020: Today, we welcome the Fairtrade International and Georgian National Agency for Standards and Metrology (GeoSTM) of Georgia as signatories to the Gender Responsive Standards Declaration. Please see also the press release on Fairtrade International.
7 April 2020: Today, we welcome the National Institute of Standards and Industrial Technology (NISIT) of Papua New Guinea as a signatory to the Gender Responsive Standards Declaration.
19 March 2020: UNECE online session was joined by more than 100 participants, showcasing good practices in how national governments, cities and other stakeholders have made use of gender-responsive standards in support of the SDGs. See the meeting page and the news item for more information.
18 March 2020: Today, we welcome the Instituto Argentino de Normalización y Certificación (IRAM) as signatory to the Gender Responsive Standards Declaration.
25 February 2020: Today, we welcome the Standards and Metrology Institute for the Islamic Countries (SMIIC) and Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas (the Brazilian National Standards Organization) as signatories to the Gender Responsive Standards Declaration.
21 February 2020: Today, we welcome the Georgian National Agency for Standards and Metrology (GeoSTM) as a signatory to the Gender Responsive Standards Declaration.
4 February 2020: Today, we welcome the Responsible Jewellery Council as signatory to the Gender Responsive Standards Declaration.
15 January 2020: Today, we welcome Mauritius Standards Bureau as a Signatory to the Gender Responsive Standards Declaration!

2019

18 December 2019: We are proud to issue a detailed report of the 29th Annual Session of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP.6), which advanced UNECE’S work on Standards for SDGs, Gender Responsive Standards and Education about standardization.

22 November 2019: The 29th Annual Session of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies or WP. 6  concludes with important decisions, i.e. the adoption of a proposal for a common regulatory framework on Cyber-Security; Request for the establishment of Group of Experts on Education on Standards; Support for the development of the Portal on Standards for the SDG

20 November 2019: A meeting of the Gender Responsive Standards Initiative was convened at the Palais des Nations, Geneva on 20th November 2019. The morning meeting preceded the opening of the 29th Annual Session of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP6).  The session provided attendees with an introduction to the Initiative, in addition to a presentation by the Director, Liaison Office Geneva of UN WOMEN that examined the intersection between gender equality and standards. Representatives of signatory organizations to the Declaration provided updates on the adoption and implementation of their respective gender action plans and activities undertaken towards increasing female representation in standards and standards making.

The full report of the meeting of the Gender Responsive Standards Initiative is available here.  Further information on the Gender Responsive Standards Declaration and a complete list of signatory bodies is available here.

14 October 2019: The Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP6) is pleased to announce the launch of the UNECE Portal on Standards for the SDGs.
The Portal enables users to access standards-related information and provides a series of multi-disciplinary instruments, including: a tool to identify standards that help to realize Sustainable Development Goals and Targets; a collection of case studies of countries, cities and regions that have successfully used standards for sustainability, as well as supporting online training materials.
We hope you will make use of this platform and contribute to its evolution, by submitting your mapped standards and associated case studies.  The Portal can be accessed through the following link: https://standards4sdgs.unece.org/

14 October 2019: Check out our new brochure on “Gender Responsive Standards”: Standards are often developed by technical committees where the participation of women is far below parity. Very few methodologies exist to probe if standards respond to gendered needs and to correct any gender bias in standards. The UNECE marked “World Standards Day” by raising awareness about UNECE Gender Responsive Standards Declaration, which aims at making standards work for women.

14 October 2019: Check out our new brochure on “Standards for Sustainable Development”: The UNECE marked World Standards Day by launching the Standards for the SDGs Portal a vital awareness-raising tool, that allows UNECE and other standards developing organizations to highlight how their work helps advance Agenda 2030 and shares stories about successful implementation. All users are invited to use the available templates to submit information to be added to the portal.

2 October 2019: UNECE has recently revised the brochure on “Resilience to Disasters for Sustainable Development” that outlines recent and future work by the organization in contributing to the United Nations Plan of Action on Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience in order to “make disaster risk reduction a priority.”

23 September 2019: UNECE advances international efforts for more gender responsive standards at the first Meeting of the Signatories of the the Declaration on Gender Responsive Standards and Standards Development in Cape Town, South Africa.

2 September 2019:  The 29th Annual Session of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP.6) will be held at Palais des Nation, Geneva, starting on 20 November 2019 at 15:00 and ending on 22 November 2019 at 17:00.  The session will be preceded by a high level segment on “Gender Responsive Standards” scheduled on 20th November from 11:00 am to 1 pm. The highlights of the session will be:

  • a discussion on the direction of future UNECE work on “Standards for Sustainable Development”;
  • the presentation of a draft Recommendation on “Addressing product non-compliance risk in international trade” and of a “Proposed common regulatory framework on Cybersecurity” and
  • two high level panels on “Education on standards-related issues” and on “Challenges for market surveillance authorities”.

Please refer to the agenda of the session and register for the session  (this is mandatory). In case of visa support please contact the secretariat.

14 May 2019: UNECE and over 50 standards bodies sign Declaration on Gender Responsive Standards
Women are widely under-represented in developing the standards that affect so many areas of our lives, from the infrastructure on which economies depend, to the products we consume every day and the technologies needed to address a wide range of sustainability challenges. Many of these standards do not adequately address the different needs of women and men.  Taking action to address this critical gender gap, some 60 organizations worldwide have today signed a Declaration on Gender Responsive Standards and Standards Development (see full list on our website). The Declaration’s signing ceremony included live connections to standards bodies from all over the world, videos sent by the leaders of standards organizations, and debates with representatives of UN bodies as well as a book launch. Learn more from our press release &  watch the replay online.

14 May 2019: UNECE is pleased to launch its new publication on “Gender Responsive Standards” which makes the case for mainstreaming gender in the development and implementation of standards. It presents standards as tools for promoting equal participation by both genders in economic decision-making, as instruments for enhancing women’s health, safety, and economic empowerment, and as a foundation for reaching all of the Global Goals. It also features a detailed analysis of how gender has been integrated into two important families of standards: voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) and sanitary and phytosanitary measures. It finally presents recommendations for action directed to standards bodies, governments and donors and international organizations. 
14 May 2019: The Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP.6) opened the Declaration on "Gender Responsive Standards and Standards Development" for signature on May 14, 2019. The signing event was held 11:00 – 13:00pm in Room XIV (Cinema Room) of the Palais des Nations, Geneva. The Working Party invited all standards bodies to become signatories to the Declaration and demonstrate their steadfast commitment to achieving gender equality. The video addresses from several signing organizations can be seen on UNECE YouTube Channel.

11 January 2019: Declaration on Gender Responsive Standards: At the 28th Annual Session of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP.6), the shared commitment of the Economic Commission for Europe and standards community to strengthening the use of standards and technical regulations for sustainable development was reaffirmed by the approval of Recommendation U on "Gender Responsive Standards".
As the culmination of many years consideration on how standards bodies could contribute to the achievement of Agenda 2030, the Recommendation calls on national standards bodies to integrate a gender lens in the development of standards and sign the Declaration on "Gender Responsive Standards and Standards Development". In doing so, each national standards body asserts their commitment to gender equality by recognizing the gender-differentiated outcome of standards and the need to further engage women and girls in the standards development process.
The Declaration aims at improving gender balance in standards development and ensuring that the content and impact of standards, when implemented, are gender responsive.  All standards bodies, irrespective of their business model and operations modality, are invited to pledge to:

The Declaration contains an annex, which outlines a series of actions that national standards bodies may include in their gender action plan. The proposed list of recommended activities is intended to provide ideas and inspiration for standards bodies and it remains the responsibility of each organization to determine what they should include in their respective plan.

2018

18 December 2018: Following the very successful meeting on the "Standards for the SDGs" on September 26 a video has been prepared giving overview of the event.
3 December 2018: 12 international organizations renewed their commitment to promote quality infrastructure through a global network on November 30 in Geneva. Please read the press release of the event.
16 November 2018: The presentations and revised documents of the 28th Annual Session of the of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (14-16 November) are now available on the session website.
11 October 2018: ICES/UNECE working meeting on Management tools and standards in support of Sustainable Development Goal 14 ''Life below water'' took place from 9 to 11 October in Reykjavik, Iceland. Please see to agenda, list of participants and outcome of the event at the meeting website.
19 September 2018: UNECE works to build capacity of regulatory authorities and administrations for a risk-based approach to policy-making. Please see our just issued training guide
It is a hands-on, practical tool to help trainers in the preparation, delivery and follow up to training workshops that help stakeholders work together for an efficient, effective and transparent management of risks, in particular the risks related to the implementation of Agenda 2030.
14 September 2018: The online registration for the 28th Annual Session of the of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies, taking place from November 14 (pm) to 16 in Palais des Nations, is now open. To facilitate your access to the Palais des Nations we encourage you to register on-line as soon as possible.
12 September 2018: UNECE works to bring standards into the curricula of universities and vocational training institutions. Please read our publication making the case for the leaders of tomorrows learning about standards, and reviewing activities of major international, regional and national institutions in this domain. 
5 July 2018: The Declaration for Gender Responsive Standards and Standards Development and the Annex to the Declaration have been finalized and can be downloaded from the Declaration website
18 May 2018: Registration to the 16th meeting of the Advisory Group for Market Surveillance (MARS Group) is available from the meeting website.
13 April 2018: UNECE co-hosted the 5th meeting of the Partnership for effective international rule-making on 12 April 2018 at the Palais des Nations, Geneva.
The OECD Partnership collects evidence, exchanges best practices, and promotes greater consistency of approaches to rule-making among international organisations. 53 international organisations actively participate in the partnership. Key outputs so far include:
- a comprehensive study of International Regulatory Co-operation: The Role of International Organisations in Fostering Better Rules of Globalisation
- a series of case studies on the rule-making practices of UNECE as well as OECD and IMOFAOISOOIML, and WHO.
8 March 2018: Happy International Women’s day to all women in standards! On this day, UNECE is pleased to share:

1 March 2018: The report of the International Conference "Standards for the SDGs" (November 28 -29, 2017) has been published.

2017

15 December 2017: The report of the 27th Session of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP.6) is now available.
14 October 2017: The UNECE Regulatory Cooperation Unit wishes all WP. 6 delegates a very happy World Standards Day. Standards make cities smarter, contributing to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. 
Please join us in applauding the standards community for making our cities, and our world smarter, safer and more resilient.
18 September 2017: The secretary of the WP. 6 participated in the ISO Annual Session with two interventions at ISO/DEVCO (Committee on developing country matters) and at the General Assembly Panel on "Partnerships".
She presented a proposal for a side event back to back to the 2018 ISO General Assembly at the Palais des Nations on "Standards for sustainable development".  
16 August 2017: New ICTSD paper discusses how UNECE WP. 6 "International Model/Recommendation L" could help untangle the private standards maze. The paper explores, first, how the UNECE approach could be used to define a set of "meta-principles" taking the form of framework rules addressing how standards should be set and operated, how to ensure they are credible, transparent, etc. And second, how it could be used to implement it, that is how private standard-setters and operators can demonstrate that they comply with  the meta-principles that have been defined.
15 June 2017: The online registration for the 27th Annual Session of the of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies, taking place from November 28 to 30 in Palais des Nations, is now open. To facilitate your access to the Palais des Nations we encourage you to register on-line as soon as possible.
8 June 2017: UNECE, in partnership with TUV Rheinland and other key stakeholders, is organising a brainstorming session “The emperor’s new clothes” at the EU DevDays 2017 on June 8 in Brussels.
The Goal is to initiate a standards based platform to detox the apparel industry and launch an initiative to make it more transparent.
Invited Stakeholders include consumer organizations, NGOs, Start-ups, Brands/Retailers, Entrepreneurs, Plant managers, Chemical Suppliers, International Development Organizations (UNIDO, ILO, UNEP, ITC, European Comission).
More information on the Session, its format and Speakers can be found here.
19 May 2017: UNECE participates in the ICTSD event on the "WTO Appellate Body ruling on the Russia–EU Pigs dispute (DS475). UNECE will share its perspective on how risk management and regulatory cooperation can help prevent crisis.
To register for the event or attend online please see the ITCSD website.
9 May 2017: The minutes from the First meeting of the initiative for gender-responsive standards, that took place on April 4 in Geneva, are now available.
13 April 2017: The report from the GRM meeting in Germany from 20 to 22 February is now available.

2016

30 December 2016: The report of the 26th Session of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP.6) is now available.
1 December 2016: At its 2016 annual session the Working Party revised two recommendations (F and G) that aim at facilitating international trade by avoiding the duplication of conformity assessment procedures whenever possible.
1 December 2016: The Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies has adopted a new Recommendation on "Applying predictive risk management tools for targeted market surveillance" which encourages governments and authorities to plan surveillance activities on the basis of the evaluation of the noncompliance risk of products/businesses within their jurisdiction. 
1 December 2016: At its 2016 annual session the WP.6 launched a new initiative to make standards gender-informed and ensure that they contribute to women's empowerment. See: press release here.
11 November 2016: The Regulatory Cooperation Unit launched a case study on successes and challenges of international regulatory cooperation in the UNECE at an OECD event - part of a wider project on the role of international organizations in fostering better rules of globalization.
31 October 2016: The report of the 14th meeting of the Advisory Group on Market Surveillance (MARS) is now available.
14 October 2016: UNECE participated actively in the 80th IEC General Meeting in Frankfurt closing today. Ms Marion Stoldt, Chair of WP.6, gave a statement at the Open Council Session on how digital standards empower authorities to implements the SDGs. The UNECE Secretariat spoke of the importance of education on standards for resilience and sustainability at the WSC Academic Day.
29 August 2016: The online registration for the 26th Annual Session of the of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies is now open.
8 July 2016: The registration for the 14th meeting of the Advisory Group on Market Surveillance (MARS) is now open. The meeting takes place from 26 to 27 September at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.
26-27 June 2016: WP.6 secretariat participated in the 49th meeting of the Euroasian Interstate Council for standardization, metrology and certification (EASC).
15 June 2016: The report to the WTO TBT Committee on WP.6 standardization activities has been issued.
2 May 2016: Save the date - the 26th Annual Session of the of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies will take place from November 30 to December 2 at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.
8 January 2016: The secretary of the WP 6 gives a “presentation” to the “meeting of the Vice-Rectors for Education” of the “League of European Research Universities (LERU)” on the "UNECE Education about Standardization Initiative".

2015

17 December 2015: The Secretary of the Working Party joins a panel discussion in the Trade and Development Symposium in Nairobi on the sidelines of the 10th WTO Ministerial on the topic of "Regulatory coherence through the WTO".
14 December 2015: Delivering on the Trade Facilitation Agreement: The role of standards and regulatory frameworks - a side event of Tenth WTO Ministerial Conference - presented experiences with existing standards and related tools, as well as thoughts on how such instruments can be better used to further enhance implementation of the WTO TFA worldwide. Link to programme and presentations of the event.
1-2 December 2015:  World Standards Cooperation Workshop on Conformity Assessment: Co-organized by the ISO, IEC and ITU and hosted by the UNECE to discuss how conformity assessment choices can help reduce technical barriers to trade and increase safety and compliance.
27 - 29 October 2015: The Secretary of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies participates in the UN 70 Belarus Express for SDGs Initiative to support the global goals.
21 October 2015: UNECE works in partnership with the E15 initiative of ICTSD  and the WEF to promote regulatory cooperation. Read the just-published think piece that offers a a roadmap for countries to enhance regulatory coherence across jurisdictions by engaging in regulatory cooperation.
16 June 2015: A report on WP.6 standardisation activities and forthcoming meetings has been issued.
9 June 2015: The the British Standards Institution (BSI) has commissioned a study that shows that standards have contributed towards GBP 8.2 billion of GDP growth in UK recorded in 2013 (2014 prices).
The report of the  study provides a comprehensive examination of how standards – in their important role as diffusers of technology and promoters of efficiency in businesses – have impacted UK economic growth.
20 April 2015: The World Standards Cooperation (WSC), i.e., the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and ITU (the International Telecommunications Union) is jointly organizing a workshop on conformity assessment (CA) on 1-2 December 2015 in Geneva in conjunction with the UNECE WP.6 25th Session on 2-3 December 2015.
This workshop aims to enhance awareness about global Conformity Assessment, in line with the relevant WSC terms of reference “to promote and increase the worldwide visibility of international consensus-based standardization and related conformity assessment matters”. 
It also aims to inform on and explore important international conformity assessment issues and return practical, relevant and usable feedback which will contribute to a path forward towards the resolution and understanding of those issues. 
The final session topics will be defined based on the result of an online topic-survey which is currently ongoing. You are invited to find out more detailed information of this workshop, e.g., draft programme, suggested topics, venue and registration etc. at the workshop homepage.
18 March 2015: The Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) took place in Sendai  (14-18 March), Japan, 4 years to the date of the tragic events of the Great Japan Earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdowns, one of the many disasters that altogether lead to annual global economic losses of over $US 300 billion. You can read more about the event in the full press release.
4-5 March 2015: "Sustainability starts in Sendai": UN Secretary-General officially launches the GAR 15 Report in New York on 4 March.
The UNECE Secretariat and its Group of Experts on Risk Management in Regulatory System have contributed a substantial thinkpiece to the report and will participate in a follow-up launch event in London at the Royal Society.
24 February 2015: UNECE is pleased to partner with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the System for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for Use in Explosive Atmospheres (IECEx) for the 2015 IECEx International Conference to take place in Gdańsk, Poland on 22-23 April 2015. The Conference will promote the use of common standards and common ways of assessing conformity to standards to enhance the safety of equipment and persons in all areas where the potential for explosions exists.

2014

10 December 2014: Information on the World Standards Cooperation (WSC) workshop in conjunction with the 25th Annual session of the Working Party.
24-26 November 2014: 24th Annual Session of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.
9 September 2014: Risk Management in Regulatory Frameworks (ECE/TRADE/390) is now available in Russian (Управление рисками в системах нормативного регулирования).
27 August 2014: UNECE/ATEX/IECEx Discussion Forum and Meeting of the UNECE IECEEE initiative to discuss the acceptance of IECEx Certificates of Conformity as an alternative to EC Type Examination Certificatein The Hague, The Netherlands.
23-25 April 2014: Meeting of the UNECE MARS Group and Forum of the Market Surveillance authorities of Serbia and South East Europe, Belgrade, Republic of Serbia.
11-13 April 2014: UNECE contributes the the Regional Trade Capacity Building Programme for the countries of the Caucasus and Western CIS, organized by UNIDO with technical support from the Network on Metrology Accreditation and Standardization for Developing Countries in Warsaw, Poland. Please download the agenda.
6 April 2014: The Secretariat of the WP. 6 is pleased to contribute to the Background research for the 2015 Edition of the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR15) with an analysis of the role of "Standards and Normative Mechanisms for Disaster Risk Reduction" to enhance awareness of the role standards play in preventing, reducing the impact of, and coping with natural and man-made disasters. The background paper is embargoed till the publication of the GAR 15. A shortened and amended version of the paper has been produced for information purposes for the Annual Session of the Working Party.

2013

18-20 November 2013: The 23rd Annual Session of the WP.6  took place at Palais des Nations, Geneva. An International Conference on "Standards and Regulatory Frameworks" was held on 19 November 2013.  The Conference  presented global best practice in the use of standards in regulatory work: in particular as regards operationalizing sustainable development, managing risks, and addressing non-conformity to standards and regulations.
25-27 September 2013: The MARS Group held its 11th meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, at the invitation of Czech Office for Standards, Metrology and Testing hosted by Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic.
18 September 2013: Meeting of policy-makers responsible for the sector of equipment used in environments with an explosive atmosphere from BRICs countries and countries of Latin America.
9 June 2013: UNECE is pleased to associate itself with ILAC and IAF in celebrating World Accreditation Day on 9 June 2013. This year the focus is on the important role accreditation plays in facilitating trade around the world, both within and across national borders. To learn more, please read the Joint ILAC-IAF statement, or download the informative brochure the two organizations prepared to mark this event.
23 May 2013: The WP.6 will contribute to the Fourth Session of the Global Platform by co-organizing a Featured Event on standards and regulatory frameworks for disaster risk reduction. For more details visit http://www.preventionweb.net/globalplatform/2013/programme/featuredeven…

19 March 2013: At the International conference on the "Role of Industry in the system of technical regulations", held in Moscow, the UNECE and the Eurasian Economic Commission called for increased international cooperation in technical regulations and standards. Read Press Release. The conference was organized by the RSSP-TF8 - a business platform composed of leaders of companies from the EU and Russia, with participation by authorities and standards bodies of the two regions. RSPP-TF8 has prepared specific recommendations for the approximation of the Regulatory Systems of Russia and the European Union, which were also officially presented at the Conference.

4-8 March 2013: The ISO Technical Committee 262 "Risk Management" decided to establish a Working Group to develop guidance on applying the ISO 31000 Standard "Risk Management" to legislative and regulatory activity. A representative of UNECE will actively participate in this Working Group, building on best practice developed by the UNECE GRM and contained in the recent publication Risk Management in Regulatory Systems. Additionally, another working group under TC 262 will consider the harmonisation of risk management standards. These decisions were among the most important outcomes of the meeting of the ISO TC 262 held in Toulouse last week

28 February 2013: More than fifty international risk professionals and organizations will compete for glory at Global Risk Awards Ceremony of the Institute of Risk Management in London on 28 February 2013. The UNECE Group on Risk Management on Regulatory System has the honour of having being shortlisted as one of the five candidates for the best partnership of the year in the field of risk management. Read more: http://www.irmawards.org/shortlist-unveiled-for-1st-global-risk-awards/

21 January 2013: The Secretary of the WP.6 attended a Workshop meeting on Future Programme on Approximation of Regulatory Systems in the Sphere of Technical Regulation between the Customs Union and the European Union held in Berlin, Germany. Participants at the meetings included representatives of the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, as well as the Russian and German Standards bodies, as well as of the business sector. Participants welcomed the proposal to hold a Conference on Regulatory Approximation in Geneva, from 14 to 15 November 2013.
 
2012
 
30 November 2012: Risk Management in Regulatory Frameworks - This publication guides policymakers in the design of regulatory systems that result in an efficient, effective and transparent management of risks.
7-9 November 2012: Twenty-second session of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP.6), took place from 7 November 2012 at 15:00hrs. to 9 November 2012 at 18:00hrs.
14 October 2012: The UNECE Regulatory Cooperation Unit wishes all WP. 6 delegates a very happy World Standards Day! World Standards day is organized every year, as a means of paying tribute to the collaborative efforts of the thousands of experts worldwide who develop the voluntary technical agreements that are published as international standards. The theme of this year's event is "Less waste, better results—Standards increase efficiency" Events are held all around the world to celebrate this event! ISO, IEC, and ITU have issued a joint message and published a beautiful poster. In the US, a whole week of celebration is organized by ANSI, while in Canada, a webcast is hosted by Standards Council Canada.
3 September 2012: Sectoral Initiative on Equipment for Explosive Environments meeting in Calgary, in conjunction with the meetings of the IECEx scheme, regulatory authorities will discuss progress made in regulatory convergence in the sector of equipment used in high risks facilities, such as mines, offshore and onshore energy plants, industrial facilities.
13-15 September: 10th Anniversary Meeting of the MARS Group in Bratislava, at the kind invitation of the Slovak Office of Standards, Metrology and Testing. Among other topics, the experts will discuss recent regulatory developments at national and regional level in market surveillance policies and practices, how to apply traceability tools in the context of post-market surveillance, and will work on revising UNECE recommendation I on "Education for Standards-related issues".
21-22 May 2012: At the ISO 31000 Conference in Paris, both Mr. Kevin Knight, chairperson of the GRM and the UNECE secretariat will make presentations on how risk management tools can be used as the basis for the design of regulatory systems.
18 May 2012:  WP.6 2012 First Quarterly Newsletter is now available for download.
15 May 2012: UNECE will give a presentation of its activities at the Workshop on "How do consumers know what they're getting" organized by the ISO Committee on Consumer Policies (ISO/COPOLCO) in Fiji 26 April 2012: UNECE will take part in the Conference on approximation of regulatory systems of Russia and the EU in Moscow on 27 April 2012. Many of the WP. 6 experts are involved in this important initiative, in particular, the vice-chair of WP. 6 Mr.  Valeriy Koreshkov, Minister for technical regulation of the Eurasian Economic Commission, will open the workshop.
23 April 2012:  The report of the 21st Annual Session of the Working Party is available. A report of the Workshop on "Traceability: a tool for managing risks" or a report on the Panel Session "Standards and regulations as a tool for promoting sustainable development: Preparing for Rio + 20".
20 April 2012: UNECE will make an update on its activities on market surveillance and risk management at the OECD Workshop on Risk Assessment in Tel-Aviv, Israel, organized by the Working Party on Consumer Product Safety.
18 April 2012: The Group of Experts on Risk Management in Regulatory Systems (UNECE GRM) held a webinar to discuss the results of the application of the UNECE Recommendation on risk management (Recommendation R) to two existing legal frameworks regulating the sector of electrical and electronic appliances. The comparative analysis proposed by the GRM members who carried out the application of Recommendation R did not contain any value judgment and was aimed at showing similarities and differences in the way the two legal frameworks at issue identified and treated risks connected to electrical and electronic products.
17 April 2012: The Network on Metrology, Accreditation and Standardization for Developing Countries (DCMAS Network) held its annual session at the Palais des Nations, Geneva. The meeting was attended by representatives of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation (ILAC), the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), the Internatinoal Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). The DCMAS serves as a forum for exchanging experiences and updates on technical cooperation projects carried out by the participating organizations. The UNECE secretariat acted as the secretariat of the DCMAS and organized the 2012 annual meeting. 
26 March 2012: At the invitation of Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the secretary of UNECE WP. 6 delivered an intervention at the event "A Quantum of QI" to  celebrate the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt or PTB's 125th anniversary in Braunschweig, Germany.
20-22 March 2012: The UNECE Secretariat attended the WTO TBT Committee in its capacity as permanent observer. The UNECE representative delivered a speech reporting to the WTO TBT Committee the latest developments in the UNECE activities related to regulatory cooperation and standardization policies. Download the report to the TBT Committee.
20-21 March 2012: An International Conference on Equipment and Services in Explosive Atmospheres was jointly organized in Dubai by UNECE, the IECEx and the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA). It brought together more than 200 experts from all over the world, with the objective of making the industries in which explosions may occur safer and facilitating trade in related products and equipment. For more details see the UNECE weekly.
13-17 February 2012: The Secretary of the WP.6 attended a meeting of the ISO Project Committee on Risk Management in Dublin in her capacity as member of the Group of Experts on Risk Management in Regulatory Systems (GRM). This meeting was aimed at discussing comments on the draft-standard ISO/IEC 31004, containing guidelines for the implementation of ISO 31000.
6 February 2012: The Group of Experts on Risk Management in Regulatory Frameworks holds a webinar aimed at advancing its current work and discussing its priorities for the year 2012. Download the report of the webinar.
2011

14 November 2011: At its 21st Annual Session , the Working Party approved three new recommendations.


8-9 November 2011: The Chairperson of the WP. 6 makes a presentation at the Workshop on Regulatory Cooperation between Members. For more information, including the specific contribution of UNECE to good regulatory practice.
4 November 2011: Download the list of decision adopted during the Twenty-first session of the Working Party.
31 October - 2 November 2011:  Annual Session of Working Party  and a Workshop on "Traceability: a tool for managing risks" was held.  The Workshop showed how traceability may contribute to managing risks in supply chains and help policy-makers achieve their regulatory goals.
Additionally, a panel discussion on "Standards and regulations as a tool for promoting sustainable development: Preparing for Rio + 20" discussed how standards contribute to promote sustainable development in all of its three spheres: economic growth, environmental integrity, and societal equity.
20 October 2011: The UNECE WP. 6 has just published a trilingual glossary of Market Surveillance Terms. The Glossary will be a working tool for regulators and authorities worldwide, making it easier to understand different systems and working together for safer goods, safer markets and safer communities
13 -15 September 2011: The MARS Group will meet hold its 9th meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia, at the kind invitation of the Slovak Office of Standards, Metrology and Testing.
12 September 2011:  The UNECE Group of Experts on Risk Management in Regulatory Systems has become a liaison member of the Project Committee 262 “Risk Management” of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The ISO Project Committee 262 is currently developing guidelines for the implementation of the ISO 31000 standard. The liaison membership will allow the UNECE GRM to participate in the standards development process, and will provide ISO/PC 262 with information on the most relevant needs of regulators and policy-makers. 
7 September 2011: At a meeting of the UNECE Sectoral Initiative on Equipment for Explosive Environments held in Split, Croatia, regulators of products used in mines, oil platforms and chemical plants from Australia, Brazil, the European Union, the Russian Federation, and the United States agreed that products used in these dangerous facilities need a globally harmonized regulatory framework and that countries can reach this objective in the medium term. See press release.
30 June 2011: The UNECE Group of Experts on Risk Management in Regulatory Systems (UNECE GRM) discussed and approved its comments regarding the OECD Draft Recommendation on Regulatory Policy and Governance. In preparing its comments, which were sent to OECD on 30 June 2011, the GRM extensively referred to the draft of the UNECE WP.6 Recommendation “Risk Management in Regulatory Systems”. Read more on the highlights of the GRM.
13 May 2011: Please download and complete our survey on the market surveillance authorities in your country and help us establish a worldwide database of market surveillance authorities worldwide. Already available data collected through an earlier survey, are available here.
4 - 6 May 2011: Annual Planning Meeting of UNECE WP.6 Activities was held on 4, 5 and 6 May 2011, Stockholm, Sweden. This meeting will be hosted by the Swedish National Board of Trade.
22 March 2011: WP. 6 issues a publication aimed at "Helping smaller countries protect their populations from danger in explosive environments"
10 -11 March 2011: WP.6 and GRM at the International Regulatory Reform Conference The Secretary of the WP.6 will give a presentation at the International Regulatory Reform Conference. The motto of the Conference ‘looking at the whole elephant’, an ‘elephant’ being a regulatory system, mirrors the work undergoing within the WP.6.
8 March 2011: Start of the work of the Group of Experts on Risk Management in Regulatory Systems. The first webinar of the GRM (Group of Experts on Risk Management in Regulatory Systems) - held on 8 March 2011 - marked an official start of the UNECE work on developing recommendations on applying risk management tools in regulatory systems.
5 March 2011: WP.6 issues the report of the 20th Session

2010

3-14 December 2010: The Secretary of WP. 6 will deliver a presentation on work undertaken by the UNECE in the field of risk management in Regulatory Systems at the IV International Workshop on Conformity Assessment organized by INMETRO in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
7 November 2010: The Secretary of the Working Party made a presentation about the “Regulatory use of risk assessment” at the ISO/CASCO workshop on “Risk based approaches to designing conformity assessment strategies” in Paris.
11 November 2010: The Working Party participated in the CEFTA week in Belgrade. WP6 Experts discussed the role of market surveillance for international trade. They introduced participants to the achievement and priorities of the MARS Group
3 November 2010: At the 20th Session the Working Party established a new Group of Experts on Risk Management in Regulatory Systems (GRM).
1-2 November 2010: 20th Session of the Working Party. Celebrating 40 years of standardization work in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
14 October 2010: World Standards Day - To mark the event, this year the Secretary of Working Party 6 will participate in the "World Standards Day Conference" (Brussels 12 October) and will give a presentation on "Managing Risks in Regulatory Systems" at the event: "Innovation And The Dissemination Of New Technologies" organized by the European Risk Forum (Brussels 12 October) Events are being organized around the globe: see the poster by IEC-ISO-ITU and the Symposium organized by ANSI in Washington.
6-8 October 2010: Meeting of the MARS Group in Bratislava, Slovakia
The MARS Group will meet in Bratislava, Slovakia, at the kind invitation of the Slovak Office of Standards, Metrology and Testing. Participants will exchange information as regards market surveillance in their respective countries, and review ongoing projects on a General Market Surveillance Procedure, on Common Terminology for Market Surveillance as well as the proposal for a market surveillance database.
1 September 2010: 6th meeting of the Sectoral Initiative on Equipment for Explosive Environments, Berlin. This meeting was organized as part of the annual meeting of the International Electrotechnical Scheme for Certification to Standards relating to Equipment for Use in Explosive Atmospheres (IECEx Scheme).
1-2 July 2010: The WP. 6 Secretariat participates in the 15th Conference of the Academy of Standardization (EURAS) with a featured paper on "Application of Risk-based Management System Standards to the Design of Regulatory Systems".
21 June 2010: Second edition of the WP.6 Newsletter - Regulatory Developments around the World
9-11 June 2010: Meeting of the WP. 6 Bureau, Rapporteurs & Co-ordinators, START Team, and MARS Group Stockholm, Sweden, on 9, 10 and 11 June 2010.
The meeting will be hosted by the Swedish National Board of Trade to discuss the establishment of the Group of Experts on Risk Assessment and Management, advance initiatives underway in the Working Party and prepare for the November 2010 Annual Session.
21 April and 27 April 2010: First UNECE webinar on Risk Assessment and Management in the Regulatory System. The webinar will present how Risk Management tools can be used to enhance the effectiveness of the regulatory system - in particular the design and implementation of technical regulations, standards , conformity assessment and market surveillance.
19 April 2010: Please visit the new section of our website on Risk Management in Regulatory Systems
7 April 2010: UNECE secretariat releases Report of the 19th Session and the Report of the Conference on Risk Assessment and Management
31 March 2010: First edition of the WP.6 Newsletter - Regulatory Developments around the World
19 February 2010: A Common Regulatory language for Trade development (ECE/TRADE/375)
8 January 2010: WP. 6 publishes the final outcome of the Conference on Risk Assessment and Management held from 24 to 25 November 2009.

2009

26 November 2009: the Common Regulatory Objectives of the Sectoral Initiative on Equipment for Explosive Environments (SIEEE) were approved by the Working Party. See the press release...
24, 25 and 26 November 2009: Annual Session and Conference on Risk Assessment and Management, Geneva, Swizterland
Together with its annual session, the Working Party organized a Conference on Risk Assessment and Management on 24 and 25 November 2009. The Conference discussed issues related to the assessment and management of risk for the different bodies and authorities involved in technical regulation and standardization matters. See press release.
23 November 2009: Workshop on "Practical Application of Risk Assessment and Management Tools", Geneva, Swizterland
The training focused on how market surveillance authorities of CIS countries can use risk assessment and management tools in cooperation with business to remove dangerous, non-compliant and counterfeit goods from the market.
14 October 2009: Happy world standards day! The Chairperson and the Secretariat of WP. 6 take part in the "World Standards Day 2009"and in the presentation of the Issues Paper of the Expert Panel for the Review of the European Standardiation System (EXPRESS)
8-9 October 2009: Meeting of the MARS Group in Bratislava, Slovakia
The MARS Group will meet in Bratislava, Slovakia, at the kind invitation of the Slovak Office of Standards, Metrology and Testing. Participants will exchange information as regards market surveillance in their respective countries, and review the General Market Surveillance Procedure, and the document on Common Terminology for Market Surveillance
6 October 2009: Donwload an informative Brochure on regulatory cooperation at UNECE (ENG     FRE     RUS)
2 Septmber 2009: 5th meeting of the Sectoral initiative on Equipment for Explosive Environments in Melbourne, Australia
On 2 September 2009, the SIEEE held its 5th meeting in Melbourne, Australia. The meeting took place as part of the meetings of the International Electrotechnical Scheme for Certification to Standards relating to Equipment for Use in Explosive Atmospheres (IECEx Scheme).
20 July 2009: Common Terminology for Market Surveillance
A small working group is developing a Common Terminology for Market Surveillance. An early draft has been made available. Comments are welcome until end September 209 on this draft.
19 June 2009: Sectoral initiative on Earthmoving machinery
The initiative has proposed a revision of the Common Regulatory Objectives (CRO) Applicable to Earth-Moving Machinery Safety. Comments are welcome on the document until end September 2009.
27 May 2009: A new version of the General Market Surveillance Model has been made available. Comments are welcome until end September 2009 on this draft.
27-29 May 2009: Meeting of WP.6 Bureau, Rapporteurs & Coordinators, START Team and MARS Group, Stockholm
A meeting of the WP. 6 Bureau, Rapporteurs & Co-ordinators, START Team, and MARS Group was hosted by the Swedish National Board of Trade to advance on the initiatives underway in the Working Party and prepare for the November 2009 Annual Session.
25 May 2009: Sectoral initiative on the Safety of Pipelines
The sectoral initiative on the Safety of Pipelines has developed a questionnaire to document the regulatory practices in this sector on a global basis. The questionnaire was answered by Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Moldova and Turkey.
Answers on the questionnaire are welcome, if you wish your answer to be included in the document that will be made available at the Working Party Session in November 2009, please reply by end September 2009.

Last update date: January 29, 2024