The UNECE Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP.6) is a forum for dialogue among regulators and policy makers. The WP.6 mandate is very broad and includes technical regulations, standardization, conformity assessment, metrology, market surveillance and risk management.
The Working Party aims at promoting regulatory policies to protect the health and safety of consumers and workers, and preserve our natural environment, without creating unnecessary barriers to trade. To contribute to this goal, WP.6 develops recommendations, sectoral initiatives and capacity-building activities.
The recommendations developed by the Working Party are voluntary and they are widely used by public authorities that wish to adopt existing best practice. Since 1970, 13 recommendations have been adopted. The Recommendations have recently been compiled in a single publication (ECE/TRADE/378) available at http://www.unece.org/trade/wp6/Recommendations/trd-378_ENG.pdf.
In addition to recommendations, WP.6 promotes initiatives to converge towards Common Regulatory Objectives (CROs) in specific sectors. CROs address legitimate government concerns related to public health, safety or protection of the environment. They are jointly defined, preferably with reference to international standards. They specify (i) how compliance is assessed; (ii) which conformity assessment bodies are recognized as competent; and (iii) what competence criteria are to be fulfilled, as well as other related issues (e.g. market surveillance). Currently there are four ongoing sectoral initiatives in the area of telecom, earth-moving machinery, equipment for explosive environments, and pipeline safety. Documents related to sectoral initiatives are constantly kept up to date on the WP.6 website at http://www.unece.org/trade/wp6/SectoralInitiatives/START/START.html.
WP.6 is also actively working to promote best practice in the area of market surveillance. It has created a preliminary guide to market surveillance and is developing a glossary of terms related to market surveillance activities. The Working Party is also creating a database gathering information on market surveillance authorities in the UNECE region, their mandate, their legislative references, and their sector of activity. Relevant documents and information on this area of activity can be found at http://www.unece.org/trade/wp6/AreasOfWork/MarketSurveillance.
A relatively new activity is the investigation of possible strategies to streamline risk management techniques in the design of regulatory systems and achieve proportionality between technical regulations and the risks they set out to address, including through regulatory impact assessment and the promotion of good regulatory practices (http://www.unece.org/trade/wp6/AreasOfWork/RiskManagement/RiskManagement.html).
Recent accidents in mines, offshore facilities, plants and installations have resulted in loss of human and animal life, unprecedented environmental degradation and economic damage. At the same time, a number of dangerous products – i.e. hazardous toys, counterfeit pharmaceuticals, contaminated milk – have put consumers at risk. Unsafe and unscrupulous production methods also weaken compliant producers that are unable to compete against the proliferation of cheap and low-quality goods. These problems confront all countries.
However, in developing countries and countries with economies in transition standardization bodies, market surveillance authorities and consumers associations are severely underfunded and lack the human and technical resources required to perform the functions assigned to them.
Reinforcing these authorities is a key priority in promoting safer production methods and more sustainable consumption patterns. WP.6 has organized several workshops and awareness raising events at the request of national authorities or regional groupings to share best practice in its areas of work.
Recommendations to UNECE Governments on Standardization Policies
A. Further Developments in International Cooperation on Technical Harmonization and Standardization Policies
B. Coordination of Technical Regulations and Standardization
C. International Harmonization of Standards and Technical Regulations
D. Reference to Standards
E. Treatment of Imported Products, Processes and Services
F. Creation and Promotion of International Agreements on Conformity Assessment
G. Acceptance of Conformity Assessment Results
H. Presentation of UNECE Recommended Standards and Harmonized Technical Regulations
I. Methodological Studies and Education
J. Definitions
K. Metrological Assurance of Conformity Assessment and Testing
L. International Model for Technical Harmonization Based on Good Regulatory Practice for the Preparation, Adoption and Application of Technical Regulations via the Use of International Standards
M. Use of Market Surveillance Infrastructure as a Complementary Means to Protect Consumers and Users against Counterfeit Goods
Website: http://www.unece.org/trade/wp6/
