Geneva 4 May 1999

HOW INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AFFECT GLOBAL TRADE

CEOs of Three International Organizations Meet with

UN Ambassadors Friday to Examine Current Issues

On Friday, May 7, the Chief Executive Officers of three international organizations, Yves Berthelot, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE), Aharon Amit, General Secretary of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and Lawrence D. Eicher, Secretary-General of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), meet the Geneva-based ambassadors to the UN to examine how international standards affect global trade.

Standards are developed by consensus among trading partners and serve as a lingua franca for trade. One such standard is the UN/ECE's European Agreement concerning the Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road, which 33 countries have signed. This Agreement helps to avoid accidents that could cause serious health and environmental damages.

The activities of ISO cover a wide range of subjects. For instance, ISO issues the ISO 9000 series standards for quality management. Over 200,000 ISO 9000 certificates have already been issued worldwide.

IEC is responsible for all international standards in electronics, electricity and related fields, from domestic electrical appliances to standards in multimedia and power generation.

Failing to provide the global standards needed by the trading partners will hamper the development of a free and fair global trading system. The automotive industry, for instance, has over 80 different standards for the various stages of the manufacturing process, running the gamut from Australian railways= standards to standards for Brazilian fuels.

The international standardization process is open to all countries. It provides a framework for producing the most suitable products and services for all sectors of government, business, industry and the consumer. The three organizations, UN/ECE, IEC and ISO are working towards further improving this framework so as to respond even more effectively to clearly defined business requirements and facilitate closer collaboration between all countries for implementing standards worldwide.

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Hans Hansell

Trade Division

United Nations Economic Commission

for Europe (UN/ECE)

Palais des Nations, Room 442

CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland

Tel: +41 22 917 2457

Fax: +41 22 917 0037

E-mail: hans.hansell@unece.org

Website: http://www.unece.org/cefact