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Using Standards

WP6 Using Standards

Introduction

UNECE encourages and empowers policy-makers to use international standards to develop and implement regulations in different sectors.

Using standards in technical regulations promotes international regulatory coherence; helps companies, communities and organizations move toward a more resilient and sustainable model of production and consumption; and help conserve Planet Earth’s precious resources.

In focus

WP.6 has updated the Standards 4 SDGs portal. The database has grown from 1,500 standards mapped to five SDGs (2021) to more than 21,000 standards of all major international standards development organizations mapped to all SDGs. The portal also features a collection of forty two case studies demonstrating how standards have helped to achieve specific SDGs. There are also fourteen commentaries from leading standards authorities to highlight the important role of standards in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.

Key deliverables

Symbol & Title

Issued date

ENG

FRA

RUS

ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2022/6
Recommendation T on Standards and Regulations for Sustainable Development

2022

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ECE/TRADE/C/WP.6/2006/5
Recommendation J on Definitions

2006

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Recommendation H on Presentation of UNECE Recommended Standards and Harmonized Technical regulations

1988

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ECE/TRADE/C/WP.6/2013/5
Recommendation D on Reference to Standards

2013

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Recommendation C on International Harmonization of Standards and Technical Regulations

1995

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Recommendation B on Coordination of Technical Regulations and Standardization

1996

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Recommendation A on Further Developments in International Cooperation on Technical Harmonization and Standardization Policies

1970

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Impact

Standards are very much a part of our everyday life. The blueprints of products we buy and use are developed in close reference to standards and technical regulations. When designs are developed into manufactured goods, firms cooperate with competent bodies that check conformity of their merchandise with relevant requirements. And finally, when products are on the market or are used as equipment at the workplace, specialized authorities monitor to protect consumers, workers and employees from the hazards of non-compliant products. More technically, standards are “documents, established by consensus and approved by a recognized body, that provide ‘rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results’ ”. Technical regulations are set by competent authorities, and define criteria for the design, content, operation, and disposal of products. While technical regulations must be complied with, compliance with standards is voluntary.

UNECE encourages rule makers to base their regulations on international standards. These provide a common denominator to the norms that apply on different markets, and reduce the need to customize and retest the products whenever they cross a national border. In order to avoid standards becoming a barrier to international trade, national regulators must work together to specify which international standards constitute the common denominator, and how compliance with the standards should be assessed.

Events

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