WP.6 News and upcoming events

Saatja: "ECE-Regulatory" <[email protected]> Teema: WP.6 News and upcoming events Kuupäev: 2023-06-12 12:53 Dear WP.6 experts, With the successful completion of the second annual Forum of WP.6 subgroups, we have prepared the attached brief update on WP.6 activities so that you can have a birds eye view of everything that is going on. (apologies if we might have missed something that is important to anyone – there are so many interesting items progressing right now!). Small reminder of upcoming meetings that may be of interest to you: * 26-27 June, Steering Committee on Trade Capacity and Standards – Eighth Session <https://unece.org/info/Trade/events/sctcs-2023> * 5 July, <https://unece.org/trade/events/wp6-team-specialists-gender-responsive-sta ndards-meeting-1> working meeting of the Team of Specialists on Gender Responsive Standards * 6 July, <https://unece.org/trade/events/wp6-group-experts-risk-management-regulato ry-systems-meeting-0> working meeting of the Group of Experts on Risk Management in Regulatory Systems * And save the date on 23 to 24 November for the Thirty-third Session of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies <https://unece.org/info/Trade/WP.6-Meetings/events/375416> (WP.6) As always, we thank you for your active engagement within WP.6. If you have and questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us at the secretariat. Best regards, Lance Thompson Secretary WP.6 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe <https://unece.org/trade/wp6> Email: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 1298 Mobile: +41 (0) 76 691 0820 Palais des Nations 8-14 avenue de la Paix CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland UNECE Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies Update on WP.6 activities June 2022 2nd Annual Forum of WP.6 subgroups, 22-26 May 2023 A “Back to Basics of Quality Infrastructure” session during the forum echoed the presentations made in the pre-session panel of the 32nd Annual Session in November 2023. The foundational principles of standardization, national technical regulations, international regulatory cooperation, metrology, market surveillance, risk management and conformity assessment are the backbone of much of the work within WP.6. We are looking into the possibility for producing a publication on the topic. The Team of Specialists on Gender-Responsive Standards (GRS) hosted a webinar on “Achievements and challenges in implementing gender action plans”, sharing best practices from Austria, Rwanda, The European Committee for Standardization (CEN/CENELEC), the Pan American Standards Commission (COPANT), the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) and ASTM International. A summary of the toolkit of current GRS guidance was also presented. A colleague from the WTO provided a closing keynote putting GRS in the context of wider challenges to mainstreaming gender in trade policies. The Group of Experts on Risk Management in Regulatory Systems (GRM) hosted a webinar which outlined cross-border risk management from a customs perspective and from a product compliance perspective and linking these back to the guidance already produced by GRM. A sharing of best practices in market surveillance also took place during the forum with a very informative session on the nuances of the European Union product regulatory system which is used as a reference in many parts of the world. The Ad Hoc Team of Specialists on Standardization and Regulatory Techniques (START) reviewed the current initiatives in light of their relevance and reassessed its priorities based on demand-driven approaches. Several key areas of future work were identified, such as new case studies on cybersecurity and trunk pipeline safety of installations for the transport of hydrogen and the material used in that environment. It was further suggested that Recommendation L on the International Model for Transnational Regulatory Cooperation Based on Good Practice could usefully evolve to cover processes, systems and services. 33rd WP.6 Annual Session The 33rd WP.6 Annual Session will take place 23-24 November 2023. During this meeting, we plan to put forward for approval revision of Recommendation K, a White Paper on Code Lists for gender, sex and salutations, a proposal for internal working procedures and very likely a new recommendation on the market surveillance of products with embedded technologies, such as artificial intelligence. WHERE YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE • Invite standards development organizations to become signatory to the Declaration on Gender- Responsive Standards and Standards Development. • For those standards bodies that already have standards-related gender action plans, to fill out the questionnaire template for a future guide on best practices on the topic. • Participate in the WP.6 meetings in view of the proposed topics (outlined on the next page). • Any return on experiences on gender, standards and sustainable development that you would like to share at an upcoming GRS webinar. Deadline 15 July, please. • Project on conformity of products with embedded technology currently out for public review. MARS GRS Advisory Group on Market Surveillance Team of Specialists on Gender-Responsive At its annual meeting, the MARS nominated a new Standards chair from Belgium and two vice-chairs from New The Team continues to promote the signature of Zealand and Belgium. the Declaration on Gender Responsive Standards and Standards Development. Recently, Standards Following the webinar on “Market surveillance role Australia and KazStandards have become the 81st in combatting counterfeit products” with insightful and 82nd signatories respectively. The Team has also contributions from Serbia, Denmark, the United completed a template for a repository of gender Kingdom and the WTO, MARS plans to revise action plans and already received submissions from Recommendation M on this subject in the coming Australia, Austria, Ecuador, CEN/CENELEC, New months. It was also suggested that it could be useful Zealand and Rwanda. A new publication, “Why to also review Recommendation N on Good Market Gender-Responsive Standards are Better for Surveillance Policies and Practices for a potential Everyone” will be available shortly. review. The group proposed to eventually organize a webinar on this topic in early 2024. The work of GRS has also been cited within the European Commission Regulation C(2023) 1210 The Annual meeting of MARS on 26 May featured Annex of February 2023, item 82. And the best practice presentations from Estonia, Belgium, International Telecommunication Union has Sweden and the European Commission DG GROW. encouraged their membership to take the e- This provided insight into current practices and learning course on the learnQI platform. regulations which are reproduced in many parts of the world. GRS plans to have a webinar on gender, standards and sustainable development on 27 September START 2023 – more to come on the website shortly. Next meetings: 5 July, 27 Sept. Ad Hoc Team of Specialists on Standardization and Regulatory Techniques The sectoral initiative on pipeline safety (SIPS) is working towards the creation of a common GRM Group of Experts on Risk Management in regulatory arrangement on trunk pipeline safety; Regulatory Systems this work should be finalized in 2024. The group will At its annual meeting, the GRM nominated a new also work on a harmonized vocabulary in this field. chair from the UK and two vice-chairs from Israel Finally, the group will be studying the trunk pipeline and the UK. safety for growing markets such as hydrogen. Work is still underway on the project on “Integrated The sectoral initiative on equipment for explosive risk management in single window systems”. The environment (SIEEE) will be present at the next IEC- Group will also be looking at a capacity matrix in Ex meeting in Edinburgh in September 2023 and will order to identify the expertise available within the discuss there the future work which can be put Group. A suggestion to work on risk management in forward in WP.6. relation to life under water is also being discussed. The sectoral initiative on cybersecurity reviewed its Next meetings: 6 July, 14 Sept. Common Regulatory Arrangement and confirmed that it is a very useful document. It encouraged that further examples in the annex would be useful. They also underlined that further promotion of the START-Ed work would be useful. Education on Standardization Initiative The learnQI platform has been a great success. In its The START also underlined that a review of first six months, there have been over 400 Recommendation L in view of dealing with systems, registrations on the platform an around 250 of processes and services would be useful. those have completed their courses. Next meeting: 12 July The sectoral initiative on education on standardization is planning its next activities.