(ISO: Geneva) -- The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) have published a new handbook setting out the advantages for exporters in developing countries of closer collaboration between national standards bodies (NSBs) and trade promotion organizations (TPOs). Building Linkages for Export Success (ISO/ITC, 2010) has been written for trade officials working for NSBs, TPOs, or government agencies and is now available free of charge.
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NSBs and TPOs have specific and important roles to play. As developers of national standards, NSBs represent their countries in international and regional standardization organizations. As the source of much needed foreign-market information, TPOs can facilitate export trade. In most developing countries, the NSB is the national enquiry point as required by the World Trade Organization’s Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement, and may also provide conformity assessment services. However, in many countries, little or no formal cooperation exists between NSBs and TPOs.
“The growth of international trade and the increasing importance of high-level standards and technical regulation in developed markets presents greater opportunities for NSBs and TPOs to collaborate and create more opportunities for exporters to demonstrate compliance with market requirements and enhance national competitiveness,” say ITC executive director Patricia Francis and ISO secretary general Rob Steele in the handbook’s foreword. “This collaboration may assist any enterprise looking to export but especially small and medium-sized enterprises that find it difficult gaining the information necessary to evaluate and comply with market access requirements in another country.”
To explore how such collaboration could be achieved, a regional symposium, the “Quality Management: Linking TPOs and NSBs for Export Success,” was organized by the ISO and ITC during December 2009 in Malaysia. The new handbook is based on the outcome of that meeting and reflects the positions of those participating. The examples given are drawn from participants’ shared experiences and can be used as a resource to review local situations in developing economies in all regions. This handbook therefore offers pointers for any country for developing its own approach to help open avenues of collaborative effort between the national TPO and NSB to leverage their services for the benefit of local exporters.
Building Linkages for Export Success is printed in English, French, and Spanish. It is free, although there is a fee for postage and handling, and available through the ISO Store or from ISO national member institutes. The handbook can also be downloaded as a PDF from the ISO website.
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