TRADE
CAPACITY BUILDING
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MAKING
PRIVATE STANDARDS WORK FOR YOU: A GUIDE TO PRIVATE STANDARDS IN THE
GARMENTS, FOOTWEAR AND FURNITURE SECTORS Today,
more and more companies in emerging economies are becoming global
producers. The liberalisation of consumer markets provides these
companies with opportunities for exporting their products to global
markets where they are increasingly required to comply with private
standards, a phenomenon on the rise. Also known as business values,
norms, ethics, codes and practices, private standards are considered to
be one way of promoting social development and environmental
sustainability. The aim of this guide is to provide clarity in terms of
the information
available on private standards, as well as to outline a detailed
strategic
approach for suppliers in developing countries faced with this
challenge.
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RESPONSIBLE
ENTREPRENEURS ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAMME: UNIDO'S CSR PROGRAMME - REACHING
OUT TO SMES WORLDWIDE The Responsible
Entrepreneurs
Achievement Programme (REAP) is
a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) based management and
reporting tool that helps smaller companies to
implement CSR concepts, thereby aligning economic,
social and environmental aspects of business. Based on
the ten principles of the UN Global Compact,
as well as international standards in the social and
environmental domains, such as ISO 14001, SA 8000,
or OHSAS 18001, it provides a structured framework
in combination with analytical software, which can
be used to gather, process, evaluate and report
data used to track progress in implementing CSR in SMEs. REAP
allows for an effective assessment of CSR performance and the implementation of CSR principles using a concept that is in
line with a company’s core business strategy,
productivity considerations and operational costs.
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ISO
9001 - ITS RELEVANCE AND IMPACT IN ASIAN DEVELOPING ECONOMIES This
survey evaluates the ISO certified quality management system
development, the certification bodies, and the economic benefits of
accreditation in SAARC and South East Asian Economies. Based on the ISO
9001 which builds the foundation for a successful certification,
specifically in the customer-centered area of the ‘Quality Management
System’, the project evaluates the levels of conformity that have been
attained by companies operating primarily in the manufacturing and
construction sectors. The study interviews institutional purchasers’ to
determine their satisfaction with the performance of ISO 9001 accredited
suppliers and investigates suppliers’ motivations for seeking
certification from accredited certification bodies. Key findings
indicate that the overall perceptions of ISO accredited certification
are positive, although sometimes the role of accreditation is not well
understood by either purchasers or the certified organizations.
Overall the study demonstrates that there are clear empirical economic
benefits to the implementation and accredited certification of quality
management systems in the Asian developing economies.
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BUILDING
TRUST - THE CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT TOOLBOX (ISO AND UNIDO) The
publication is a comprehensive, user-friendly handbook for business
managers, regulators and consumer representatives. Successive reviews
of the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Technical Barriers to
Trade have noted the usefulness of the conformity assessment standards
and guides developed by ISO and the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) in harmonizing conformity assessment practices and as
benchmarks for the technical competence of assessment bodies. The use
of these standards and guides helps overcome trade barriers. UNIDO has
acquired more than 40 years of experience in supporting the
establishment and upgrading of standards and conformity assessment
structures worldwide. Building trust covers a range of aspects relating
to conformity assessment, including basic concepts, conformity
assessment techniques, schemes and systems, and conformity assessment
bodies. It shows how UNIDO can help set up a quality infrastructure. It
also provides case studies. The handbook is the latest in a series of
joint publications issued by ISO and UNIDO. Related Links: UNIDO and ISO
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TRADE
CAPACITY BUILDING INTER-AGENCY RESOURCE GUIDE Enhancing
the capacity to participate in global trade is becoming increasingly
critical for economic growth in developing countries. This
has
put additional emphasis on the need for trade-related technical
assistance to accompany such economic development. Bilateral and
multilateral development partners provide a wide range of services
which often need to complement each other if they are to support
national trade development needs and strategies in a coherent and
efficient manner. In support of such efforts, UNIDO has now published
the 2010 edition of the Trade Capacity Building Resource Guide, which
focuses in particular on the WTO-led Aid for Trade Initiative. This
Resource Guide will further increase the transparency and efficiency of
trade-related technical assistance and its benefits for countries and
people in their efforts to stimulate trade-led economic growth,
increased employment and the creation of wealth. It is a unique source
of information for developing countries and donors for the development
of technical assistance programmes, and will also facilitate the
coordination of trade capacity-building activities within the United
Nations system, in particular through UN Resident Coordinator and UN
Country Teams.
Volume I, Volume II |
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FAST
FORWARD - NATIONAL STANDARDS BODIES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES This
publication represents an updating and broadening of ISO Manual 1:1994,
Establishment and Management of a National Standards Body. It covers
the main principles of standardization at national, regional and
international levels and illustrates the elements of structure from
which it is necessary to choose in order to manage the process at a
national level. It encapsulates the experience of the ISO Committee on
developing country matters (ISO/DEVCO) in dealing with developing
countries, and draws upon UNIDO’s 40 years of work in helping to
establish and upgrade NSBs and the quality infrastructure in developing
countries and in assisting users in the implementation of
standards. Related
link
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METHODOLOGICAL
GUIDE: RESTRUCTURING, UPGRADING AND INDUSTRIAL COMPETITIVENESS In
response to the numerous requests from developing countries and
countries with economies in transition, UNIDO has in the past
few years introduced a
comprehensive and multidisciplinary global approach to industrial
restructuring and upgrading. This integrated approach forms part of a
new “Trade Facilitation” initiative, a programme developed by UNIDO to
keep up the pace of continued improvement in the productivity,
competitiveness and integration of industry and of increased employment
and exports. This approach integrates the enterprise into its immediate
environment. It has been developed, tested and tried out during the
past few years and takes account of the experience gained by UNIDO in
the implementation of a number of projects and successful experiments
(Portugal, Republic of Korea, Tunisia, etc.). This guide was written
following the 1997 publication of an initial paper on the concept of
upgrading and a manual on company restructuring, as well as following
the charting and implementation by UNIDO of several restructuring and
upgrade projects and programmes. This publication
is a methodological tool designed for the heads of industry in
developing countries and economies in transition as well as for
consultants offering specialist advice in restructuring and industrial
upgrading.
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SUPPORTING
CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT : THE ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS As an agency specializing in industrial development, UNIDO is implementing a
number of projects in developing countries in the area of standards and
conformity assessment, particularly in testing and calibration
laboratories in different fields, such as legal and industrial
metrology and food and microbiology laboratories. UNIDO currently
maintains a large project portfolio that covers standards,
certification, metrology, testing and accreditation. Hence UNIDO is
expanding its scope to forge systematic cooperation relationships not
only with ISO (International Organization for Standardization) but also
with the other two key industrial standard bodies, the International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU). The brochure is intended to provide
developing countries with information about international organizations
that are either directly involved in conformity assessment or in
underpinning activities such as standardization and metrology.
Click here to see ITU Conformity and Interoperability Portal |
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COMPLYING
WITH ISO 17025 - A PRACTICAL GUIDEBOOK Complying
with ISO 17025 is a guidebook written to assist testing and calibration
laboratories in setting up a quality management system that conforms to ISO
17025:2005, the international standard for laboratory quality systems.
Complying with ISO 17025 enables laboratories to identify where their
current operations meet the requirements of ISO 17025 and, in those
areas where they do not, guides them in developing systems to
achieve such compliance. The guidebook’s coverage of the requirements
of the standard is comprehensive and detailed, and its guidelines on
implementing systems and procedures to meet these requirements are
practical, specific and clearly linked, item by item, to the detailed
specifications of the standard. Complying with ISO 17025 aims to engage
its users in addressing compliance issues in the concrete reality of
their own laboratory.
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MEETING
STANDARDS, WINNING MARKETS: TRADE STANDARDS COMPLIANCE 2010 The
Trade Standards Compliance Report gathers, for the first time, an
overview of current and emerging trade compliance challenges and offers
in-depth comparisons of challenges faced by developing countries when
exporting to major international markets, and of the estimations of
resulting export losses. It also sketches out innovative approaches to
measuring standards compliance performance and to improving
trade-related technical assistance. This Report provides all
development
partners with unprecedented access to product rejection data, presents
innovative analysis, and proposes new approaches to better assess
developing countries’ standards compliance capacities. The impact of
non-compliance is addressed and options for a more effective allocation
of trade-related technical assistance efforts are identified. At the
same time, developing countries can use the Report to benchmark their
compliance performance with peers or competitors and will be able to
direct their development efforts more efficiently. Through this Trade
Standards Compliance Report, we aim to ensure that the efforts of the
international community properly meet the needs of the poor and enable
the creation of wealth through productive, export-driven employment
opportunities.
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A
PRACTICAL CONTRIBUTION TO AID FOR TRADE While
stressing the need to help countries negotiate and comply with trade
agreements, including provisions to offset adjustment costs, both Task
Forces recommended that building productive capacity and trade-related
infrastructure in developing countries should also be a key feature of
AfT efforts. They also underscored the need for donors to integrate
trade and growth issues more effectively, to use genuine needs
assessments, and to support interagency initiatives. Conscious of the
obstacles facing developing countries in their efforts at trade
participation, UNIDO has realigned its technical assistance approach
and launched a trade capacity-building programme. This is built on the
principle of forming strategic partnerships with other multilateral and
technical organizations and agencies in order to maximize the
efficiency and effectiveness of technical support.
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UNIDO
FARMS TO MARKETS NEWSLETTER ZERO ISSUE, APRIL 2009 The
2008 food crisis made it very clear that developing countries are
extremely vulnerable to fluctuations in food prices and supplies. As
such, the international community called for the deployment of urgent
measures to help farmers and food producers increase their productivity
and integrate local, regional and international markets. In line with
its policy of enabling developing countries to help themselves, UNIDO
swiftly responded and stepped up its efforts to assist developing countries in strengthening agribusiness
value chains, expand their food supplies and facilitate their access to
markets, technology and investment. In its first International
Conference on Sharing Innovative Agribusiness Solutions, UNIDO brought
together over 400 participants from more than 65 countries to share
innovative solutions and best practices. To build on its success and to
sustain its innovative knowledge sharing concept, the Conference
recommended establishing mechanisms for the regular dissemination of
relevant information on agribusiness solutions; thus the publication of
this newsletter.
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UNIDO
FARMS TO MARKETS NEWSLETTER ISSUE ONE, DECEMBER 2009 This
edition gives an example on how we build supplier compliance and
help small-scale farmers and producers in developing countries catch up
with the rapid transformation of local and global markets. At the same
time, it provides the reader with a comprehensive retrospective on the
Cairo Conference, so that the reader can ascertain how, one year after
the
event, participants have concretely benefited. This issue also
deals with how these projects have evolved, presenting new success
stories and feedback from
participants on their projects’ most recent developments.
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REPORT
OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SHARING INNOVATIVE AGRIBUSINESS
SOLUTIONS FROM FARMS TO MARKETS: PROVIDING KNOW-HOW AND FINANCE 26-27 NOVEMBER 2008, CAIRO, EGYPT. The
first International Conference on Sharing Innovative Agribusiness
Solutions (held in Cairo, Egypt from 26 to 27 November 2008)
brought
together over 400 agribusiness stakeholders from more than 65
countries, including representatives of private and public institutions
(technical and financial), international organizations, donor
countries, civil society, universities and research institutions to
share innovative agribusiness solutions. The Conference was organized
by UNIDO, in close cooperation with the Government of Egypt and the
SEKEM initiative; it was also supported by the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) and co-financed by the Italian Development
Cooperation and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, as
well as local sponsors. The Conference highlighted innovations and best
practices that have proven successful in specific countries or regions,
but have not yet been shared globally, and encouraged their up-scaling
and replication in other developing countries. The Conference
encouraged both North-South and South-South cooperation and the
numerous new partnerships that resulted from the event are being
actively supported by UNIDO through its network of Investment and
Technology Promotion Offices and Units (ITPOs/IPUs) and UNIDO partners.
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A
ROADMAP TO QUALITY. AN E-LEARNING MANUAL FOR IMPLEMENTING TOTAL QUALITY
MANAGEMENT. A
Roadmap to Quality is a manual for implementing Total Quality
Management (TQM) throughout a company. Its 20 units and over 160 short
texts provide clear practical guidelines for the full range of
management activities – from managing company policy to keeping the
workplace clean and tidy. Learning activities help readers relate the
guidelines in each text to the actual situation in their company, and
to prepare well-structured implementation plans. A Roadmap to Quality
is an online e-learning manual for implementing Total Quality.
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ROLE
OF MEASUREMENT AND CALIBRATION IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PRODUCTS FOR THE
GLOBAL MARKET. A GUIDE FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES With
a view to developing national capacity among the South Asian least
developed countries, UNIDO has implemented a project entitled “Market
access and trade facilitation support for South Asian least developed
countries, through strengthening institutional and national capacities
related to standards, metrology, testing and quality”. The project was
financed by the Government of India and the Norwegian Agency for
Development Cooperation. The purpose of this guidebook is to assist
small and medium enterprises and other interested users to understand
in simple terms the role of measurement and calibration in the manufacture
of products for the global market.
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ROLE
OF STANDARDS. A GUIDE FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES. The
purpose of this guidebook is to assist small and medium enterprises and
other interested users to understand in simple terms the development
and implementation of company, national, regional and international
standards, including implications of technical barriers to trade arising
out of standards and technical regulations.
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PRODUCT
QUALITY. A GUIDE FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES. The
purpose of this guidebook is to assist small and medium enterprises and
other interested users to understand, in simple form, how to
control product quality. The book also includes various third party
schemes for product certification and preshipment inspection, as well as information on
how the WTO agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) can facilitate
the product conformity assessment procedures.
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INDUSTRIAL
PERFORMANCE AND CAPABILITIES OF CAMEROON. ANALYSIS OF THE INDUSTRIAL
SECTOR While
acknowledging the strategic importance of industrial competitiveness in
the national vision of development and poverty reduction, governments
of developing countries do not often have an adequate framework of
analysis at their disposal – unavailable information, lack of detailed
knowledge and analytical tools, etc. – required to gain maximum
advantage for
decision-making purposes. This report attempts to fill those gaps.
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METHODOLOGICAL
GUIDE: RESTRUCTURING, UPGRADING AND INDUSTRIAL COMPETITIVENESS This
publication is a methodological tool designed for the heads of industry
in developing countries and economies in transition and also for
consultants offering specialist advice in restructuring and industrial
upgrading. The first part of the guide describes UNIDO methodology in
the field of strategic diagnosis, restructuring and industrial
upgrading of enterprises and their environment. The second part
presents a number of successful experiments and programmes drafted and
implemented by UNIDO in close collaboration with the authorities of a
number of countries.
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RELEVANCE
OF UNIDO SERVICES TO THE RESPONSES TO THE WTO QUESTIONNAIRE IN DOCUMENT
G/TBT/W/178 Based
on the WTO’s Survey Questionnaire for the purpose of assisting
developing countries in the identification and prioritization of
relevant infrastructure requirements, the paper draws a parallel
between TBT-related technical assistance needs and the corresponding
UNIDO technical cooperation activities.
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DEBT
SWAPS: A NEW OPPORTUNITY TO FINANCE TRADE CAPACITY-BUILDING. THE
PROJECT UNIDO-ITALY-EGYPT This paper aims to provide elements for discussing the possibility of using
debt conversion mechanisms to finance trade-related technical
assistance and capacity building (TRTA/CB). The current experience of
UNIDO for the Egypt project in linking debt swaps and TRTA/CB
(specifically, in assistance to developing countries to overcome possible
TBT/SPS) is presented, showing its feasibility and possible replication
in other developing countries.
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LABORATORY
ACCREDITATION IN DEVELOPING ECONOMIES: TESTED ONCE - ACCEPTED EVERYWHERE This paper was developed as a
joint publication between the International
Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and UNIDO, in order to
prepare
laboratory accreditation bodies in developing countries for
participation in the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangements.Reasons
behind the establishment of an accreditation body, as well as
background information on its essential operational requirements, are
addressed in order to
facilitate decisions by policy makers in the field of accreditation.
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SUPPLY
SIDE CONSTRAINTS ON THE TRADE PERFORMANCE OF AFRICAN COUNTRIES. Africa’s
need to build capabilities to increase SME’s supply capacity, quality,
competitiveness and conformity with imported-mandated product standards
is required to benefit from the available opportunities for the
advancement of trade and industry in the continent. UNIDO’s technical
knowhow and experience in programme conceptualization, implementation
and fundraising, are valuable assets in the context of trade-related
technical assistance.
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BUILDING-UP
TRADE INFRASTRUCTURE: LESSONS FROM STRENGTHENING THE ENABLING
ENVIRONMENT FOR SUPPLY SIDE DEVELOPMENT AND CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT The
paper presents a holistic approach to building trade capacity related
institutional infrastructure and highlights the benefits of creating an
enabling environment for compliance with requirements of the
multi-lateral trading system and its agreements. UNIDO’s experience in
the development of standards and compliance infrastructure in the Asian
region is also highlighted.
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SPS
COMPLIANCE: A REQUISITE FOR AGRO-INDUSTRIAL EXPORTS FROM DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES UNIDO
responded to the Doha Development Agenda by realigning its technical
assistance work, strengthening strategic partnerships with other
trade-related agencies - the World Trade Organization (WTO),
International
Trade Centre (ITC) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
- and initiated its new Trade Capacity-Building Programme (TCB).
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UNIDO
RESPONSES TO A SET OF QUESTIONS RAISED IN THE WTO “AID FOR TRADE” TASK
FORCE IN ITS LETTER OF 29 MARCH 2006 The
importance of trade to development, growth and poverty alleviation in
developing countries is undisputed. It is also widely accepted that
developing countries do not just need lower tariffs if they are to
derive tangible benefits from the emerging rules-based global trading
system; they need vastly improved capacities to produce and trade
better quality products. The Doha Declaration confirmed that "technical
cooperation and capacity building are core elements of the
development." Within that context, this paper addresses nine specific
issues that have been raised in the WTO Aid for Trade Task Force.
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SUBMISSION
TO “AID FOR TRADE” TASK FORCE. EXAMPLES OF TYPICAL UNIDO INTERVENTIONS
COVERING SUPPLY CAPACITY AND CONFORMITY. The
constraints analyzed by UNIDO within the case studies of the developing
countries Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Pakistan, fall into the organization’s
core mandate. Against this background, the expertise of UNIDO develops
an enabling environment with regard to trade in the private sector and trade
development.
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| TCB Briefs | |
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Number
7, June 2009 Both
global trade patterns, as well as priority areas for trade development
support, are continually on the move. The most recent turbulence on the
landscape of trade-related technical assistance is undoubtedly the
current global economic and financial crisis. What remains constant,
however, is the need to enhance the capacity of exporters not only to
produce competitive products that comply with international market
requirements but also the capacity to prove compliance in a manner that
is recognized by the importing market.
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6, December 2008 This
issue of TCB Brief describes some of UNIDO’s efforts to provide support
to food exporting countries. In line with its underlying policy of
helping countries to help themselves, UNIDO opens doors to food
producers and exporters to new opportunities, enables them to prepare
themselves to place their products on world markets and helps them find
their own solutions to the challenges facing them. The International
Conference on “Sharing Innovative Agribusiness Solutions” was held last
month on a farm near Cairo and brought together leaders and experts looking at ways
to achieve sustainable agribusiness development and those with
innovative solutions. It is understood that such “matchmaking” will produce
concrete results in the near future.
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| Number
5, July 2008 Trade-capacity building is one of the cornerstones of UNIDO’s work and a prominent
feature of virtually all its projects and programmes. TCB Brief allows
all those concerned with industrial development — representatives of
Governments, trade associations, international organizations,
non-governmental organizations, private sector bodies and many more —
an opportunity to keep abreast with what UNIDO is doing in this
important area. The current issue focuses on the need for, and
contribution of, trade-capacity building in the least developed
countries (LDCs).
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| Number 4, November 2007 We
are happy to present you with the fourth edition of the TCB Brief,
which captures the main stories of 2007. For everyone working in the
Trade Capacity Building field, the past year’s highlight was certainly
the activities being undertaken to operationalize the Aid for Trade
Initiative. UNIDO also took on a very pro-active role, both
supporting policy dialogues among key stakeholders, especially in
cooperation with the African Union, LDCs, NEPAD and G77, as well as
developing technical assistance programmes that contribute practically
to the Aid for Trade objectives.
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| Number
3, May 2007 Welcome
to the third edition of the TCB Brief, where we hope to bring you the
current issues and latest events in the Trade Capacity Building field.
The highlight of the past few months for us was the launch in Tunis on
22-24 February of the first expert group meeting (EGM) of a series of
regional EGMs to be held. The EGM, which was organized jointly with the African
Union (AU), provided an opportunity to present the results of a
regional African survey undertaken by UNIDO to identify the gaps in
standards, metrology, testing, certification and accreditation
infrastructure and services.
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| Number
2, November 2006 During
the month of June, several crucial forums with key constituencies of
UNIDO took place, which highlighted the role of technical assistance
for trade capacity building in overcoming development concerns of less
developed countries. The chairs of the Group of 77, which comprised G77 heads
from New York, Paris and Geneva, convened in Vienna on 8-9 June. During
the meeting a panel was held on Trade Capacity Building and Energy for
Development with Mr. Yumkella, UNIDO Director-General, Mr. ElBaradei,
IAEA Director-General and Mr. Kumalo, Chairman of the G-77 Chapter in
New York.
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| Number
1, June 2006 The
TCB Brief is designed as a regular update on the activities of the
UNIDO Trade Capacity Building Programme. It will cover technical
assistance projects aimed at individual countries, programmes linking
technical institutions in developing and industrialized countries, as
well as promotional activities in international fora. Since the Hong
Kong Ministerial in December 2005, the international community has come
to realize that if the Doha round is to yield tangible development
gains, “Aid for Trade” needs to be scaled up and restructured. This
introductory issue focuses on aid for trade and the contribution of
UNIDO to this important initiative.
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