Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 6 • Number 16 • 22nd September 2006

Lamy: ISO-WTO Relationship Critical for International Trade

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In a video addressed to the 29th General Assembly of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), held in Ottawa, Canada, on 10-16 September, Pascal Lamy, Director-General of the WTO, underlined the importance of international standard-setting bodies for international trade. International standards, he noted, have facilitated trade and brought cost-savings for exporters. However, he warned that poorly designed international standards can “end up hurting trade”, potentially discriminating against certain products and eroding confidence in international standardisation. Lamy stressed the need for transparent and inclusive standard-setting processes involving all stakeholders to ensure effective standard-setting. In this context, he urged the ISO to continue pursuing steps “to facilitate the integration of developing countries into the world of standardisation,” in particular for products that are of key economic interest to them.

Established in 1947, the ISO is an international non-governmental standard-setting body. ISO members include national standards institutes most representative of standardisation in their country (one member in each country). New standards are developed by technical committees at the request of an industry or business sector, which communicates the request through one of ISO’s national members. The organisation is funded through subscription fees that are determined by the countries’ Gross National Income and trade figures. The WTO agreements on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) urge WTO Members to base their measures on international norms and encourage them to participate in the work of international standard-setting bodies.

ICTSD reporting; “Lamy underlines the importance of developing country participating in standard-setting,” WTO, 13 September 2006.