Activity Details

Course Objectives:

1.To provide a holistic overview over the development, operation and enhancement of national quality infrastructures including international regulatory co-operation, the objectives and roles in the national economy and international trade, based on internationally agreed rules, principles, and best practices,

2.To present the main components of National Quality Infrastructures including systems, structures and institutional building

3.To support the participants in preparing analyses of the present situation in their respective countries with respect to the national quality infrastructure and to benchmark the situation to the internationally agree rules, principles, and best practices.

Who should attend:

The objectives of the Course require that the participants do have experiences in preparing, adopting, and applying technical regulations and/or standards and have been heavily involved in National Quality Infrastructure activities for at least two years. It is of advantage that the participants have experiences from working at regional and international levels besides at the national level. The participants will likely first and foremost represent National Standards Bodies but representatives from other institutions (such as ministries, regulatory authorities) active in the mentioned fields are welcome. The Course to address decision makers as well as experts and general expert-staff in the institutions.

Course Outlines:

The Training Course is structured based on a holistic approach where the scope of National Quality Infrastructures principles and best practices embedded in international trade agreements and standards are explained and analyzed and benchmarking done towards the present situation in the GCC countries. The Course aims to provide participants within depth understanding of,

-   the principles of international trade, with specific emphasis on the WTO TBT Agreement (rights and obligations, effect on participating countries, harmonization, and notification procedures etc.) and bilateral- and multi-lateral trade agreements

-   technical regulatory activities, the use of standards, the relation between technical regulations and standards and related conformity assessment procedures concerned with national and international trade, safety, and health,

-   Good Regulatory Practices, Good Regulatory Decision Making, Good Standardization Practices

-   international regulatory co-operation

-   the role and use of accreditation, certification, standardization, metrology, testing and inspection in national and international trade and as a tool for enforcement of national legislation,

-   development of National Quality Infrastructures (institutional infrastructures for standardization, accreditation, certification, inspection, testing, metrology, and quality assurance),

The benchmarking will be done by the participants, supported by the lecturers, starting by doing a short analysis of the situation as it is at present in each of the countries by using a provided tool in the form of a specific format to be filled out. The participants shall then during the training identify areas where their country could possibly strengthen their infrastructures. At the end of the Course, he groups of participants representing each of the countries shall submit a County Paper which

includes the original analyses and recommendations for possible changes.

Course Language

The course will be conducted in English and a National Paper shall be submitted in English