Accreditation may remove technical barriers to trade under WTO
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
In this era of globalisation and trading under WTO regime, accreditation may play the pivotal role to remove the technical barriers to trade (TBT) in order to strengthen the backbone of national conformity assessment infrastructure.
It was observed at the Asia regional workshop on accreditation cooperation held in the city Monday for the first time in Bangladesh after government enacted the Accreditation Act on 16 July 2006 as well as after formation of Bangladesh Accreditation Board BAB in the same year.
The international event, funded by European Union (EU) and Norwegian agency NORAD, was jointly organised by International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation ILAC, International Accreditation Forum IAF, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation UNIDO and Bangladesh Accreditation Board BAB.
The workshop attracted more than 100 regional participants from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan and Indonesia including host Bangladesh, says a press release.
Founding chairman of ILAC and Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation APLAC, former chief of NATA the Australian national accreditation body, globally acclaimed personality and pioneer of accreditation John Alan Gilmour FTSE were present from Australia to deliver lecture.
Other distinguished invited guest speakers were Programme Manager of UNIDO Ouseph Padicakudi from Vienna, Kukuh S Achmad of ILAC, B Venkataram of IAF, Niramala Pieries and DS Tewari from UNIDO, Khalid Saeed of Norwegian Accreditation NA, David Holbourne of Bangladesh Quality Support Programme BQSP, UNIDO.
To ensure the product quality, to protect the public health and safety, to protect the consumers' right as well as to enforce the law, it has also been envisioned that there is no alternative to strengthening the national conformity assessment infrastructure comprising standards, metrology, testing and calibration laboratories, certification bodies and inspection bodies.
For building confidence among the stakeholders and the users, the institutions would in turn be accredited as per international norms and guides.
Additional Secretary of Ministry of Industries Elias Ahmed inaugurated the workshop as chief guest and Councellor of EC Delegation in Bangladesh Jean Jacques Lauture was present as the special guest.
Additional Secretary of Ministry of Industries and Director General of BSTI Azmal Hossain chaired the opening session and was the chief guest for the closing session of this two-day workshop.
BAB Acting Director General M Liaquat Ali delivered the welcome address at the beginning of the workshop and chaired the closing session.
A number of technical sessions were chaired by John Gilmour, Venkataram, Kukuh Achmad and Khalid Saeed.
It was observed at the Asia regional workshop on accreditation cooperation held in the city Monday for the first time in Bangladesh after government enacted the Accreditation Act on 16 July 2006 as well as after formation of Bangladesh Accreditation Board BAB in the same year.
The international event, funded by European Union (EU) and Norwegian agency NORAD, was jointly organised by International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation ILAC, International Accreditation Forum IAF, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation UNIDO and Bangladesh Accreditation Board BAB.
The workshop attracted more than 100 regional participants from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan and Indonesia including host Bangladesh, says a press release.
Founding chairman of ILAC and Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation APLAC, former chief of NATA the Australian national accreditation body, globally acclaimed personality and pioneer of accreditation John Alan Gilmour FTSE were present from Australia to deliver lecture.
Other distinguished invited guest speakers were Programme Manager of UNIDO Ouseph Padicakudi from Vienna, Kukuh S Achmad of ILAC, B Venkataram of IAF, Niramala Pieries and DS Tewari from UNIDO, Khalid Saeed of Norwegian Accreditation NA, David Holbourne of Bangladesh Quality Support Programme BQSP, UNIDO.
To ensure the product quality, to protect the public health and safety, to protect the consumers' right as well as to enforce the law, it has also been envisioned that there is no alternative to strengthening the national conformity assessment infrastructure comprising standards, metrology, testing and calibration laboratories, certification bodies and inspection bodies.
For building confidence among the stakeholders and the users, the institutions would in turn be accredited as per international norms and guides.
Additional Secretary of Ministry of Industries Elias Ahmed inaugurated the workshop as chief guest and Councellor of EC Delegation in Bangladesh Jean Jacques Lauture was present as the special guest.
Additional Secretary of Ministry of Industries and Director General of BSTI Azmal Hossain chaired the opening session and was the chief guest for the closing session of this two-day workshop.
BAB Acting Director General M Liaquat Ali delivered the welcome address at the beginning of the workshop and chaired the closing session.
A number of technical sessions were chaired by John Gilmour, Venkataram, Kukuh Achmad and Khalid Saeed.