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DTI employees attend echo session on Int’l Standards Dev’t Best Practices Some Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) employees recently attended the echo session on the “Workshop on International Standards Development Best Practices” held at the AVR Conference Room in DTI Main Building in Makati City. Led by Bureau of Product Standards (BPS) Standard Officer Ann M. Fernando, the echo session aimed to impart the insights she learned from attending the said workshop in Sydney, Australia on February 18-19, 2013. Sponsored by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) Economic Cooperation Work Program (ECWP), the workshop was hosted by Standards Australia (SA) and attended by 46 participants, most of whom were part of their respective countries’ Ministry of Trade or Ministry of Science. Fernando said that Day One focused on working with AANZFTA participants to workshop key issues and opportunities in regards to Standards, Technical Regulations and Conformity Assessment Procedures (STRACAP). .
(Left) DTI-BPS Standard Officer Ann M. Fernando imparts her experiences during the two-day “Workshop on International Standards Development Best Practices” in Sydney, Australia on February 18-19, 2013. (Inset) DTI employees listen to Fernando and take down notes. Do you have an inspiring story to share with the DTI family? Is there a DTI staff or experience you want to brag about? Please tell us by e-mail to publications@dti.gov.ph.
No. 28 ▪ Sept. 5, 2013
Day Two involved AANZFTA and International Organization for Standardization Technical Management Board (ISO TMB) working together to identify actions designed to address issues and access STRACAP-related opportunities. The afternoon sessions were allotted for the practical exercises of the things they had learned during the day sessions. Some of the topics discussed during the said workshop were: International Standards: Economic Benefits, Development, and Trade; Closer Economic Relations: The View of Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand; ISO and ASEAN: The Value of Participation; and ASEAN Standards Engagement Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities. Also presented during the workshop were ASEAN Case Studies on the following: Minimum Energy Performance Standards, Smart Grids, Electric Vehicles, and Energy Management Systems. According to Fernando, the country, through the DTI-BPS, should actively participate in the standardization and other international/regional activities through correspondence and attendance to meetings, trainings, workshops, and research activities. She added that relevant private stakeholders should also be encouraged to participate in the nationwide and worldwide standardization. In addition, she said that BPS, through the support of DTI Management, should consider holding at least one ISO Technical Committee (ISO/TC) Secretariat or be a Convenor to ISO Sub-Committees or Working Groups in the future to help advance the Philippines’ position in the international standardization. #