Trade Facilitation

Quality Control & Assurance

Technical regulations and standardization

Absence of overall strategies for guiding the quality control and quality assurance function:
• The basic principles and building blocks for such a strategy are fragmented across an assortment of legislative acts and initiatives.
• Where available, strategiesare generic
• Technical regulations are not based on rigorous regulatory impact assessments

Conformity assessment bodies (CABs)

Conformity assessment results issued by national CABs are not recognized internationally
• Joining the European Cooperation for Accreditation (EA) Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) mutual recognition agreement (MRA) remains a challenge. Not least because governments   lack the   resources to finance such key  requirements as peer assessments and the  translation of guides and technical documents.
• Market surveillance systems: Embryonic

Metrology

Calibration laboratories are not capable of  demonstrating competence,   measurement  capability and traceability :
• In some countries legal metrology is not fully developed (Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan)
• Calibration laboratories lack modern facilities
• Accreditation services are not covered by ILAC MRA.
• Calibration services  are not   covered  by   the   Mutual Recognition Arrangement of the International Committee of Weights and Measures (CIPM MRA).

Implication

Ø- Calibration cannot be made  in  the international system of units (SI): traceability  can only be  established  by the   use   of  certified   reference   materials  and inter-laboratory comparisons.Ø-Inter-laboratory comparisons comes with high costs that are beyond the financial resources available to national metrology bodies