Syed Anwar Hossain :
Participation in the global market requires optimum adherence to International Standards. Keeping this in mind the Bangladesh National Quality Policy for Goods and Services, 2015 has been approved by the Cabinet on 23 November 2015 with the overall objective to design and establish a world-class standardization, metrology, testing, inspection, certification and accreditation infrastructure, i.e. the National Quality Infrastructure (NQI)as well as to support the application of its techniques, practices and service provision to demonstrably comply with the regional and international standards. In parallel to the modernization of the NQI, the technical regulation regime is aimed to be reviewed and adjusted, including its related legislation, to meet international requirements such as the WTO Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement.
WTO Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT): The Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) aims to ensure that regulations, standards, metrology, testing, certification and accreditation procedures do not lead to the discriminatory treatment of Members or create unnecessary obstacles to trade. To this end, the TBT Agreement strongly encourages WTO Members to use relevant international standards, guides or recommendations as a basis for their regulations and standards. The TBT Agreement covers trade in all goods, both agricultural and industrial, and includes terminology, symbols, packaging, marking and labelling requirements. It does not cover trade in services or government procurement.
The WTO TBT Agreement defines the following: Technical Regulations: which lay down product characteristics or their related processes and production methods, including the applicable administrative provisions, with which compliance is mandatory.
Standards: are approved by a recognized body that provides for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for products or related processes and production methods, with which compliance is voluntary. Standards may become technical regulations if mandated by law.
Conformity Assessment Procedures: any procedure used, directly or indirectly, to determine that relevant requirements in technical regulations or standards are fulfilled. For example, testing, calibration, certification, inspection.
The TBT Agreement does not cover standards or procedures regarding quarantine and bio-security measures, as these come under the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures.
Standards: Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) is the national standards body responsible for the develop national standards on products, processes and management systems, testing, metrology, quality control, grading and making of goods and for matters ancillary thereof. BSTI has developed around 3400 national standards, which are known as BDS standards. 154 product standards are mandatory which require certificate from BSTI for local and international trade. Moreover, 55 products require test certificates from BSTI before the customs clearance. Moreover, the South Asian Regional Standards Organization (SARSO) has been established with its headquarters in Dhaka to develop harmonized standards and conformity assessment system in this region. The National Quality Policy addresses the remaining tasks related to the NQI. One of the main tasks is to harmonize the Bangladesh National standards to the regional and international standards complying with WTO TBT agreement. BSTI Standards wing should work more transparently, efficiently and impartially to enhance the development and sales of BDS standards and other international standards. The National Metrology Laboratory in BSTI (NML-BSTI) is the apex body for national measurement standards which is the signatory to CIPM MRA of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). The NML-BSTI has been accredited to ISO/IEC 17025. BSTI has also started to establish Chemical Metrology Laboratory.
The National Quality Policy addresses to increase the awareness of metrology and to establish a common metrological framework in Bangladesh. NQP urges to build up a partnership based scientific metrology system with other national Designated Institutes like Designated Reference Institute for Chemical Measurement (DRICM) in BCSIR.The NML-BSTI will have to make continual improvement in the calibration services to ensure that measuring equipment is traceably calibrated to the national or international standards. Moreover, the NQP emphasises that the laboratories providing calibration services should be accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, especially those of some universities.Most importantly, huge improvement is required in legal metrology to ensure consumer rights during trade.
(To be continued)
