EPING AN SPS AND TBT NOTIFICATION DISSEMINATION SYSTEM The “ePing” is a notification system that is being developed to enhance the communication between public and private sector stakeholders in least developed countries (LDCs) on changes in technical barriers to trade (TBT) and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures of (potential) trading partners. The ePing notification system will result in better informed stakeholders who can request assistance to address challenges related to product standards and trade. The system is developed under the UN DESA project “Building institutional capacity in the use of trade-related International Support Measures (ISMs) in LDCs”. THE GAP Studies carried out in two pilot countries (Uganda and the Gambia) demonstrated that national stakeholders are poorly informed about changes in SPS and TBT regulations of trading partners. Communication flows among and between the public and private sector on SPS and TBT topics are often fragmented or non-existent. In order to keep WTO members informed about changes in SPS and TBT regulations of other member States, the WTO has established a notification system. Whenever a member state issues new SPS or TBT regulations, it is required to notify the WTO. This should happen before the regulation is implemented to give trading partners time to adjust to the new regulation1, ask for more information, give comments or request assistance (if it concerns a developing country).2 The notifications are made public via the online WTO Information Management Systems and the WTO’s ‘documents online’ service and disseminated via WTO newsletters. While these means of communication are by and large sufficient to inform relevant government entities, they do not necessarily reach all private sector stakeholders (e.g. farmers, producers, exporters) in LDCs. The ePing will bridge this information gab. THE BRIDGE The ePing enables LDCs to easily access information and to facilitate communication on changes in SPS and TBT regulations of (potential) trading partners. The system will be implemented in three phases, starting with the development and roll-out of a simple automated electronic information tool. During each subsequent phase, the system will be adjusted and elaborated, based on results of feed-back loops, evaluation sessions, and opportunities to cooperate with relevant organizations and development partners. During the first phase, a basic IT system will be developed to disseminate WTO SPS and TBT notifications among stakeholders in LDCs. Via an online platform, stakeholders can subscribe to receive notification alerts, indicating products and/or markets of interest. The IT system retrieves 1 Unless it concerns an emergency. 2 In case of emergency, the notification can happen after the new regulation is implemented. notifications from the WTO data base on a daily basis and forwards these notifications to subscribers based on their interests. To illustrate, a notification concerning fish imports into the EU will be forwarded to all subscribers that indicated their interest in the product fish and/or the EU as an export market. This notification system is accessible world-wide and will thus be available for all LDCs. The second and third phases focus on two additional objectives: i) improving the understanding of the notifications and ii) increasing communication between national and international stakeholders and partners to effectively address SPS and TBT related issues. Notifications often entail very technical provisions. To fully comprehend the notifications, a certain amount of expertise is required. The second phase of the ePing project will focus on the development of a feature that will make it possible for stakeholders to add summaries and interpretations of notifications to the system. These interpretations and summaries will enhance the understanding of the new measures for recipients less familiar with the technical jargon of notifications and thus allow for reaching a wider audience. The third phase focusses on facilitating the communication of comments and requests related to the notifications. Once a notification is published by the WTO, governments and private sector stakeholders may wish to undertake several actions related to the regulation: make a comment, request further information or extended time to make comments, or request assistance to adjust to the new measure. The notification system will be elaborated with additional functionalities to facilitate these actions. In support of the roll-out of the ePing system, UN DESA, in cooperation with national stakeholders and international development partners, will undertake capacity development activities in Uganda and the Gambia. Activities will include training for intermediaries and end-users of the system, promotion and feed-back activities. For further information, please contact Roland Mollerus (email: [email protected]) of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) or visit our website www.un.org/ldcportal.
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