Karachi, June 24, 2013 (PPI-OT): The European Union (EU) funded Trade Related Technical Assistance (TRTA II) programme implemented by United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in association with International Trade Centre (ITC) and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Coordination with Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) is organizing an interactive focus group series of Workshop with UNIDO for the development of framework for Technical Regulations at Marriott Hotel, Karachi and the next workshop will be held at Lahore in the last week of June. In this workshop National and International experts discussed on the Building Blocks of a Technical Regulation, Current Pakistan National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) and Pakistan challenges for WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade. Mr. Gerhard Kellermann an international expert discussed the first step to develop a new all-encompassing National Quality Policy for Pakistan.
The National Quality Infrastructure depends on 05 major policies i.e. Science and Technology Policies, Trade Policy, Industrial Policy Food Safety Policy and Environment Policy. Government of Pakistan already developed National Quality Policy in 2005 but all its commitments were not fulfilled and the word of Standard, Quality and the Technical Regulations has changed dramatically in the mean time. Now Pakistan should therefore not hesitate to develop a new NQI, especially in the light of the increased focus on exports, mindful of the success that countries in and around the subcontinent. The NQI provide standards, metrology and accreditation services at the fundamental level.
These support the inspection, testing and certification services that provide the compliance evidence. Mr. Gerhard Kellermann read a concept paper that present the rationale for the development of such a policy was developed. The concept paper includes a draft content list based on international good practices as well as a series of discussion and decision points that have to be considered in Pakistan context during the development of the policy.
He also shared that the International practices and procedures for standards and Technical Regulations development and how to align with these practices for International acceptance. In Pakistan, Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), National Physics and Standards Laboratory (NPSL), Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC) and Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) are NQI institutions and help to make new NQI for Pakistan.
The participants are drawn from the main Pakistan organizations involved in standards setting and conformity assessment bodies such as PSQCA, PNAC, PCSIR and NPSL as well as from certification bodies, private sector, users of standards and technical regulators. After the completion of series of Focus Group meetings in Karachi and Lahore with UNIDO (TRTA II) and important stakeholder groups that would play an important role in the proposed National Quality Forum deliberations to develop a National Quality Policy, the recommendations will shared with Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) and representatives of the current NQI organizations to (i) render the NQI acceptable to international community (ii) to better serve the needs of the authorities and the private sectors in Pakistan, and (iii) to facilitate its financial sustainability in the long run, which will be sent to government and policy makers to approve and replace the now-defunct 2005 National Quality Policy.
For more information, contact:
Jawaid Hussain Siddiqui
Media Adviser, PSQCA
Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority
Government of Pakistan
(Ministry of Science and Technology)
Cell No. 0333-2266957
Tel: (92-21) 99206546
Fax: (92-21) 99203919
E-mail: mediaadvisor@psqca.com.pk
Website: www.psqca.com.pk