Members mark two years of verification procedure guidelines, discuss 70 trade concerns

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Conformity assessment procedures

On 3 March, four thematic sessions were held to mark two years of the Committee's adoption of guidelines on conformity assessment procedures (CAP).

In a session focusing on the role of national quality infrastructure (NQI) in regulatory systems, speakers explored the role of standardization, metrology, testing, accreditation and certification in enabling international trade, highlighting the importance of domestic coordination. They identified limited financing, a shortage of specialized human resources and a fragmented institutional framework as challenges faced by developing members for establishing NQI. Speakers also emphasized the role of the Committee's 2024 CAP Guidelinesin supporting members as they enhance their NQI.

In a session on risk assessment and the use of first-party conformity assessment for lower-risk products, speakers discussed the benefits of using first-party conformity assessments. Under these, regulators can allow companies to declare that they meet applicable specifications, such as quality or safety requirements. This, speakers said, can be a cost-saving and efficient tool to achieve legitimate policy objectives, while facilitating market access. The session also highlighted that an effective system of market surveillance and an appropriate product liability framework can complement this tool.

In a third thematic session, speakers discussed practical approaches to designing and applying risk assessment methodologies for market surveillance. They highlighted the importance of structured, data-driven targeting, pre- and post-market controls, and effective coordination across authorities. The session also examined challenges to e-commerce participation and pointed to digital tools and cross-agency cooperation as important means of strengthening market surveillance.

In a session on mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs) across different sectors, speakers from member economies, multilateral organizations and businesses noted the benefits of MRAs to facilitate trade in goods, diversify trade, and reduce costs and time for businesses and regulators, while maintaining members' autonomy to regulate. Transparency, ensuring strong business awareness, building technical capacity and effectively using MRAs were some of the challenges mentioned, particularly for developing economies. The importance of NQI - in particular, accreditation - was stressed as an essential enabler for negotiating, adopting and maintaining MRAs.

Recordings and background information on each session can be found here.

A factsheet by the WTO Secretariat on the CAP Guidelines is available here. An explainer about conformity assessment and why it matters for trade can be found here.�

Specific trade concerns

Japan and the United States reported progress on a specific trade concern with China regarding hazardous substance standards in electrical and electronic products. The United States said it welcomes the withdrawal by Spain of a draft decree on the labelling of consumer products, as well as the rescission of quality control orders for certain chemicals by India. The United States also reported the resolution of a trade concern with Malaysia on alcoholic beverages.

The list of the 70 trade concerns members raised on proposed and final TBT regulations is available here.

The 18 new trade concerns addressed a wide variety of regulatory issues related to cybersecurity and cybercrime, pharmaceuticals, digital tax stamps, tyres, energy efficiency, food traceability, nutritional labelling, alcoholic beverages, energy drinks and tobacco products, among others.

Annual review

Every year, the TBT Committee carries out an annual review of activities relating to the implementation and operation of the TBT Agreement, including notifications, specific trade concerns, technical assistance activities and TBT-related disputes. Among the key takeaways from the 2025 Annual Reviewof the TBT Committee were the following:

• In 2025, the Committee strengthened its role as the global forum for dialogue on emerging regulatory issues related to TBT. Among other work, the Committee held eight thematic sessions, including on decarbonization, critical and emerging technologies (including artificial intelligence - AI - and semiconductors), medical devices and traceability for agricultural commodities.
• The Committee adopted two decisions to improve notification practices. The Transparency Working Group further facilitated the preparation and tracking of notifications. Member submitted a record 5,206 notificationsof new or changed measures, constituting 55 per cent of all notifications to the WTO. A total of 17 African members submitted 46 per cent of all TBT notifications, with Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda among the top ten notifiers.
• The Committed acted as a forum for members to address specific trade concerns (STCs), often early in the regulatory process. Of the 40 new STCs, 60 per cent originated from developing members.

Transparency

South Africa introduced its updated notification of the legal and institutional arrangements in implementing the TBT Agreement. Following the Committee's 2024 guidelines, Lesotho and South Africa are the latest among an increasing number of members to have submitted their first-time or updated notificationsunder Article 15.2 of the TBT Agreement.

ePing update

The WTO Secretariat provided an update on the ePing projectfunded by the Standards and Trade Development Facility(STDF). Through targeted capacity-building and technology upgrades, the project aims to enable public and private sector stakeholders to more effectively monitor, understand and respond to regulatory changes affecting trade. The project was launched in December 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya, at aneventconvened by the WTO and partner organizations. Preparations are also underway to hold training and needs assessment workshops in Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda, and will be followed by a survey submitted to WTO members.

Updates from observers

Members also heard updates from the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO), the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures(BIPM), the World Health Organization (WHO)/Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Codex AlimentariusCommission, CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality(CROSQ), Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Standardization Organization (GSO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Trade Centre (ITC), International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the World Bank regarding their work on standards, technical regulations and quality infrastructure. The full list of the Committee's observer organizations is available here.

Side events

On 3 March, the United Kingdom held a side event to mark the second anniversary of the adoption of the conformity assessment guidelines. Speakers highlighted that the non-prescriptive and voluntary guidelines are instrumental in helping regulators choose proportionate, risk-based conformity assessment and in supporting transparency, consultation and acceptance of results. Speakers stressed the role of international tools and standards, such as the ISO/IEC CASCO toolboxand global MRAs, and underscored the need to consider capacity-building and development objectives.

On 4 March, the World Bank held a side event entitled "The Hidden Infrastructure of Trade: Insights from the World Development Report 2025 on Standards for Development".��Opened by Ambassador Kumar Iyer (United Kingdom), the event also featured the perspectives of the Ambassador of Canada, Nadia Theodore, and the Ambassador of Barbados, Matthew Wilson. The discussions highlighted the role of standards in improving the functioning of markets, shaping production processes, defining quality and safety, and enabling interoperability across systems and in emerging technologies. It also underscored how standards help firms - especially small and medium-sized enterprises - to participate in global value chains. The World Development Report 2025 is available here.�

Next

The next regular meeting of the TBT Committee will be held from 17 to 19 June. On 16 June, thematic sessions will be organized on:

• International standards for critical and emerging technologies, namely clean energy, agricultural biotechnologies and biofuel standards
• Regulatory cooperation focused on climate change and buildings and lithium-ion batteries.

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