WESF plays a role in promoting standardization and eliminating global trade barriers.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is pleased to announce the launch of a Standards Alliance: Phase 2 (SA2) Critical & Emerging Technology activity.
On October 29, ANSI, in coordination with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), hosted a launch event for the new activity at ANSI’s headquarters in Washington, DC. The hybrid event included a wide range of stakeholders from both the public and private sectors.
The launch event provided a detailed overview of the project, and sought support for the implementation of the U.S. Government National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology (USG NSSCET) by enhancing standards development and capacity building in under-represented regions. Presenters explained the new funding opportunity and proposals under the SA2 expansion and addressed areas listed in the USG NSSCET that are priorities to members and U.S. stakeholders, including:
artificial intelligence and machine learning;
biotechnologies;
digital ID infrastructure and distributed ledger technologies;
renewable energy generation and storage;
quantum information technologies;
semiconductors and microelectronics; and
communication and networking technologies.
On November 7, a second event was hosted jointly by ANSI, USAID, and the International Trade Centre (ITC) for the launch of the SA2 Critical & Emerging Technology activity, as well as a separate new project – a partnership of the ITC and USAID that also focuses on standards training. This event was held during the World Trade Organization (WTO) Technical Barrier to Trade (TBT) meeting at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, and featured opening remarks of David Bisbee, Deputy Chief of Mission, Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
“The United States is pleased to launch these two important partnerships today that will assist developing countries in adapting to CET standards for intangible digital products,” remarked Bisbee. “In particular, I’ve witnessed the progression of the Standards Alliance from its 2012 inception to today, and I appreciate its innovative public-private partnership approach to solving real-world problems, as well as the variety of good practices in standardization it has advanced over the years. These programs exemplify the United States’ commitment to bespoke and practical trade capacity building to benefit our people and our partners.”
During this event, ANSI and USAID also invited interested countries, including Kenya and its National Standards Body, to share their experiences participating in the SA2 program, and further disseminated the call for proposals for the SA2 CET activity to other potential partner countries.
About the Standards Alliance: Phase 2
The Standards Alliance: Phase 2 (SA2) is a public-private partnership between USAID and ANSI. SA2 builds upon the success of Phase 1 to support the capacity of developing countries in the areas of legal and regulatory framework, standards development, conformity assessment procedures, and private sector engagement.
SA2 involves collaboration with U.S. private sector partners, U.S. government experts, and USAID eligible countries and regions between 2019-2026. These regions include Latin America, Middle East, North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, and Indo-Pacific.
A key goal of SA2 is to help increase the capacity of developing countries to implement accepted international best practices to reduce instances of poor quality and unsafe products, services, and infrastructure. Project activities help developing countries to prevent and remove non-tariff barriers and stimulate economic growth, while also preserving and expanding markets for U.S. businesses.