1. Standards and innovation What is a standard? How do standards promote innovation? What is the role of governments and the UN?

2. What is a standard An «agreed way of doing something» «A document, established by consensus and approved by a recognized body, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context» (ISO/IEC Guide 2:2004)

3. ISO 22320 Guidance on societal security IEC 60079 Electrical apparatus for explosive atmospheres ISO 26000 Guidance on social responsibility ISO/IEC 31010 Risk management Risk assessment techniques -Guidance on societal security -Guidance on social responsibility -Risk management – Risk assessment techniques -Electrical apparatus for explosive atmospheres Other examples

4. Standards & innovation Intuitively we associate standards with what is common, stable, and well mastered And innovation with the unique, the game breaker, and the unknown It is true that the slow uptake of standards, slow revision of existing standards, or lack of standards, may actually slow innovation

5. Standards promote innovation? Standards give innovators a level playing field facilitating interoperability and competition between new and existing products, services and processes; Standards provide customers with trust in the safety and performance of new products through reference to standardised methods; New standards are needed to introduce complex new systems, i.e. the Internet; The use of standards contributes to diffuse knowledge & facilitate the application of technology triggering further innovation.

6. EU policy: stds and innovation

7. Role of governments Set the basis for vibrant and effective standardization with participation from all stakeholders (SMEs, developing countries) Facilitate access to standards (for example by publishing abstracts of standards) Encourage both formal and informal standardization as appropriate for different sectors Avoid reference to dated standards in regulations

8. Role of the United Nations Promote good regulatory practice (i.e. reference to standards) Promote convergence in technical regulations in particularly important sectors (as a level playing field will facilitate interoperability) Promote good practice in the enforcement of regulations (such as market surveillance) so as to ensure that IPRs are protected

9. UNECE WP. 6 What we are: Intergovernmental body Participation by: authorities, regional & int’l org, standards- setting bodies, business, certification bodies, test houses, civil society From all UN Member States 1970 – 2010: 40+ years Our mandate: Forum for dialogue on:  Standardization  Technical regulations  Conformity assessment  Accreditation  Metrology  Market surveillance Our activities Share info & best practice Capacity-building Develop and maintain a set of recommendations Implement a set of initiatives on specific industrial sectors

10. Main areas of work Sectoral initiatives: Develop/implement common regulatory framework x specific sectors So far: Telecommunications, Earth-moving equipment, ExEquipment Market surveillance: Develop and share best practice/recommendations Develop a common terminology Worldwide database of market surveillance authorities Risk Management: Best practice/Recommendation on using risk management tools in developing and implementing regulations New: 2 Recommendations + A book on “Crisis Management” and “Risk management in Regulatory systems”

11. Next annual session 18-20 November 2013 19 Nov. International Conference on Regulations and Standards which will discuss some of the concerns raised above