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What is IFAN

Selected Strategic Global Standards Policy issues of concern to the International Federation of Standards Users (IFAN) Presented to the ANSI Company Member Forum March 12, 2009.

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What is IFAN

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  1. Selected Strategic Global Standards Policy issues of concern to the International Federation of Standards Users (IFAN) Presented to the ANSI Company Member Forum March 12, 2009 by George T. Willingmyre, P.E., Special Advisor to IFANIFAN Secretariatc/o ISO Central Secretariat1, ch de la Voie-CreuseCH-1211 Geneva 20Web: www.ifan.org International Federation of Standards Users

  2. What is IFAN The International Federation of Standards Users, founded in 1974, is an independent, non profit-making international association of national organizations for the application of standards, companies, professional and trade associations, and governmental agencies, concerned with the use of standards. International Federation of Standards Users

  3. IFAN vision • To be recognized and to act as the international voice of standards users and • to play its part in the development of a global economy through the removal of technical barriers to trade and the wider use of international standards. International Federation of Standards Users

  4. Some current Issues • Progress towards 1:1:1 dream • Standardization infrastructure too complex • Numerous Treaty organizations address strategic standards policies • Diverse information sources; distribution chains and commercial models • Economic Realities in 2009 • Selected IFAN initiatives • Co-ordination of standards users’ groups International Federation of Standards Users

  5. 1:1:1 dream • Eight years ago then ISO President Mario Cortopassi, stated a dream: “one standard; one test; accepted everywhere” • Many people said “nice dream”, but…… • Slowly this is happening, or is it? New industrial sectors rediscover this issue time and again … International Federation of Standards Users

  6. ACK!!! Source: John Lamb World Bank International Federation of Standards Users 6

  7. Complicated global market standardization infrastructure Company (internal control and external procurement (eg Wal-Mart) Consortia, Fora e.g.OASIS; Open Group Industry standards particularly “private standards” National (formal): (governmental and non-governmental) Regional (formal): non-governmental CEN/CENELEC/ETSI, PASC, COPANT, etc.; sometimes partly financed by governments International (formal): - governmental e.g. ITU; UNECE CEFACT; - non-governmental (e.g. ISO/IEC) - ASME, ASTM, IEEE, IETF, W3C etc. (Some IFAN members consider some of these as National standards activities leading to more complications) International Federation of Standards Users

  8. Leading to Duplication of Infrastructure and efforts in developing standards • Overlapping Duplication of infrastructure: - Industry, consortia or fora committees - National committees - Regional committees - International committees - organizational participation models - individual participation models - national body participation models - formal government treaty participation models In a global economy that cannot afford to waste human and financial resources • Paradox: Often the same companies/organizations people/experts participate at all levels, and in different standards for the same subject International Federation of Standards Users

  9. Leading to diverse standards development procedures and policies • Different standardizing bodies have (slightly) different development procedures and often with out incentives for common elements • Different procedures can make “parallel” standards development between organizations difficult. • Different polices such as for Intellectual property rights can present unforseen landmines for participants • There are Positive initiatives such as: - the WSC (World Standards Cooperation) between ISO, IEC and ITU; - the Vienna and Dresden agreements (ISO/CEN and IEC/CENELEC); - WTO TBT Code of Good Practice for preparation, adoption and application of standards - ISO/IEC Guide 21 International Federation of Standards Users

  10. Leading to duplication of standards for identical products and processes and trade conflicts Increasing numbers of complaints to the WTO TBT committee of violations of the TBT Agreement. Increasing national pressures within the global economy to employ non tariff barriers to trade to protect their homeland suppliers and markets Cannot withstand the pressures from the current global economic situation; but how will market choose the winners and losers? International Federation of Standards Users 10

  11. Numerous Treaty organizations address strategic standards policies World Trade Organization: Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) ; Trade related aspects of Intellectual property (TRIPs) ; Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures SPS) WIPO; UNECE; OECD; WSIS & IGF United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Organization for Economic cooperation and Development World Summit on the Information Society and Internet Governance Forum International Federation of Standards Users 11

  12. Diverse information sources, distribution chains and commercial models • Different standardizing bodies have (slightly) different distribution procedures. • Most target their closest stakeholders without sufficient regard to the global community of potentially interested standards users • User’s find it hard to obtain standards other than their “key” standards. i.e. many useful standards (from other bodies) go un-used. • Different commercial models of the various standard bodies create complex (unresolved) Intellectual Property Rights issues Note: Dream is a “one-stop-shop” portal through which all standards can be found and procured. International Federation of Standards Users

  13. Economic Realities in 2009 • Globalization of trade and competition will increase as will use of TBTs to protect homeland producers and jobs • The current global economic environment creates uncertain yet foreseeable unfavorable pressures on the global standards community • A global pressure from standards users for an efficient international standardization process is strategic tool • Duplication of standards confuses manufacturers/ importers/ purchasers; confuses the consumer and government regulators and purchasers • Results in technical barriers to trade; safety/ environmental issues; and unnecessary cost Dream: One standard for subjects for which a standard is required International Federation of Standards Users

  14. Selected IFAN Initiatives IFAN IFAN PG 14 "Social responsibility” to ISO WG on SR“The International Federation of Standards Users (IFAN, a D-Liaison to the ISO WG on SR) is pleased to submit the attached comments along with a lack of support (the equivalent of a NO vote from a National Standards Body) for moving this draft document from the CD to the DIS stage.” IFAN Board created an IFAN Working Group “IP and standards”Mr. Xavier Delecroix (CVN, Luxembourg) will chair the group. International Federation of Standards Users 14

  15. Coordination of standards users groups • In the same way it is a challenge to find resources for developing standards, it is a challenge to find resources from the users of the standards to debate their fitness for use. • The International Federation of Standards Users (IFAN) aspires to help the global community of standard users and the multiple national and industry standards users groups advance their causes and conserve there own limited resources. The voice of the user is needed by the standards developers International Federation of Standards Users

  16. Actions by Users • Standards users need to voice their views on these issues • IFAN Premise is continuous progress on all fronts • Standards developers need external pressures to change • This is the job of IFAN. These issues are on IFAN’s strategic agenda. International Federation of Standards Users

  17. IFAN Message to ANSI CMF members IFAN has agreed on the following strategies consistent with the interests of ANSI CMF members: To promote the use of International Standards; To promote reference to international standards in regulations; To influence the international standardization process; To promote the principle that conformity assessment structures, schemes and procedures respond to standards users’ needs; To encourage openness, transparency and awareness in conformity assessment structures, procedures and results. To support education and training related to standardization; To facilitate the distribution of information on standards, standards development and conformity assessment. To Develop IFAN International Federation of Standards Users 17

  18. IFAN Message to ANSI CMF members If the company/association you represent to the American National Standards Institute sees: the benefit and potential strategic impact of a globally recognized, established and independent voice in global standardization; focused on the promoting the views of USERs of standards largely corporate standards interests; Active within international and regional standards developing and policy organizations; Then Consider Steering the IFAN program and Supporting IFAN work through Company membership. Contact IFAN Special Advisor (ANSI Company member GTW Associates) George T. Willingmyre, P.E. gtw@gtwassociates.com or info@ifan.org International Federation of Standards Users 18

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