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Volume 2| Issue 04| October – December 2016
Newsletter of the South Asian Regional Standards Organization
A Specialized Body of SAARC
Editorial Committee
Dr. Syed Humayun Kabir Director General
Mr. Indu Bikram Joshi Mr. Tashi Wangchuk
Mr. Khawja Gulam Mohiuddin
South Asian Regional Standards Organization (SARSO) Secretariat 116/A, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208, Bangladesh
Tel: +88 02 8878130, Fax: +88 02 8878131 E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.sarso.org.bd
Volume 2| Issue 04| October – December 2016
CELEBRATION OF THIRTY SECOND SAARC CHARTER DAY
The South Asian Regional Standards Organization
(SARSO) observed the Thirty Second SAARC Charter
Day on 11 December 2016 at SARSO Secretariat, Dhaka
to express its solidarity. The Honorable State Minister,
H.E. Mr. Md. Shahriar Alam, M P, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Government of Bangladesh graced the
occasion as the Chief Guest. Honorable Secretary
General of SAARC, H.E. Mr. Arjun Bahadur Thapa, Mr.
Sushen Chandra Das, Additional Secretary, Ministry of
Industries, Mr. Saiful Hasib, Director General,
Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI)
and Mr. Tareq Ahmed, Director General, (SAARC &
BIMSTEC), Ministry of Foreign Affairs were Special
Guests on this occasion. Senior officials of Embassies
and High Commissions of SAARC Member States in
Bangladesh, senior Government officials from different
Ministries, Government and Semi Government
Organizations, Business leaders of the Private Sectors
and other distinguished invitees from national and
international organizations were also present.
Dr. Syed Humayun Kabir, Director General, SARSO
welcomed the dignitaries present in the event. His
Excellency, Mr. Arjun Bahadur Thapa in his speech
appreciated SARSO for celebration of thirty-second
SAARC Charter Day successfully. On this occasion, Mr.
Tareq Ahmed, Director General, (SAARC & BIMSTEC),
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Saiful Hasib, Director
General, BSTI and Mr. Sushen Chandra Das highlighted
the importance of SARSO and harmonized Standards in
Dr. Selim Raihan, Professor of University of Dhaka &
Executive Director-SANEM and Mr. Indu Bikram Joshi,
Director SARSO presented key note paper on Non-
Tariff Measures (NTM) and SARSO-harmonization of
standards respectively. Mr. Joshi informed that, SARSO
has finalized seven SAARC Standards on Food and
Textiles related and adopted four ISO Standards as
SAARC Standards related to building materials. He also
mentioned that, SARSO has signed Cooperation
H.E. Mr. Md. Shahriar Alam, M P, Honorable State Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of
Bangladesh
H.E. Mr. Arjun Bahadur Thapa Honorable Secretary General SAARC (right) and H.E. Mr. Md. Shahriar Alam,
M P, Honorable State Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Bangladesh (left)
Dr. Syed Humayun Kabir, Director
General, SARSO
Volume 2| Issue 04| October – December 2016
Agreements with ISO and IEC and more agreements
are in process of signing with other
international/regional bodies. Finally, the Chief Guest,
Honorable State Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
The Government of Bangladesh, Mr. Md. Shahriar
Alam, MP, in his speech highlighted that South Asia is
embedded with ample resources and opportunities. He
further stated that with the market of about 1.7 billion
in South Asia many challenges are foreseen. He
mentioned that, he has full confidence through
concerted efforts to cope with the challenges. He
recommended SARSO to move in a strategic and
smarter way so that its contributions are efficient and
effective.
SARSO IN THE IEC GENERAL MEETING 2016
The 80th
International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC) General Meeting 2016 was held from 10-14
October 2016 in the German city of Frankfurt,
focused strongly on the digitalization of
modern world. On the invitation of IEC
Secretary General, Director General of
SARSO, Dr. Syed Humayun Kabir as a head of
delegate and Mr. Khawja Gulam Mohiuddin,
Deputy Director, SARSO as a delegate
attended the 80th
IEC General Meeting. During
the IEC General Meeting, SARSO delegation attended several meetings and workshops that includes,
Opening Ceremony of 80th
IEC General Meeting, 157th
Meeting of Standardization Management Board
(SMB) of IEC, Inauguration of Reinvention Laboratory in Frankfurt, IEC Affiliate Forum, Break out
session – Discussion on Asia Pacific, IEC-Affiliate Forum, Workshop for Industrializing Countries QI and
renewable energy system, Council Statutory Session & Council Discussion Session. The outcome of the
80th
IEC General Meeting and associated meetings that SARSO have learned after participation was that
IEC should create open platforms for networking of interest groups and manage the collaboration with
other SDOs and consortia in order to play a leading role in the standardization of future cross-domain
topics; The IEC, as the home of industry, should provide future-oriented digital standardization processes
and tools; The IEC should develop itself and the whole community to become the leading provider of
digital standards and services; The IEC should expand its platform for globally acknowledged conformity
assessment systems in close cooperation with international and regional regulators such as WTO, UNECE,
the EU Commission and others; The IEC should closely collaborate with its national committees to jointly
develop new business models for the profitable marketing of digital standards and services; etc.
SARSO delegates also met with Director IEC-APRC for developing Action Plan on MoU signed between
SARSO and IEC. Ms. Claire Marchand, Communication Officer, from IEC also arranged a session for
taking interview of Director General, SARSO about SARSO activities, its objectives and functions, its
achievement and future strategy.
IEC AND
Volume 2| Issue 04| October – December 2016
SARSO AND IEC SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT
The SARSO and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) signed Cooperation Agreement on 09 October, 2016 in Frankfurt, Germany during the 80th IEC General Meeting. Mr. Frans Vreeswijk General Secretary and CEO of IEC and Dr. Syed Humayun Kabir, Director General of SARSO signed the agreement on behalf of their organizations. The agreement was signed to strengthen the
cooperation between IEC and SARSO in a number of
areas, covering especially cross representation and
exchange of information. The main purpose of the
cooperation Agreement between two organizations is
to promote the development, use and adoption of IEC
International Standards as well as the use of IEC
Conformity Assessment Systems in response to market
demands, and thus to facilitate world trade. Through
the cooperation Agreement, both the organizations
will consider the possibility of developing a joint
activity programme.
SARSO PARTICIPATES IN CHINA-SOUTH ASIA STANDARDIZATION
COOPERATION CONFERENCE
The SARSO officials attended the China-South Asia
Standardization Cooperation Conference organized
by the Chengdu Institute of Standardization,
Chengdu, Sichuan, China from 04-05 November 2016
in Chengdu, China. The main objective of the China
South Asia Standardization forum was sharing of
experiences and progress in industrial
standardization so as to promote Standardization
exchanges and multilateral economies and trade
collaborations for common advancement and
success between China and South Asia. Mr. Abdullah
Mohamed, Honorable Deputy Minister Ministry of
Economic Development (MoED), Maldives, Mr.
Maheel Ali Jaleel , Program Manager, MoED,
Maldives, Mr. Bishwo Babu Pudasaini, Director
General, Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology
(NBSM), Mr. Subarna Prasad Upadhyaya, Director,
NBSM, Ms. Chamaree Radha Geeganage, Assistant
Director, Sri Lanka Standards Institution, Mr. Akhtar
Ahmad Bughio, Director and Mr. Gulam Umar Kaji,
Secretary, Pakistan Standards and Quality Control
Authority attended the conference.
Mr. Frans Vreeswijk General Secretary & CEO of IEC and Dr. Syed
Humayun Kabir, Director General SARSO signing the agreement
Delegates of the China-South Asia Standardization Cooperation Conference
Volume 2| Issue 04| October – December 2016
Mr. Tian Rong, Vice Mayor of Chengdu, Dr. Zhang Xiaogang, President of ISO, Mr. Tian Shihong, Administrator of
SAC, Mr. Guo Hui, Vice Administrator of SAC, Dr. Syed Humayun Kabir, Director General of SARSO were present
during the inauguration ceremony.
During the conference, presentations were delivered in areas of small cities, low carbon emissions and
environment conservation, tea, public services, post disaster reconstruction, traditional medicines,
Standardization and Non Tariff Barriers and others. SARSO delivered a presentation on its role in reducing the
Technical Barriers to Trade in South Asia.
The SARSO also had sideline Meeting with the
Standards Administration of China (SAC) and
discussed on possible mutual cooperation and
collaboration and the agreement between SARSO
and the SAC. SARSO officials met with Mr. Tian
Shihong, Administrator, Mr. Guo Hui, Vice
Administrator, Ms. Li Yubing, Director General,
International Cooperation Department and other
officials of SAC.
Earlier, Dr. Syed Humayun Kabir, Director General, SARSO attended the 7th South Asia- Sichuan Business
Promotion Round-Table Conference hosted by China Council for Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT-Sichuan)
in Chengdu, China on 03 November 2016. The conference was organized with an objective to promote economic
and trade cooperation between Chengdu and South Asian countries, while integrating opportunities associated
with China’s new Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The Director General and SARSO
officials also attended the roundtable meeting of the 7th South Asia- Sichuan Business Promotion Round-Table
Conference in the morning session of 04 November 2016.
SARSO ATTENDS THE CRB’S 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCE, ‘INDIA AND SUSTAINABILITY
STANDARDS 2016’
Dr. Syed Humayun Kabir, Director General, SARSO attended the three day annual Centre for Responsible
Business (CRB) conference ‘India and Sustainability Standards: International Dialogues and Conference,
2016’. The conference was organized at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, India from 16-18 November
2016 to discuss and deliberate on the diverse issues for sustainable and responsible growth, with the
SARSO with SAC Officials
Dr. Syed Humayun Kabir, Director General, SARSO during
the inaugural session
7th South Asia- Sichuan Business Promotion Round-Table Conference
in session
Volume 2| Issue 04| October – December 2016
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a central theme. The Honourable Minister for Railways, India
Shri Suresh Prabhu inaugurated the conference. The event was supported by 60 partner organizations,
co-hosting 27 sessions with over 160 speakers.
SARSO PARTICIPATES IN ISO 14001:2015 TOT PROGRAMME
Under the programme on ‘Trade promotion through
Standardization’, supported by the Swedish
International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)
and implemented by the Swedish Standards Institute
(SIS) supported by SIDA/SIS, the officials of SARSO
participated the training on Environmental
Management System (based on ISO 14001:2015) and
Life Cycle Analysis held in Bangkok, Thailand, 31
October – 03 November 2016. Eight countries
participated in the programme, including Cambodia,
Laos, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka
and Pakistan.
ISO 14001:2015 specifies the requirements for an
environmental management system that an
organization can use to enhance its environmental
performance. ISO 14001:2015 is intended for use by an
organization seeking to manage its environmental
responsibilities contributing to environmental
sustainability. ISO 14001:2015 helps an organization
achieve the intended outcomes of its environmental
management system, which provide value for the
environment, the organization itself and interested
parties. Earlier, Mr. Indu Bikram Joshi attended the
SESA steering committee Meeting from 27-28 October
2016 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Training in Session
India and Sustainability Standards: International Dialogues and Conference, 2016
Volume 2| Issue 04| October – December 2016
TRAINING PROGRAMME ON ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT STANDARDS
ISO14001:2015
The Secretariat of SARSO conducted in-house training
programme on International Standards ISO 14001:2015
- Environmental management systems -- Requirements
with guidance for use on 12 November 2016 at Envoy
Textiles Ltd. which is a leading manufacturer and
exporter of high quality fashion denim in Bangladesh.
ISO 14001 is one of the most well known and widely
implemented standards. It is used worldwide by large
and small businesses and organizations, in public and
private sectors, by manufacturers and service
providers, and in all sectors of activity. The main
objective of the training was to sensitize on the specific
requirements of ISO 14001:2015 and to help Envoy
Textiles Ltd. in transitioning from ISO 14001:2004 to
ISO 14001:2015 version. During the training course,
Professionals of SARSO presented the key changes
between ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 14001:2015, Specific
new requirements relating to Context, Leadership,
Planning, Support and Operation, factors to consider
when implementing them, new and revised terms and
definitions applicable to ISO 14001:2015, as well as key
concepts such as process approach and lifecycle
perspective. The training was participated by 24
technical staffs of Envoy Textiles Ltd.
INTERACTIVE SESSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT STANDARDS
ISO14001:2015
The SARSO organized interactive session on ISO 14001:2015 on 14 November 2016 at SARSO Secretariat. The main
objectives of the interactive session were for sharing of information on ISO 14001:2015 to the stakeholders, finding
Interactive Program in session
Volume 2| Issue 04| October – December 2016
interested organization to implement ISO 14001:2015 and
also to seek partnership with stakeholders in different
Standards.
The participants included, representatives from NGOs,
industries, BSTI and Chambers. The resource persons
were from SARSO, Dr. Solaiman Haider, Director
Department of Environment and Mr. Tauhidul Islam,
Envoy Textiles. The representative from the Department
of Environment was invited to present on the legal
requirements related to the Environment and the representative from Envoy textiles was invited to present on the
benefits and challenges faced while implementing ISO 14001.
USAID VISITS SARSO
A team of officials from Chemonics, USAID Contractor
visited SARSO on 06 December 2016. Mr. Stephen P.
Wade, Former Member of the Board and Chief of
Party, Ms. Isaiah Oliver, Deputy Chief of Party, Mr.
Heather Tomlins, Operations Director, Ms. Michelle
Grimaldi, Associate visited SARSO Secretariat and
held discussion on capacity development needs and
assistance required on implementation of
Multilateral Arrangement on Recognition of
Conformity Assessment (MARCA).
SEGA NEWS
The South Asian Regional Standards Organization (SARSO) congratulates
Mr. Gamini Dharmawardana for assuming the post of Director General of Sri Lanka Standards Institution
(SLSI), Sri Lanka
The South Asian Regional Standards Organization (SARSO) congratulates
Mr. Md. Saiful Hasib for assuming the post of Director General, Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution,
(BSTI), Bangladesh
SARSO with USAID Officials
Interactive Program in session
Volume 2| Issue 04| October – December 2016
SEGA NEWS
FIFTH SEGA MEETING HD IN DHAKA, BANGLADESH
The Fifth SEGA Meeting was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 8-9 October 2016 followed by a national awareness
workshop on 10 October 2016. The Meeting was organized by Bangladesh Accreditation Board with the financial and
technical assistance from PTB-Germany. The Meeting aimed to facilitate a mutual update on developments in
accreditation on national, regional and international level, discuss and strengthen the role and contributions of SEGA in
supporting the mutual recognition of conformity assessment in SAARC and to provide a forum to review and follow up
on project activities to develop capacities in accreditation within the framework of SAARC-PTB MoU. The delegates from
SAARC Secretariat, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka attended the Meeting. Mr. Md. Abu
Abdullah, Director General, Bangladesh Accreditation Board (BAB) as the host of the Fifth SEGA Meeting Chaired the
Meeting.
Mr. Md. Abu Abdullah, Director General, Bangladesh
Accreditation Board (BAB) welcomed the delegates to
the Meeting and wished for fruitful deliberations. As
per SAARC procedure, the Meeting was opened by Ms.
L. Savithri, Director (ETF), SAARC Secretariat. Ms.
Savithri announced that the SAARC Agreement of
Multilateral Arrangement for Recognition of Conformity
Assessment (MARCA) has now been ratified by the
parliament of Nepal and will soon be notified and
hoped for operationalization of MARCA. Dr. Christian
Starz, Project Coordinator, PTB in his remarks mentioned that, the SAARC and PTB had signed the MoU ten years back
to develop networking and to build capacity of the SAARC Member States in areas of Metrology, Standards, Testing
and Quality (MSTQ). He stated that the current phase would end in March 2017 and requested the Members to take
this meeting as opportunity to evaluate the challenges faced and review the achievements made so far. Mr. Indu
Bikram Joshi, Director, SARSO Secretariat in his remarks thanked BAB for hosting the Meeting, PTB for financial and
technical assistance, Dr. Christian Starz, project coordinator for his hard work in coordinating and delegates from the
Member States for participation.
Delegates of SEGA with H.E Mr. Amir Hossain Amu, M.P, Honorable Minister, Ministry of Industries, Government of Bangladesh
Ms. L. Savithri, Director - ETF SAARC (left) Mr. Md. Abu Abdullah, Director
General, BAB (centre) Dr. Christian Starz, Project Coordinator, PTB (right)
Volume 2| Issue 04| October – December 2016
On the second day of the Meeting, the Honorable
Minister for the Ministry of Industries Mr. Amir
Hossain Amu, M.P graced the Meeting. In his
statement, he thanked the delegates of the SAARC
Member States for attending the Meeting. He hoped
the Meeting would find appropriate means in
achieving the goal of knowledge based
industrialization in the SAARC region. He stated that,
the South Asia having high potential for trade
promotion would achieve sustained economic growth.
He highlighted the importance of focusing more on
para-tariff and non tariff measures as they held key to
trade liberalization. He also reiterated Government of
Bangladesh’s commitment towards regional
connectivity and economic integration. The Honorable
Minister in his conclusion wished the Fifth Meeting of
SEGA a milestone in strengthening quality
infrastructure among the Member countries.
NATIONAL AWARENESS TRAINING FOR REGULATORS HELD IN DHAKA, BANGLADESH
The National Awareness Training for Regulators was held
on 10 October 2016 in Dhaka, Bangladesh with the
financial assistance from PTB-Germany aimed at creating
awareness to relevant stakeholders on quality
infrastructure and accreditation. Mr. Anil Jauhri, CEO
NABCB, India, Mr. Hanspeter Ischi, PTB expert, Engr. M.
Liaquat Ali, FAO Consultant & Former DG BAB, Ms. Ismat
Gul Khattak, DG PNAC, Mr. Indu Bikram Joshi, Director
SARSO and Mr. Nasirul Islam, Dy. Director BAB delivered
the presentations on accreditation and quality
infrastructure related subjects. The presenters
emphasized the need of application of accredited
Conformity Assessment Result and Standards in the
technical regulations. The Members from SAARC Expert
Group on Accreditation (SEGA), representatives from
SAARC Secretariat, Regional Chamber of Commerce and
Industries, South Asian Regional Standards Organization
(SARSO) and regulatory bodies and stakeholders in
Bangladesh participated in the programme.
Delegates, experts and participants of the National Awareness Training for Regulators
Volume 2| Issue 04| October – December 2016
AWARENESS TRAINING PROGRAMME ON HALAL HELD IN DHAKA, BANGLADESH
An Awareness Training Programme on HALAL was held
on 11 October 2016 in Dhaka, Bangladesh with the
financial assistance from PTB-Germany aimed at
providing better understanding of Halal products and
services as well as creating awareness among the
stakeholders. The Bangladesh Accreditation Board (BAB)
in collaboration with SARSO Secretariat organized the
day-long event. Mr. A. M. Badrudduja, Secretary,
Ministry of Food was the chief guest at the function
chaired by Mr. Abu Abdullah, Director General, BAB.
Mr. A. M. Badrudduja emphasized on harmonization of
Halal Standards and conformity assessment system and
development of appropriate strategies to face the
challenges and take the opportunities from global Halal
markets. He added that at present, Bangladesh has good
quality infrastructure to develop Halal accreditation and
certification schemes. Dr. Khizir Hayet Khan, Director
Islamic Foundation, Mohammad Golam Kibria, Founder,
iota Consulting BD, Ms Ismat Gul Khattak, Director
General, Pakistan National Accreditation Council, Mr.
Kbd. Golam. Md. Sarwar, Bangladesh Standards and
Testing Institution and Mr. Mohammed Abbas Alam, BAB
were the experts and presented the current status,
challenges, prospect of Halal products & services,
harmonization & unification on Halal Standards and
practices. The forum also exchanged views and
experience on Halal certification, products and process.
The Members from SAARC Expert Group on
Accreditation (SEGA), regional Chamber of Commerce
and Industries, South Asian Regional Standards
Organization (SARSO), regulatory bodies of Bangladesh
and relevant stakeholders in Bangladesh participated in
the programme.
Awareness Training in session
Volume 2| Issue 04| October – December 2016
METROLOGY NEWS
FIFTH COORDINATION MEETING ON REGIONAL COOPERATION IN METROLOGY,
THIMPHU, BHUTAN
The Fifth Coordination Meeting on Regional
Cooperation in Metrology was held in Thimphu,
Bhutan and was organized by Bhutan Standards
Bureau on 13-14 October 2016 with the financial
assistance of PTB-Germany and technical assistance of
National Physical Laboratory (NPL), India. The
Coordination Meeting was aimed to provide a forum
for mutual update on developments in scientific
metrology on national and regional level and for a
discussion of the progress made since the last
Coordination Meeting and to review, adapt and
update the activities and frame coordination
mechanisms in metrology for the next phase of the
project. Members from Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India, Maldives and Nepal, SAARC Secretariat,
SARSO Secretariat, PTB-Germany, PTB consultant and
project evaluators participated in the Meeting.
Mr. Sonam Phuntsho, Director General of the Bhutan
Standards Bureau (BSB) thanked and welcomed the Chief
Guest, Mr. Singye Dorji, Director General of Department
of SAARC and Regional Organization, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Royal Government of Bhutan for gracing the
inauguration ceremony and the delegates from SAARC
Member States. Mr. Phuntsho committed full support to
the planned SAARC-PTB Metrology activities and
conveyed his appreciation to the PTB-Germany for its
generous financial and technical assistance extended to
develop Metrology both at national and regional level.
Ms. L. Savithri, Director, Economic, Trade and Finance,
SAARC Secretariat in her address expressed her
appreciation to the Chief Guest Director General of the
Department of SAARC and Regional Organization, Bhutan
for his presence in the inauguration ceremony. She
thanked the PTB-Germany for its constant assistance to
the forum which has been successful and looked forward
for continuous support. She also highlighted about PTB’s
assistance in legal metrology, an important component
in the SAARC region. Mr. Daniel Bohme, PTB in his
address, mentioned that the Fifth Regional Coordination
Meeting in Metrology would be the last Meeting of the
SAARC-PTB project. He stated that the budget has
completely been spent and had implemented many
components during the phase of project. Mr. Tashi
Wangchuk, Deputy Director, SARSO in his address
expressed his gratitude to PTB-Germany for its
Delegates with the Chief Guest Mr. Singye Dorji, Director General, Department of SAARC and Regional Organization, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bhutan
Volume 2| Issue 04| October – December 2016
continuous support, PTB Consultant for coordination,
delegates for their participation and BSB for organizing
and hosting the event. He requested the Members to
reflect back the achievements of the project and plan for
the next phase accordingly. He also thanked the National
Physical Laboratory, India for their continuous technical
assistance to the other National Metrology Institutes in
the region. Mr. Singye Dorji, Director General of
Department of SAARC and Regional Organization,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bhutan in his inaugural
address welcomed the delegates of the Fifth
Coordination Meeting in Metrology. He stated that the
coordination Meeting provided the right platform for
knowledge sharing in the field of Metrology. He urged
the Members to take into considerations the scientific,
technical and financial capacity of each Member States in
better position to support the others to bring balanced
development in the SAARC region.
The Meeting recapitulated the project activities undertaken since October 2015, had discussion on regional cooperation
opportunities beyond the project scope and planning the future activities. The delegates also visited the Bhutan
Standards Bureau laboratories and attended cultural tour in Thimphu organized by BSB.
Chief Guest Mr. Singye Dorji, Director General, Department of SAARC and Regional Organization, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bhutan during the inauguration session
Meeting in session
Volume 2| Issue 04| October – December 2016
The South Asian Regional Standards
Organization
(SARSO)
wishes you a very prosperous, joyful
Happy New Year