UNECE
UNECE Working Group on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardisation (WP.6)
Working Group has existed in various formats since 1970 and has been one of the working groups of the Steering Committee on Trade Capacity and Standards since 2015 (Steering Committee on Trade Capacity and Standards)WP. 6 was established to promote regulatory cooperation, standardisation policies and activities that contribute to the reduction of technical barriers to trade and the promotion of sustainable development in all its dimensions - see WP.6 policies, procedures and mandate.
WP.6 activities are mainly aimed at developing recommendations for standard-setting organisations and policy makers (více zde), providing a neutral forum for exchanging views and sharing experiences among all stakeholders and raising awareness of new challenges and trends related to standardisation and regulation (digitalisation, new technologies, gender equality, etc.). A brochure giving a more detailed overview of the main activities of WP.6 and its outputs is available (PDF, 220 kB) under this link .
The following five sub-groups and initiatives work within WP.6:
- Market Surveillance Advisory Group (MARS - Advisory Group on Market Surveillance)
- Expert Group on Risk Management in Regulatory Systems (GRM - Group of Experts on Risk Management in Regulatory Systems)
- Ad-hoc team of experts for standardization and regulatory techniques (START - Ad-Hoc Team of Specialists on Standardization and Regulatory Techniques)
- Expert team on gender equality standards (GSRI - Team of Specialists on Gender Responsive Standards)
- Standardisation Education Initiative (START-Ed - Initiative on Education on Standardization)
During the period 2014-2022, when the representative of the ÚNMZ served as the Second Vice-Chair of the WP.6, the Czech Republic had the opportunity to actively participate in the formulation of the guidelines for the work of this working group, agreed at the annual meetings of the WP and confirmed by the Steering Committee on Business Capacities and Standards. The mandate could not be extended for a further period due to procedural reasons, but the ÚNMZ continues to represent the Czech Republic in WP.6 and to participate in the activities of the WG and its subgroups within its remit.
A summary of the activities of WP.6 and its subgroups or initiatives in 2022 and 2023 is provided in WP.6 Newsletter December 2023 (PDF, 246 kB).
Below is a summary of all planned WP.6 events or subgroups and initiatives for 2024, links to individual sessions and further information is available on an ongoing basis here (available in Czech language only).
| Subgroup/Initiative | Date of the meeting |
| WP.6 | 34th Annual Meeting 26-28 August 2024, Geneva |
| 3rd Forum of WP.6 subgroups | April 2-5, 2024 |
| MARS (Advisory group on Market Surveillance) | February 20, April 4-5, September 27, 2024 |
| START-Ed (Education on Standardisation Initiative ) | April 2024 |
| START (Ad Hoc Team of Specialists on Standardisation and Regulatory Techniques) | 5 April 2024 |
| GRS (Team of Specialists on Gender-Responsive Standards) | 7 February, 3 and 4 April, 5 June, 11 September and 6 November 2024 |
| GRM (Group of Experts on Risk Management in Regulatory Systems) | 15 February, 2 and 3 April, 13 June, 12 September and 14 November 2024 |
| SCTCS (Steering Committee on Trade Capacity and Standards) | 26-28 June 2024 |
Detailed information on WP.6 activities can be obtained here (available in Czech language only). Any questions regarding WP.6 activities can be addressed to unece.wp6@unmz.cz.