CARICOM REGIONAL ORGANISATION FOR STANDARDS AND QUALITY

PRESENTATION

ASTM CARICOM ROADSHOW

FULGENCE ST. PRIXTECHNICAL OFFICER - STANDARDS

Regional Competitiveness - Through Quality

Presentation Format

• Who is CROSQ and What do we do (QI) ?

• What exactly is Quality Infrastructure (QI) that we work to develop ?

• Role of QI in Trade Competiveness

• Role of QI in Private Sector Competiveness

• CROSQ Key Successes

• CROSQ Institutional Development for Continued Success

Who is CROSQ and What Do We do ?

What is CROSQ?

CROSQ is the CARICOM Regional Organisation forStandards and Quality :

• Council - board of directors

• Secretariat (based in Barbados) -technical specialists, resourcemobilizers, network brokers, projectmanagers

• Regional Special Committees

Established by Intergovernmental Agreement arisingfrom Article 67 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas asa Common Supporting Measure for inter alia :

• Trade facilitation

• Enhanced efficiency in the production and delivery of goodsand services

• Improve quality of goods and services traded within theCommunity and with third states

• Consumer and Environmental protection

Operationally, CROSQ is the cooperative network of the 15 NationalStandards Bureaux (NSBs) of the Member States of CARICOMworking towards :

• Harmonizing standards and technical regulations.

• Ensuring transparency and stakeholder consultation in thedevelopment and promulgation of standards and technicalregulations.

• Promoting the mutual recognition of conformity assessmentprocedures across trading nations - inspections, testing,certifications.

What Do We Do (by Mandate)?

• Offering technical assistance to educational institutions, private orstate-owned companies or agencies or other entities in theCommunity and familiarizing them with the application ofstandards and standards- related matters.

• provide guidance to Community Organs and Bodies regardingmatters of QI development, including disputes settlement.

• Facilitating quality infrastructure (QI) development at thenational and regional levels, to international standards.

What Do We Do (by Mandate)?

CROSQ’s Main Objectives • The development and harmonization of Regional :

• Standards• Caribbean Standards Development Committee

• Metrology infrastructure• CARIMET System• CARIMET Committee

• Accreditation Systems• Caribbean Cooperation for Accreditation (CCA) Scheme• CCA Committee

• Conformity Assessment Systems• Caribbean Network of Conformity Assessment Bodies (CANCAB)• CANCAB Committee

• Quality Infrastructure Marketing and Promotions (Regional Committee)

• TBT and Enquiry Point Management Issues (Regional Committee)

What Exactly is this QI that we work to develop?

STANDARDISATION- Technical Regulations

METROLOGY- Scientific- Industrial- Legal

INSPECTION- Documents- Visual- Performance- Market Surveillance

TESTING- LQMS SIP

· ISO 15189· ISO/IEC 17025

CERTIFICATION- Personnel- Product- Systems

ACCREDITATION

Quality Infrastructure

Awareness Raising- Marketing & Communications- Information- Knowledge Mgmt.- Education

12

STANDARDIZATION

METROLOGY

ACCREDITATION

TESTING

INSPECTION

TMC

CARIMET

CCA

CANCAB

QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE - 3 LEVELS

CERTIFICATION

And a member of SIM

International QIRQI

AWARENESS MIKE

And a member of COPANT

And a member of COPANT

And a member of IAAC

NQI

Role of QI in Trade Competitiveness

• Assist firms to access international markets through overcoming technical barriers to trade (TBT)

• Meeting the consumer requirements of the importing market

• Ensuring that imports into the region are safe

• Assist QI support agencies such as testing laboratories and Bureaus of Standards to be resourced and to build their capacity

Challenge

• Sauces from the CARICOM region were denied entry into the European markets for the presence of a banned additive/chemical

• Sauces were returned based on non-compliance to standard and conformity assessment requirements of the importing country.

Solution

• Exporting CARICOM member countries had to perform the analytical test at accredited facilities

• However these facilities were located outside of the region which resulted in higher costs.

Case Example of QI at the International Level (Exports)

Case Example of QI at the Regional Level (Imports)

Functional quality infrastructure measures are required also for importing goods and ensuring consumer safety and protection of the environment.

Challenge

• Recent cessation of corned beef imported by CARICOM Member States due to suspected poor hygiene practices in the production process.

Solution

• Conformity assessment procedures, more specifically inspection and analytical testing, were conducted to reassure consumers of the integrity of the product prior to the resumption of imports.

Role of QI in Private Sector Competitiveness

QI helps firms use Quality as a Sustainable Business Enabling Strategy :

• ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems• ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems• ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Systems• ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems

QI helps firms use Quality as a Sustainable Business Strategy :

• Consistently differentiate their product, services and people from competitors

• PTB: QI in Value Chains – assisting firms penetrate international markets

• CDB: CARTFund Project

• PTB: Strengthening Regional Quality Infrastructure in Areas of Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency (R3E)

• CARICOM Energy Programme: Regional Energy Efficiency Building Code

• EU-CARIFORUM:10th EDF Technical Barriers to Trade Component

• CDC-PAHO: LQMS-SIP ISO 15189

• ACP: TBT Programme (QI)

• Internationalization of CROSQ – ARSO / CEN / COPANT / ASTM /GSO/ISO

Key Successes

• 11th EDF

• ACP TRADECOM II (TD and PSD)

• Health Sector interventions (NCDs reduction)

• Collaboration with Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre.

Future Opportunities

• Refreshed strategy - financial sustainably plan, organisational structure, strategy implementation score card, technical functional areas

• Improved HR Management Systems

• Improved Operational Systems

• Improved Project Management Systems

• Improved technology, communication and public relations

Institutional Development for Continued Success

THANK YOU!!

Fulgence St. PrixTechnical Officer – Standards

CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards & Quality

2nd Floor Baobab Tower

Warrens, St. Michael

BARBADOS

+1.246.622.7670