INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION

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Newsletter IeC AffIlIAte CouNtry ProgrAmmeJanuary 2013

Affiliate Newsletter No. 28, January 2013

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EDITORIAL We are starting a new year and I wish you ALL a very prosperous and fruitful year 2013, as well as health for you and your relatives, and peace in your respective part of the world. We have a new General Secretary, Frans Vreeswijk, since last October, with new visions for the IEC and its Affiliate Country Programme. Our Affiliate Leader, Phuntsho Wangdi, and the Coordinator for Africa, Evah Oduor, had the opportunity to meet him during the General Meeting in Oslo and they shared their hopes for more involvement from developing countries in the Commission activities. I am confident that he will support the Programme and ensure that it develops to serve your needs. The IEC is now collaborating more and more with the United Nations to meet the challenge of sustainable energy for all countries around the world and to share its expertise to provide new forms of energy, to facilitate electrification in rural areas and to enhance participation in international electrotechnical standardization. This year, we should launch the Affiliate mentoring scheme which will consist of twinning IEC experts with Affiliates to help them participate in the work of technical committees. It should also be the year for a new Affiliate status within IEC three Conformity Assessment Systems, i.e. IECEE, IECEx and IECQ. Phuntsho, Evah and I conducted bilateral meetings in Oslo to set up a framework in both fields. So, 2013 should be an exhilarating year, offering you extra benefits to make sure you feel part of the IEC Family. I look forward to working with you ALL towards this goal.

Françoise Rauser, IEC Affiliate Executive Secretary AFFILIATE LEADER

During the 76th IEC General Meeting, the Affiliate Leader led a delegation of 24 delegates coming from 13 developing countries. Besides chairing the Affiliate Forum (see section below), he addressed IEC Management at the SMB (Standardization Management Board) and CAB (Conformity Assessment Board) reiterating the wish for more support in terms of mentoring and participation in the IEC Conformity Assessment Systems. Phuntsho Wangdi also led the Affiliate delegation at the Council Statutory session and had the opportunity to meet each delegate individually during the

Affiliate cocktail. Since the General Meeting, Bhutan held successfully its first Standards Day in October, with the participation of Dennis Chew, Director of IEC-APRC (IEC Asia-Pacific Regional Centre), located in Singapore. Phuntsho is happy to report that Bhutan has established its NEC (National Electrotechnical Committee) this month and adopted its 13 first IEC International Standards as national standards. In 2013, Phuntsho will be organizing an event with the IEC in his home country, Bhutan, back to back with the next IEC General Meeting scheduled in 21-25 October 2013, in New Delhi, India. The Affiliate Leader will be chairing the Affiliate Forum in New Delhi and is waiting for your feedback and suggestion to prepare the Forum programme. He will also chair the Industrializing Country Workshop: this year, the topic will be on renewable energy standards for developing countries. Don’t forget to contact Phuntsho if you have any suggestion for the Forum. Contact the Affiliate Secretariat if you wish to make a presentation at the Forum or at the

Industrializing Country Workshop.

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Phuntsho wishes you ALL a happy starts in 2013 and is looking forward to meeting some of you in New Delhi in October. The invitation to the General Meeting will be sent to you in April-May, registration will be

online. NEW IEC GENERAL SECRETARY & CEO

During the 76th IEC General Meeting held in October in Oslo, the IEC community welcomed Frans Vreeswijk as General Secretary and CEO. Frans became IEC General Secretary on the 1 October 2012, having served as Deputy General Secretary since 1 March 2012. Prior to joining IEC Central Office, he worked for 30 years for Philips in the Netherlands, Austria and the USA, notably in research, healthcare and consumer electronics areas. He was President of the IEC Dutch NC (National Committee) and has served on the IEC CB and SMB as well as

representing the Netherlands in CENELEC. The General Secretary is the Chief Executive Officer of the Commission and is responsible for its day-to-day operations. Ronnie Amit, who was IEC General Secretary from 1 January 1999 to 30 September 2012, is now Special Advisor to the President of the IEC, Klaus Wucherer. The IEC General Secretary’s involvement at the IEC “I come from industry and recognize that industry can benefit from everything we do in the IEC, a very good organization that brings real value to the marketplace. The orientation and close link to industry is so evident, so clear, much more so than with other organizations. That was what drove me in the first place. I felt that my years in industry are a major advantage for the job because we are here to serve the needs of industry. Industry is the backbone, the platform on which we work. We have to ensure that the value and the linkage remain and even get stronger, specifically in areas where we are not yet well recognized. There is always room for improvement. As such, I think my background will make a difference, facilitate dialogue and be an asset for future high-level discussions with industry. I am very much looking forward to working not only with the IEC management and staff, but also with the IEC community at large. I want to make sure I have a broad set of contacts and can mobilize as many people as possible to help face the challenges of the future. I do enjoy working with people. I am passionate about my work and want to ensure that everyone has a common goal to which end all devote their efforts and their drive. I am deeply convinced that together we can all make a difference.” AFFILIATE NEWS The second part of the year has been busy. We welcomed a new Affiliate country, six countries established their NEC, three became Affiliate Plus and 16 requested more IEC International Standards under the terms of the IEC Affiliate Country Programme.

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NEW AFFILIATE: THE BAHAMAS In July 2012, the IEC Affiliate Country Programme welcomed the Bahamas as its newest participating country. With 82 Members and 81 Affiliates, the IEC Family now numbers 163. The Bahamas became acquainted with the IEC Affiliate Country Programme through CARICOM (Caribbean Community and Common Market). The benefits of participating in the Programme were highlighted during a CROSQ (CARICOM Regional Organization for Standards and Quality) meeting in October 2010. With the assistance of Trinidad and Tobago and then Antigua and Barbuda, both CARICOM member countries and IEC Affiliates, a dialogue between the IEC and a Bahamian government official was established. URCA (Utilities Regulations and Competition Authority) will assume responsibility for the collaboration with the IEC and offer support as necessary. The contact person is Kathleen Smith, CEO of URCA. NATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMITTEE Afghanistan Joined the Affiliate Country Programme in 2007, Afghanistan has been very active since 2010 by starting to order IEC International Standards under the terms of the Programme. ANSA (Afghan National Standards Authority) has declared its first bash of national standards in 2011 and 2012, while they have established their NEC (National Electrotechnical Committee). The President of the Afghan NEC comes from the Ministry of Energy and Water, whereas the Secretary is the Electrical Engineering Standards Officer at ANSA. The other NEC Members are from various public and private sectors: the Engineering faculty of Kabul University, Kabul Polytechnic University, AISA (Afghanistan Investment Support Agency), Afghan Energy Information Center, Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development/NSP (National Solidarity Programme), Union of electrotechnical goods importers, just to name a few. Afghanistan has requested the Affiliate Secretariat to organize a webinar with the newly established NEC members, which took place at the beginning of the year. Burundi Through the Dialogue 17 (questionnaire on assessing needs for mentoring in Affiliate countries) we have circulated last November (see the article below), the Affiliate Secretariat was informed about the establishment of Burundi NEC. The NEC President is the Head of Service in Planning and Investment Management at REGIDESO (Production and Distribution of Water and Electricity), and the NEC Secretary is the Deputy Head of Standardization and Metrology Division at the BBN: Bureau Burundais de Normalisation et Contrôle de la Qualité, the national standardization organization. Besides them, the NEC members are represented by the Metallurgical industry, the University of Burundi, Telecommunication, association of consumer, and the Ministry of Commerce, Post Industry and Tourism to name a few. Cambodia In November, Cambodia informed the Affiliate Secretariat of the establishment of their NEC under the name of National Technical Committee Electric and Electronic Equipment, which was approved by their National Standards Council. Cambodia technical committee is mainly responsible to select IEC International Standards for their National Standards Council to adopt as national standards, to observe IEC activities and to be the national technical committee for Electric and Electronic Equipment. With the submission of the NEC members’ complete list in January, the IEC has acknowledged officially the establishment of the Cambodian NEC. DRC Following a webinar organized in May 2012 by the OCC: Office congolais de contrôle, the national standardization organization, DRC announced the establishment of its NEC in July 2012. The NEC President is the Managing Director of SNEL, the national electricity company, and the Secretary is the Assistant to the Head of Standards Development at OCC. The stakeholders come from

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REGIDESO – the Governance of Water Supply, Ministry of Industry and SMEs, General Secretariat of Energy, etc. The NEC Secretary attended the AFSEC IECEx Seminar in Abidjan and met with the Affiliate Secretary to find ways to stimulate the work of the committee in 2013. Ecuador Ecuador established its NEC in July 2012. On the request of INEN, the Ecuador national standardization organization participating in the IEC Affiliate Country Programme, IEC Affiliate Secretariat and IEC-LARC (IEC Latin America Regional Centre) Manager were invited at the inauguration of the Ecuador NEC through a webinar session. The IEC made a presentation in Spanish on the Commission, the Affiliate Country Programme, a recap and update on the Ecuador’s situation within the Programme, focus on the functions within the NEC and the Affiliate section on the IEC website presented in English. Ethiopia In July 2012, the Affiliate Secretariat was informed of the creation of ESA (Ethiopian Standards Agency), and that the new structure strives to continue its participation in the Affiliate Country Programme and plans in raising its status to Affiliate Plus by the establishment of its NEC in November 2012. The President of the Ethiopian NEC is Director at the Ministry of Water and Energy, the Vice President is Project Coordinator at the Electric Power Corporation, and the Secretary is the Electrical Engineering Standards Officer at ESA. Other NEC members come from various sectors as the Addis Ababa University Institute of Technology Electrical Engineering, Electricity Corporation and ECAE (Ethiopian Conformity Assessment Enterprise). This brings to 39 the number of Affiliate countries that have established their National Electrotechnical Committee. AFFILIATE PLUS With the previous declarations of their national adoptions and the establishment of their NEC, Afghanistan, DRC and Ethiopia have been upgraded to Affiliate Plus. Afghanistan has a total declaration of 58 national adoptions; DRC has 52 adoptions, and Ethiopia 197 adoptions. The Affiliate Plus status has been granted to 18 countries since 2009, whereas many other Affiliates have already fulfilled either one of the two criteria:

• To have adopted at least 50 IEC International Standards as national ones or for reference in national regulations.

• To have established a NEC (National Electrotechnical Committee) with representatives from both public and private sectors.

More on the NEC, see guidelines in English and in Spanish. Don’t forget to inform us when yours is set up.

ADDITIONAL NEWS While some countries are working towards their NEC and getting the Affiliate Plus status, 22 countries have been busy requesting more IEC International Standards under the terms of the IEC Affiliate Country Programme: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Bolivia, Cambodia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Guinea, Lao PDR, Mauritius, Palestine, Peru, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Senegal, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Uruguay, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

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WEBINARS As the IEC is working 100% in an electronic environment, one of the main objectives for 2012 was to provide virtual trainings to our Affiliate countries via webinars. We are happy to inform that since our last Newsletter, four countries benefited of this service: Afghanistan (to develop the capacity of their NEC members) Ecuador (for their NEC inauguration), DRC (to help setting their NEC) and Zambia (on the importance of participating in international standardization, adoption and use of IEC International Standards, commenting on IEC technical work, familiarization with IEC CA, Affiliate Plus and way forward for Affiliate countries). The training was conducted in Spanish by Amaury Santos, the IEC-LARC (IEC Regional Centre for Latin America) Manager for Ecuador, in French for DRC, and English for Afghanistan and Zambia by Françoise Rauser, the Affiliate Executive Secretary from the IEC Central Office in Geneva. Should you have any specific and/or general questions on the Affiliate Country Programme, don’t hesitate to contact the Affiliate Secretariat (affiliates@iec.ch) to request and to organize a virtual training. Please inform us of the needs for training, the type of audience, the number of participants,

and suggest meeting dates. 76TH IEC GENERAL MEETING The IEC General Meeting took place in Oslo, Norway, 1-5 October 2012. Beside several bilateral meetings with the Coordinator for Africa, the Affiliate Executive Secretary and other IEC collaborators, the Affiliate Leader led the Affiliate delegation at the Council Statutory session and attended Management Meetings (SMB, CAB) where he delivered a message on behalf of IEC Affiliate countries (see Annex A). The peak of the week was the Affiliate Forum followed by the Workshop for developing and newly industrialized countries as he was able to meet with the Affiliate delegates and some IEC Members. AFFILIATE FORUM 22 delegates represented 12 countries (Bhutan, Cameroon, Côte D’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Lebanon, Namibia, Papua New Guinea, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania and Yemen). They were joined by 8 delegates from 5 IEC Member countries (Albania, Kenya, Republic of Korea, Malaysia and South Africa). The Forum was chaired by the Affiliate Leader, Phuntsho Wangdi, with the participation of Evah Oduor, the Affiliate Coordinator for Africa as well as the representatives from AFSEC and the Manager of IEC Regional Centre in Sao Paulo. During the Forum, the two conveners of TC 82/JWG 1, Leon Drotsché and Sivaganthan Jayasingam, gave an overview of the IEC TS 62257 Series, which deals with recommendations for small renewable energy and hybrid systems for rural electrification, explaining its structure and providing attendees with a complete list and status of all publications pertaining to the series. This was the follow up of the survey conducted as Dialogue 12 in February to all Affiliate countries, including their NEC (National Electrotechnical Committee). The discussion that followed was very interactive with questions from Tanzania, Sudan or Lebanon, just to name a few, on the nature of the documents and how to access them. The two IEC experts made a few proposals on behalf of JWG 1, i.e. to recruit experts from Affiliate countries and to promote the active use of IEC TS 62257 to end-users

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by adopting it into national standards programmes. A majority of countries said they were interested in participating in TC 82/JWG 1 work and some even named some experts. The group then broke into two regional sessions on Africa and Asia. The African session was chaired by Evah Oduor with the participation of AFSEC and Leon Drotsché from South Africa. The participants had presentations on the activities held during the year and were able to debate on questions such as how to comment on technical documents. It was also the occasion to get information about AFSEC and its five technical mirror committees of the IEC. AFSEC is now considering adding TC 82 to its list. Phuntsho Wangdi chaired the regional session on Asia-Pacific with the participation of delegates from Bhutan, Lebanon and Papua New Guinea. Sivaganthan Jayasingam from Malaysia also attended the meeting. Lebanon explained the local difficulty to use international standards as national adoptions, whereas in the private sector IEC International Standards are used on a daily basis. Bhutan explained that the national standards bureau is at infant stage and just starting to be operational. Papua New Guinea is the only Asia Pacific Island to be actively using the Affiliate Country Programme. The delegate announced the establishment of a NEC which should be officially communicated to the Affiliate Secretariat in a near future. Bhutan and Papua New Guinea exchanged on how to get their stakeholders involved in a NEC, as Bhutan is planning to take that step possibly next year. Raising the level of awareness on IEC activities seems to be a real challenge in the region. The TC 82/JWG 1 convenor shared his experience from Malaysia and offered to participate in the forthcoming mentoring programme that should be launched in 2013. The Affiliate Executive Secretary touched base with Lebanon to improve their participation and communication with the IEC.

See presentations: http://www.iec.ch/affiliates/forumworkshops/forum_presentations.htm

WORKSHOP FOR INDUSTRIALIZING COUNTRIES The Workshop is now fully part of the General Meeting and a real plus for Affiliate delegates: it is the occasion to get informed on IEC work and operation, often through a thematic approach. It is also the chance to meet other delegates from IEC Member countries and exchange on the challenges and benefits to use IEC International Standards. The workshop was slightly different as it consisted of a short course on adoption of IEC International Standards and their reference in technical regulations. After the common course on adoption held with ISO in Singapore (2011) and

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Ougadougou (2012), IEC decided to develop a short version focusing on its own standards. The module was presented to the IEC community for the first time during the workshop. Graham Holloway, the consultant who developed the ISO/IEC course, came to Oslo to animate the Workshop. Adoption of international standards being a key issue for developing countries to comply with WTO TBT Agreement, the course presented into detail how IEC International Standards can be used in regulation and gave a modal of a WTO-compliant regulatory system. Some explanation was given on ISO/IEC Guide 21 rules and procedures for adopting international standards and addressed interactions with regulators. The course is available in French and in English and can be downloaded on the Affiliate section of our website.

For more information about the 76th IEC General Meeting, you may visit its website. See the Workshop for Industrializing Countries presentations on the website.

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FOLLOW UP FROM OSLO DIALOGUE 16 – QUESTIONNAIRE ON CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT NEEDS IN AFFILIATE COUNTRIES Last November, all main Affiliate contacts, as well as NEC Presidents and Secretaries received the Dialogue 16 document concerning a survey on CA (Conformity Assessment) needs in developing countries. During the 76th IEC General Meeting in Oslo, at the CAB (Conformity Assessment Board) meeting, the Affiliate Leader expressed the urgent need of action from CAB to the Affiliate countries by providing support according to their needs. Through the list of decisions taken at CAB, the following decision concerns the Affiliate Country Programme: “The CAB thanks the Affiliate Country Programme Leader, Mr Phuntsho Wangdi, for his much appreciated address, notes with great interest the importance of conformity assessment for the countries in the programme, and is pleased that practical cooperation with the Systems is already taking place. Further to Decision 31/9, the CAB encourages the Affiliate Countries to express their CA needs clearly, and is pleased to accept the proposal of the Affiliate Country Programme for the CAB and the Systems to provide support to countries in the Programme in developing their understanding and use of IEC conformity assessment services. The CAB intends to decide on the modalities at CAB Meeting 33 (2013-06). WG 11 is encouraged to make concrete proposals for discussion by 2013-02, so that CAB meeting 33 may take a decision.” The next day, the Affiliate team and CAB met to discuss on how to find ways concretely to identify CA needs in each Affiliate country in order to support and find adapted solutions to their requests. We will soon communicate the decisions made according to the survey. DIALOGUE 17 – QUESTIONNAIRE ON ASSESSING NEEDS FOR MENTORING IN AFFILIATE COUNTRIES In Dialogue 17 circulated last November, Phuntsho Wangdi, who is now in its second year of mandate, expressed that he could now identify the fields to be improved, explored and supported by the IEC community. During the SMB (Standardization Management Board) meeting in Oslo, he reiterated the urgent need for a mentoring approach from IEC Member countries. During the 76th IEC General Meeting, the Affiliate team and IEC Regional Officers from Singapore and Sao Paulo worked closely to set up a framework for a mentoring scheme. Your replies to the questionnaire attached to Dialogue 17 will help us understand the situation and specific needs of each country. Once the compilation is finalized, the Affiliate Secretariat will analyse the results and draw conclusions in order to activate a mentoring scheme for Affiliates with the support of IEC Regional Centres, IEC-APRC and IEC-LARC. IEC WEBSITE – www.iec.ch Affiliate country list It is now easier, faster and more user friendly to access to the full list of IEC Affiliate countries. Instead of going through several clicks and menus, we have now a direct link to the list: simply type www.iec.ch (the domain name of the IEC) in the address bar, followed by a slash (/), then type affiliates (Affiliate Country Programme section), followed by another slash (/), and finally type list. When you hit [Enter], the system will automatically lead you to the list.

List of IEC Affiliate countries: http://www.iec.ch/affiliates/list

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Project on new section on Conformity Assessment As the Affiliate Secretariat and CAB (Conformity Assessment Board) will work closely to establish a framework to support the Affiliate countries’ CA (Conformity Assessment) needs (mentioned above), as soon as a decision is made, the Affiliate Secretariat will develop a new platform on CA in the Affiliate section of our website. On this platform, you will be able to find some useful documents, information, training materials concerning the CA for Affiliates. NEC on dashboard Each Affiliate country has a dashboard on our website, and each dashboard gives general information on the country and our main contact, the selected TC (Technical Committee)/SC (Subcommittee), the list of adoptions of IEC International Standards and the list of documents open for comments. We are in process of adding a new tab: the NEC (National Electrotechnical Committee), if the country has one. The NEC tab will show the following information: name of the NEC, personal data of the President of the NEC and personal data of the Secretary of the NEC. In order to have the latest and correct data, please send us an email to affiliates@iec.ch to inform us about your NEC members. Personal data needed could be found here.

COLLABORATION WITH AFSEC IN COTE D’IVOIRE IECEX-AFSEC international seminar in Abidjan The AFSEC (African Electrotechnical Standardization Commission) and IECEx (the International Electrotechnical Commission System for Certification to Standards relating to Equipment for Use in Explosive Atmospheres) in collaboration with AFREC (African Energy Commission of the African Union), UPDEA (Union of Producers, Transporters and Distributors of Electric Power in Africa), CODINORM (the Côte D’Ivoire national standardization body), in partnership with the electrical utilities CIE (Compagnie Ivoirienne d’Electricité) and CIPREL (Compagnie Ivoirienne de Production d’Electricité), organized an international event for the benefit of Africa. The seminar took place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 28-30 November 2012, and brought together 40 participants from 9 African countries (Cameroon, Côte D’Ivoire, DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, South Africa, Tunisia and Zimbabwe). They attended a three-day course given by two IECEx international experts: a French course provided by Thierry Houeix, France, and an English one by Peter Thurnherr, Switzerland. The seminar addressed professionals who represented different sectors: oil (6), gas (6), electricity (9), standardization (8), hospital (3), ministerial agencies (2), building and development (3), telecommunications (1), ABB (2). Thierry works for INERIS in Paris and is involved with the work of IEC TC 31, and Peter runs his own business thuba Ldt in Zurich, and is involved in IEC TC 27 and TC 31. Both shared their expertise and gave the participants a theoretical approach of the implementation of IEC 60079-14, IEC 60079-17 and IEC 60079-10-1 on area classification. This was followed by inspection of the CIE and CIPREL sites, with explanation of the findings in classroom. Both groups were very lively and IEC experts amazed with the interest shown and the questions raised. Even those who did not have the appropriate technical background were highly interested and gained awareness of the risks and the liability for their companies or governmental agencies in case of an accident. A delegate summarized well the awareness on IECEx: “In fact, it is not for my company that I must ensure safety of the equipment but for myself and my family, to make sure that when I leave for work in the morning I will come home in the evening”. Obviously, one would need more time to offer a proper training but the seminar raised the awareness on IEC International Standards and the risks that can occur if electrical equipment is not safely installed in such environments. The practical exercises through the site inspection were valued and both companies CIE and CIPREL really provided a good case study.

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It is the first time IEC organizes such an event and the experience in Abidjan is encouraging to continue, providing countries are ready to open their sites for inspection by international participants. The attendees felt that the next course could focus more on zone classification and that more time should be allowed for practical exercises. The delegates also had to fill in an evaluation form and AFSEC will share the feedback with us so that all comments can be taken into account when organizing another seminar. Please let us know if your country would be interested in organizing such a seminar in

2014. VISIT TO IEC CENTRAL OFFICE Information session on IECEE In November, on the initiative of Côte D’Ivoire, a delegation of six Affiliate countries – Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Gabon, Guinea and Togo – visited the IEC Central Office. They were received by the Affiliate Executive Secretary, Françoise Rauser, and the IECEE Executive Secretary, Pierre de Ruvo, who gave a presentation in French on IECEE, IEC System for Conformity Testing and Certification of Electrotechnical Equipment and Components. The presentation was followed by a discussion and questions particularly on how to control and insure the safety of imported goods, and on how to insure their quality. Pierre de Ruvo demonstrated how to find access online certificates, as it is one of the ways to check for quality. Côte D’Ivoire was particularly interested in using the IECEE System and inquired about IECEE membership before intending to join the IEC as Member. Following the previously announced IECEE Affiliate status (see Dialogue 13), the IEC is considering to offer new benefits for Affiliates in the three CA (Conformity Assessment) Systems – IECEE, IECEx and IECQ. Visit from Bhutan The same month, the Head of Standardization Division of BSB (Bhutan Standards Bureau), Chewang Rinzin, visited the Affiliate Secretariat. They started the meeting by a follow up of the situation of Bhutan within the Affiliate Country Programme. Chewang Rinzin informed that BSB has a committee called TC-03 (Electrical & Electronics Engineering) which is considering the adoption of about 10 IEC International Standards. During the meeting, there was a mention of a project of organizing an event on rural electrification in Bhutan, back to back the next IEC General Meeting which will be held in New Delhi. INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION FOR DEVELOPPING COUNTRIES Workshop "gaps and needs in standardization for renewable energy" IEC participated in a workshop on the Needs and Gaps on Standardization for Renewable Energy in Bonn, Germany, on 24th October 2012. The workshop was organized by IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency), in collaboration with UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) and ICTSD (International Centre on Trade and Sustainable Development). They brought together a group of international experts to discuss the priority needs and gaps concerning standardization for renewable energy technologies. The objectives were to establish a stakeholders’ network and to translate the identified needs into concrete actions. Eight keynote speakers provided presentations on the topic, and IEC dealt with helping project developers and policy-makers in standard development. During the workshop, IEC shared its experience in the participation of developing countries in the elaboration process of IEC International Standards, through the Affiliate Country Programme and the Associate Membership status. IEC recommended the creation of NECs (National Electrotechnical Committees) to involve experts from both public and private sectors to participate in the development process of international standards. One of the

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conclusions was that the development of the required capacity in developing countries to promote the best use of standards should include the awareness in countries of the existing mechanisms to support their participation (e.g. ISO-DEVCO or the IEC Affiliate Country Programme and Associate Membership). IEC also brought its contribution to the IRENA background paper on its analysis of gaps in international standardization in the field of renewable energies. The paper was distributed to all participants prior to the workshop. More on this workshop on the IRENA website

Practitioners network (SE4ALL) / UN foundation UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, is leading a global initiative on Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) to mobilize action from all sectors of society in support of three interlinked objectives to be achieved by 2030: providing universal access to modern energy services; doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. In September-October 2012, the IEC Affiliate Executive Secretary was approached by IEC TC 82 to liaise with the UN Foundation regarding the global SE4ALL initiative. This project brings together the United Nations and private stakeholders to focus on addressing global poverty, energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions across all emerging markets. The UN Foundation Energy and Climate section leads a Practitioner Network to address market barriers to achieve universal energy access and works closely with other international organizations as the World Bank, UNIDO, IRENA, IFC (International Finance Corporation), etc., and many other organizations from the private and public sectors that are part of the Practitioners Network. The IEC participates in the Network monthly Standards Working Group through its Affiliate Secretariat. IEC has updated the group on its Affiliate Country Programme benefits and is looking for ways to facilitate more access to relevant IEC International Standards for developing countries. The IEC also expressed interest in becoming an official partner of SE4ALL initiative. Information on the SE4ALL Practitioners Network: click here. The IEC is participating at the Network: click here.

Collaboration with UNIDO in establishing electrical laboratories in developing countries In December, the Affiliate Secretariat sent all Affiliate main contacts a hard copy of the brochure published by UNIDO in collaboration with the IEC.

The brochure can be downloaded on the IEC website: click here.

Collaboration with the WTO In November, we presented the usual IEC report to the WTO Technical Barriers to Trade Committee. All reports can be downloaded from the IEC website with French and Spanish translations provided by the WTO: click here. The IEC Affiliate Executive Secretary generally attends the TBT Committee and seizes the occasion to meet representatives from Affiliate Countries. Don’t miss the opportunity and take contact with the Affiliate Secretariat if your country

wished to arrange a meeting during the WTO TBT Committee sessions. FLASH NEWS

• TC 120: In October 2012, the IEC announced the creation of a new TC (Technical Committee), IEC TC 120: Electrical Energy Storage (EES) Systems, to accelerate the integration of renewable energies and to enable a more reliable and efficient supply of electrical energy. It will apply use cases and develop architectures and roadmaps to

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support industry in building affordable and reliable EES systems that can be incorporated into existing grids anywhere in the world. The TC will also address aspects such as safety and environmental compatibility. This will help countries to access practical technologies to integrate more renewable energies into their electricity grids and stimulate smart electrification.

• White Paper: Grid integration of large-capacity Renewable Energy sources and use of large-capacity Electrical Energy Storage. The White Paper’s primary goal is to provide a global view on the state of the art and future directions for grid integration of large-capacity renewable energy sources and the application of large-capacity EES for that purpose.

• Venezuela leaves the Programme: Venezuela joined the IEC Affiliate Country Programme in 2002. Since that time the conditions changed to the extent that the country no longer fits the profile of an IEC Affiliate. As a consequence in October 2012, Venezuela was taken off the list of IEC Affiliate Countries.

Françoise Rauser Phuntsho Wangdi IEC Affiliate Executive Secretary IEC Affiliate Leader

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Annex A

Message Leader CAB Mr Chairman, Honourable CAB Members, Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am happy to address the honourable CAB Members for the second time in my position as the Affiliate Leader and I am proud and privileged to be the common voice of the countries participating in the Affiliate Country Programme, here today. With Moldova quitting to join the IEC as an Associate Member in February and Bahamas joining the Affiliate Country Programme in July, we still have 82 Affiliate countries in the IEC Family. This year, I feel more comfortable to look back at our achievements since the previous CAB meeting in Melbourne and I am happy to report that our Programme continues to show a growth of strong interests from developing countries in the IEC programmes. During my first year of leadership, I have realized the importance of instituting a national electrotechnical committee (NEC) for a developing country as it is the key to accrue maximum benefit from the Affiliate Country Programme. During the period that my report covers, seven countries have established their NEC, which has exceeded our expectations. I will therefore continue to encourage all Affiliates to set up their NEC, starting with my home country Bhutan. The Affiliate report to CAB gives detailed information on new developments that took shape in the Programme, especially in terms of growing Affiliate participation in IEC works and also the adoption of international electro-technical standards including of course the way forward for the year 2013. During the previous IEC General Meeting in Melbourne, I placed a very special request to the honorable CAB Members to come up with real-time solutions to involve developing countries more actively in the Conformity Assessment activities. In more specific terms, I requested that they provide us with necessary advice, support and assistance for capacity building in the areas of CA activities. Today, I welcome several initiatives from the various pillars of the Conformity Assessment Systems – namely IECEE and IECEx – who offer their expertise in their respective fields to IEC Affiliates. On behalf of all Affiliate Countries, I thank them for reassuring their support and hope they will not only continue to extend the cooperation but accelerate provision of assistance beyond what has already been put in place. There is an urgent need for the provision of timely and fairly detailed information on matters of professional guidance that IEC CAB can offer to developing countries particularly in terms of training and accessing free Test Reports, Test Certificates and other pertinent documents on Conformity Assessment. We need undertake a real tutorial approach from IEC experts on pertinent aspects of Conformity Assessment, especially in areas where safety, health and environment concerns are to be addressed. On Sunday I had an opportunity to meet Mr. Pierre de Ruvo, the Executive Secretary of the IECEE and found out that IECEE has assistance lined up for Affiliate Program – for instance accessing their necessary documents, test reports, technical decision sheets and so forth. Similarly, I am planned for meeting Mr. Chris Agius, the Executive Secretary of the IECEx & IECQ, on Thursday this week on similar lines in soliciting cooperation and assistance. I want to put on record that Affiliates now require a definite timeline for the assistance to materialize including an IEC Policy Framework on this.

Affiliate Newsletter No. 28, January 2013

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Personally, I will use my mandates to have many more developing countries to use IEC Conformity Assessment Systems and to gradually recognize the importance of IEC’s CA certificates and Test Reports. For this, I will keep counting on your strong support and advice to help me progress towards this goal. I thank you for your attention and hope to have the opportunity to meet some of you during the week. Phuntsho Wangdi IEC Affiliate Leader 2 October 2012

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PHUNTSHO WANGDI (Mr)IEC Affiliate Country Programme Leader

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