Applications called for Technical Assistance Program for Conformity Assessment Bodies

• Initiative under EU-Sri Lanka Trade Related Assistance project

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is facilitating the strengthening of Sri Lanka’s National Quality Infrastructure (NQI), a fundamental institutional framework that underpins the practice of standardisation, including conformity assessment services, metrology, and accreditation. With UNIDO’s assistance, Sri Lanka’s NQI strategy is now ready to be submitted for cabinet approval.  It is expected that this strategy will facilitate the delivery of quality assurance services to small and medium sized enterprises. 

UNIDO is facilitating the development of Sri Lanka’s NQI within the framework of the European Union (EU) – Sri Lanka Trade-related Assistance project.

As a part of this effort, UNIDO is organising a Technical Assistance Program (TAP) that seeks to strengthen the technical competence of Conformity Assessment Bodies (CAB) for the provision of conformity assessment services for testing laboratories, proficiency testing providers, certified reference material producers, personnel and product certifiers, and technical staff of NQI institutions.

Thus, a call for proposals (CFP) has been launched inviting CABs to enrol in this technical assistance program. Selected CABs are to receive technical support from UNIDO by means of training and advisory support in the areas of accreditation, standards development, testing and certification to demonstrate safety and quality compliance along the food and spices value chains (VC). Further, selected CABs are expected to commit to provide related services to SMEs along the aforementioned VCs. The application instructions and form can be found at http://www.unido.org/media/32863 and http://www.unido.org/media/32864, respectively, and are to be submitted no later than 25 April 2018 at 18:00. 

Ambassador Tung-Lai Margue, the Head of Delegation of the EU to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, lauded this initiative as a big step towards boosting Sri Lanka’s capacity to be compliant in meeting international export requirements. Amb. Margue stated, “As national quality infrastructure institutions and conformity assessment bodies play vital roles in ascertaining compliance against product or process standards required for trade, UNIDO will continue to work hand in hand with these actors to enable Sri Lankan agro-exporters to reach EU and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) markets.”