Regulation & Standards
View ResourceGlobal Trade Helpdesk
This site provides market intelligence for MSMEs looking to trade abroad, both for importing and for exporting. It includes a host of integrated tools, tutorials, product finders by Harmonized System (HS) codes, data sources, and much more.
View Guide“Think Small First” or “Small Business Lens” Principle
What is the “Think Small First” or “Small Business Lens” principle? The “Think Small First” or “Small Business Lens” principle is a policy approach to consider small business needs, points of views and impacts when designing legislation, policies, and regulations. The “Think Small First” or “Small Business Lens” principle relies on the fact that “one size does not fit all”, meaning that policymaking needs to account for the disproportionate effects regulations have in businesses of all sizes, and thus, deliver streamlined requirements that are easy to comply with by all final users. The European Commission’s Think Small First document, Canada’s Small Business Lens, and the SME Policy Institute Association’s SME Test all provide useful resources on this principle that will be further discussed in this guide. Why does considering small businesses in policymaking matter? Small businesses account for most employment and economic activity in countries across the globe. And yet, they are often hard to reach by policy consultation processes and face higher burdens and costs in complying with policy requirements. The “Think Small First” or “Small Business Lens” principle stands as a core guideline policymakers can take to mainstream small business considerations into all stages involved in designing, implementing and evaluating regulations. Adopting small business lenses in policymaking can help reduce the regulatory complexity and compliance costs that new policies can have for small businesses. Policies that deliver simplified administrative rules and procedures for small businesses ultimately make it easier for them to comply with the law. How can the “Think Small” or “Small Business Lens” Principle support small businesses to trade? With the same importance small business considerations have for general policy making processes, thinking small first matters for designing, negotiating, and implementing trade policy. Although small businesses are the main engines of employment and economic activity, they do not participate in international trade on equal terms with larger firms. Applying the “Think Small Principle” can enable trade policies and agreements at national, bilateral, regional and multilateral levels to be inclusive of small businesses. In turn, this plays a role in developing trade requirements and provisions for enabling small business to engage in cross-border trade by facing less compliance costs and having better access to business support, finance and information needed for doing international business. The Federation of Small Business Trading Forward provides further information on how policymakers can start approaching the “Think Small First” principle to support small businesses to trade. Where can policymakers access further resources on policy frameworks, guidelines and tools? OECD’s SME Policy Index: The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) uses a small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) policy index for guiding countries to setting targets for developing policies affecting small businesses. Visit the OECD website. Where can policymakers access good practices and national examples? Australia’s Guidance Note on Best Practice Consultation: The Government of Australia developed guidelines for regulators to undertake inclusive policy consultation processes and consider practical matters when involving small businesses. Visit this website of the Government of Australia. Canada’s Small Business Lens Checklist: The Government of Canada formulated nine checklist items for regulators to include small businesses in policymaking processes and consider their needs and potential impacts in meeting regulatory requirements. Visit this website of the Government of Canada. European Commission’s Consultation with Stakeholders in Shaping Policies Affecting Small Businesses: The European Commission assessed methods and procedures on policy consultation processes to identify how small businesses can be better involved in policymaking at national and regional levels. Visit this European Commission website
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Standards for cross-border paperless trade
What are standards for cross-border paperless trade? Running a business can often involve filling in lots of forms, and printing lots of documents.
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Voluntary sustainability standards
What are voluntary sustainability standards (VSS)? Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) are a set of standards which aim to encourage...
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Standards
What are Standards? The formal definition of “standards” from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and its sister organization, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is...
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Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and Technical Barriers to Trade
What are sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures? SPS measures consist of laws, decrees, regulations, requirements, and procedures that countries adopt to protect human, animal, or plant life and health against certain risks.
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Technical Barriers to Trade
What are technical barriers to trade (TBT)? The World Trade Organization Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (or the ‘TBT Agreement’) exists to ensure that technical regulations and procedures do not cause unnecessary barriers to international trade. TBT measures include product-related technical regulations and standards, as well as procedures to assess compliance with the requirements set out in these regulations and standards, because technical regulations are mandatory. TBT measures are used by a country for safety reasons, to protect the environment, to enhance national security, or to provide information to consumers, among other reasons. What are examples of TBT measures? TBT measures can take the following forms: testing and certification requirements to ensure product quality, safety, or performance; labelling, marking and packaging requirements; production or post-production requirements; product identity requirements; product quality, safety, or performance requirements. Some examples of TBT measures include: packaging or labelling requirements, such as health warnings on tobacco products; regulations on product characteristics, such as energy performance requirements for electrical appliances; conformity assessment procedures, such as testing procedures for motor vehicle safety requirements. How do I find information about TBT requirements that may apply to my products? Exporters, or sellers, are responsible for complying with TBT measures applied in the target country and for providing all necessary documents. Trade agencies, industry associations, and chambers of commerce may offer resources such as newsletters, events, and online platforms to help businesses learn about TBT measures. Businesses and governments can collaborate to address questions and potential trade issues related to notified TBT requirements using the national forums included in the tool. For any questions on technical regulations, procedures and standards in an export market, businesses can contact the TBT enquiry point in that market. Global Trade Helpdesk: This provides an overview of product TBT requirements for importers or exporters targeting foreign markets. Market Access Map: This displays specific TBT measures applicable to products that businesses may seek to import from targeted markets. Trade Analysis Information System (TRAINS): This presents an outlook of existing TBT measures worldwide and multiple features of non-tariff measures reported by 160 countries. World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS): This offers country profiles on TBT regulatory indicators, organized by product sectors. Links to Supporting Information World Trade Organization’s (WTO) information on technical regulations and standards WTO | Understanding the WTO – Standards and safety United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) International Classification of Non-Tariff Measures (Chapter B) International Classification of Non-tariff Measures – 2019 edition (unctad.org) ePing Home – ePing SPS&TBT platform (epingalert.org) ePing Enquiry point – ePing SPS&TBT platform (epingalert.org) ePing Enquiry point – ePing SPS&TBT platform (epingalert.org) ITC UNCTAD WTO Global Trade Helpdesk ITC Market Access Map (macmap.org) UNCTAD TRAINS Online (unctad.org) World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) | Data on Export, Import, Tariff, NTM (worldbank.org)
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Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
What are sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures? SPS measures consist of laws, decrees, regulations, requirements, and procedures that countries adopt to protect human, animal, or plant life or health against certain risks. These measures generally aim to promote food safety and protect against potential risks from cross-border spread of contaminants, diseases, and pests affecting animals and plants. Examples of SPS measures include: Requirements for products to come from disease-free areas; specific treatment or processing of products; thresholds for pesticide residues; use of certain additives in food. SPS measures apply to domestic foods, local animals, and plants, as well as foreign products. For more information, see the link below to the World Trade Organization document on Understanding the WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures. What are the types of SPS measures that can apply to imports? SPS measures include six broad categories: prohibitions or restrictions of imports; limits for residues and restricted use of certain substances; labelling, marking, and packaging requirements related to food safety; hygienic requirements related to sanitary and phytosanitary conditions; treatment for elimination of plant and animal pests and disease-causing organisms in the final product or prohibition of treatment; other requirements relating to production or postproduction processes. In addition, SPS measures cover procedures to verify that products meet SPS requirements. For a more comprehensive list of SPS measures, see the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) International Classification of Non-Tariff Measures. How do I find information about the SPS measures that may apply to my products? The exporter, or seller, is responsible for complying with all SPS requirements that apply in the country of import. Local trade agencies, industry associations, and chambers of commerce may offer resources such as newsletters, events, and online platforms for businesses to learn about SPS measures. ePing: To stay informed of new and updated SPS requirements, businesses can register on ePing, an online initiative developed by the United Nations, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the International Trade Centre (ITC). Through ePing alerts, businesses can receive notifications of new SPS requirements relevant to their products and target markets, and also identify existing measures in their database. Global Trade Helpdesk: This provides an overview of product requirements for importers or exporters targeting foreign markets. Market Access Map: This displays specific SPS measures applicable to products that businesses may seek to import from targeted markets. Trade Analysis Information System (TRAINS): This presents an outlook of existing SPS measures worldwide and multiple features of non-tariff measures reported by 160 countries. World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS): This offers country profiles on SPS regulatory indicators, organized by product sectors. Links to Supporting Information The World Trade Organization Document on Understanding the WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures WTO | Understanding the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Agreement The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) International Classification of Non-Tariff Measures International Classification of Non-tariff Measures – 2019 edition ePing Home – ePing SPS&TBT platform ITC UNCTAD WTO Global Trade Helpdesk ITC Market Access Map UNCTAD TRAINS Online World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) | Data on Export, Import, Tariff, NTM
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Rules of Origin
What are rules of origin? Rules of origin (ROOs) are a set of laws, regulations, and administrative procedures that countries...
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Non-tariff Measures
What are non-tariff measures? Non-tariff measures are policy measures other than customs tariffs that can potentially affect traded goods by changing their quantities, prices, or both. They often aim to protect public health or the environment, and may imply information, compliance, and procedural costs. These measures apply to either imports or exports and are classified into 16 categories. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) provides a full list of NTMs and their definitions. What are different types of non-tariff measures? Below is a table of three broad categories of NTMs as categorized by UNcTAD. The first two apply to importers, or buyers, and the last applies to exporters, or sellers. It is important to note that some of these NTMs, such as quotas and trade-related investment measures, are prohibited under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules except for specific circumstances. For more details, please see the WTO’s General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Technical measures on imports A Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures: These include measures to restrict substances, ensure food safety, and prevent the dissemination of diseases or pests. (See SPS guide) B Technical barriers to trade: These relate to product, technical, or quality requirements. They also include measures on labelling and packaging. (See TBT guide) C Pre-shipment inspection and other customs formalities: These involve other technical measures. Non-technical measures on imports D Contingent measures: These include antidumping, countervailing, and safeguard measures. E Licensing and quotas: These also cover quantity controls and other related restrictions. F Price control measures: These affect the prices of imported goods. G Finance measures: These restrict payment of imports and terms of payment (see guide). H Competition measures: These grant privileges to one or more economic operators. I Trade-related investment measures: These impose local content or export conditions on investment. J Distribution restrictions: These regulate the internal distribution of imported products. K Restrictions on post-sales services: These restrict, for example, the provision of accessory services. L Subsidies and other forms of support: These include financial transfers to enterprises, individuals, or households. M Government procurement restrictions: These restrict bidders from selling products to a foreign government. N Intellectual property: These involve restrictions or rules related to intellectual property rights. O Rules of origin: These are criteria involving the origin of products or their inputs, which can affect whether these are subject to restrictions, duties, or other measures. (see guide) Exports P Export-related measures: include export quotas and other export prohibitions. Why are NTMs a barrier to MSME trade? Like duties and charges, NTMs entail additional costs that businesses have to bear when complying with trade-related procedures. Meeting standards and certification requirements, for example, can involve significant investment by a business to ensure a product meets safety or environmental regulations, in particular when such requirements are not properly informed. While NTMs hinder the ability of small and large firms alike to trade, the smaller ones are often more affected. A survey conducted by the International Trade Centre (ITC) has revealed that more than half of the small businesses surveyed across 23 countries reported being affected by NTM-related trade obstacles, compared to around two-fifths of large firms. Some of the reasons that make NTMs obstacles for small businesses to trade include time constraints, poor transparency, administrative burdens, and discriminatory behavior by officials. What should policymakers consider? Policymakers can play a role in partnering with business support organizations to assist small businesses in complying with NTMs imposed both at home and abroad. The ITC’s SME Competitiveness Outlook 2016, “Meeting the Standard for Trade,” proposes eight areas where policymakers can take actions to reduce burdensome procedures resulting from NTMs. These areas include access to information, firm capacity, technical infrastructure, public-private partnerships, border obstacles, and international mechanisms. Where can policymakers access more resources? International Classification of NTMs – 2019 version: The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) provides a taxonomy of NTMs typically applied by countries. Visit the UNCTAD website. ITC Program on NTMs: The ITC assists countries in increasing trade transparency by identifying non-tariff obstacles that exist in business sectors. It does so by conducting NTM business surveys, undertaking regulatory mappings, and providing policy guidance on follow-up actions in response to NTMs. Visit the ITC website. NTMs to Trade: UNCTAD has conducted a study to analyze the utilization, methods of quantification, and impacts of NTMs, showing the implications of these measures for developing countries. Visit the UNCTAD website. Where can policymakers access good practices or national examples? ITC Series on NTMs: The ITC conducts country-level surveys that identify business obstacles and bottlenecks posed by NTMs, providing insights on areas for policy actions. Visit the ITC website. Country and Region Experiences with Streamlining NTMs: The World Bank has compiled experiences that developing countries have had in reforming processes related to NTMs to advance trade facilitation objectives. Visit the World Bank website. Trade Obstacles Alert in the ECOWAS Region: The ITC has partnered with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to design a website that identifies trade barriers encountered by businesses in the region to facilitate the monitoring and removal of burdensome procedures. Visit the ECOWAS Trade Obstacles Alert. Streamlining NTMs in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia has identified areas where countries from East Asia and the Pacific can further improve progress in removing NTMs that affect intra-regional trade. Visit the ERIA website.
