CARICOM REGIONAL ORGANISATION FOR STANDARDS AND QUALITY PRESENTATION ASTM CARICOM ROADSHOW FULGENCE ST. PRIX TECHNICAL 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 for Standards and Quality : Council - board of directors Secretariat (based in Barbados) - technical specialists, resource mobilizers, network brokers, project managers Regional Special Committees
Established by Intergovernmental Agreement arising from Article 67 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas as a Common Supporting Measure for inter alia : Trade facilitation Enhanced efficiency in the production and delivery of goods and services Improve quality of goods and services traded within the Community and with third states Consumer and Environmental protection
What Do We Do (by Mandate)? Operationally, CROSQ is the cooperative network of the 15 National Standards Bureaux (NSBs) of the Member States of CARICOM working towards : Harmonizing standards and technical regulations. Ensuring transparency and stakeholder consultation in the development and promulgation of standards and technical regulations. Promoting the mutual recognition of conformity assessment procedures across trading nations - inspections, testing, certifications.
What Do We Do (by Mandate)? Offering technical assistance to educational institutions, private or state-owned companies or agencies or other entities in the Community and familiarizing them with the application of standards and standards- related matters. provide guidance to Community Organs and Bodies regarding matters of QI development, including disputes settlement. Facilitating quality infrastructure (QI) development at the national and regional levels, to international standards.
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?
Quality Infrastructure CERTIFICATION - Personnel - Product - Systems STANDARDISATION - Technical Regulations TESTING - LQMS SIP ISO 15189 ISO/IEC 17025 ACCREDITATION INSPECTION - Documents - Visual - Performance - Market Surveillance METROLOGY - Scientific - Industrial - Legal Awareness Raising - Marketing & Communications - Information - Knowledge Mgmt. - Education 12
QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE - 3 LEVELS NQI RQI International QI STANDARDIZATION METROLOGY TMC And a member of COPANT CARIMET And a member of SIM INSPECTION TESTING CERTIFICATION ACCREDITATION AWARENESS CANCAB And a member of COPANT CCA And a member of IAAC MIKE
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
Case Example of QI at the International Level (Exports) 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 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:10 th EDF Technical Barriers to Trade Component CDC-PAHO: LQMS-SIP ISO 15189 ACP: TBT Programme (QI) Key Successes Internationalization of CROSQ ARSO / CEN / COPANT / ASTM /GSO/ISO
Future Opportunities 11 th EDF ACP TRADECOM II (TD and PSD) Health Sector interventions (NCDs reduction) Collaboration with Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre.
Institutional Development for Continued Success 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
THANK YOU!! Fulgence St. Prix Technical Officer Standards CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards & Quality 2 nd Floor Baobab Tower Warrens, St. Michael BARBADOS +1.246.622.7670