2010/SCSC/WKSP1/008 Report to Stakeholders: Outcomes from the Regulator Dialogue on Toy Safety

Transcription

1 2010/SCSC/WKSP1/008 Report to Stakeholders: Outcomes from the Regulator Dialogue on Toy Safety Submitted by: United States APEC Toy Safety Initiative Open Dialogue on Toy Safety for All Stakeholders Hong Kong, China 12 January 2010

2 Outcomes from the Regulator Dialogue on Toy Safety by Julia Doherty Page 1

3 2007 APEC Leaders Statement MANDATE We agree on the need to develop a more robust approach to strengthening food and consumer product safety standards and practices in the region, using scientific risk-based approaches and without creating unnecessary impediments to trade APEC Leaders Statement We recognize the importance of improving current standards and practices in this area, and direct officials to take steps in this regard, including by undertaking work to ensure the safety of toys in Page 2

4 Launch in 2008 Public-private partnership: U.S. Government and the Toy Industry Association Co-sponsoring Economies: Chile, China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Malaysia, and Viet Nam Project of the APEC Subcommittee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC) Page 3

5 Goals Increase transparency, encourage better alignment and reduce unnecessary impediments to trade related to toy safety standards by: Collecting information & creating inventory of current practices Explaining the requirements of the various toy safety practices to stakeholders Fostering a public-private dialogue on ways to better harmonize requirements to improve safety while avoiding unnecessary costs to consumers and producers Page 4

6 Regulator Dialogue Elements of Initiative to deepen understanding of toy safety systems in a cooperative atmosphere of information exchange Survey of Toy Safety Regulators to better inform the SCSC, government regulators, toy industry officials and other stakeholders on practices across the region Open Dialogue to support compliance with relevant national safety requirements and exchange ideas on ways to better align toy safety systems Page 5

7 Regulator Dialogue Regulators shared current toy safety requirements and practices related to conformity assessment, enforcement and market surveillance Industry representatives provided information on efforts to improve supply and production practices Standards experts reported on current technical work in ISO, ASTM and CEN and assessed similarities/divergences Officials shared information on cooperative efforts in international organizations related to toy safety Page 6

8 OUTCOMES: Transparency Participants in the Regulator Dialogue agreed: To collaborate on a reference document outlining different toy safety systems in APEC and share with stakeholders and other organizations To reach out to interested stakeholders in their economies and to engage with all stakeholders in Hong Kong to find practical ways to move forward on these critical issues Page 7

9 OUTCOMES: Better Alignment Participants in the Regulator Dialogue agreed to promote: Greater alignment of technical requirements by exploring ways to expand the common set of reference standards and redoubling efforts to harmonize on emerging hazards Greater engagement by APEC economies in cooperative activities of other international organizations, such as OECD, ICPHSO, ICPSC, etc. Page 8

10 OUTCOMES: Unnecessary Obstacles Participants in the Regulator Dialogue : Emphasized the importance of strengthening capacity on risk assessment on toy safety hazards, and encouraged further collaboration in this area Agreed to improve implementation of the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade in the area of toy safety, including conformity assessment, by strengthening and expanding dialogue on best practices with key stakeholders Page 9