The National Quality Institute (Inacal) Executive Director Rocio Ingred Barrios Alvarado assumed the Vice-Presidency of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC), as part of the preparation process that will allow Peru to preside over this sub-committee in 2016.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Peru accepted this responsibility at the 2015 APEC Forum Third Senior Officials' Meeting held in the Philippines.
Peru, in its capacity as host economy of this year APEC process, will hold more than 160 technical and sectoral meetings in different Peruvian cities in 2016.
Since 1994, the sub-committee has worked to harmonize regulations between APEC member countries, which results in greater efficiency in the productive field, eases trade flow, reduces costs and promotes integration among regional production networks.
During the Philippines meeting, the sub-committee addressed topics on trade facilitation, actions undertaken by its economies to align their standards and processes to international benchmarks, and technical infrastructure development in terms of standardization.
Furthermore, attendees discussed initiatives to achieve harmlessness of food and other products, as well as good practices to establish professional service standards, relevant subjects to deepen trade liberalization in APEC.
At the meeting, Peru presented two cooperation project proposals that received the support of nine APEC members.
One of the proposals is about the support to small and medium-sized enterprises SMEs through standardization in trade facilitation, and the other suggested that the Eleventh Conference on Standards and Conformance (SCSC) be held in Lima, focusing on standards for innovation. Both projects would be led by Inacal in 2016.
(END) JRM/FHG/RMB/MVB