UNIDO and Philippines commit to stronger quality infrastructure
On 23 July 2021, UNIDO jointly together with the Department of Trade and Industry of Philippines held a virtual national launching of the UNIDO Laboratory Policy Guidelines, aimed at helping countries like the Philippines address the needs related to the development and strengthening of laboratory infrastructure, a key component of any national quality infrastructure.
“For a long time now, UNIDO jointly with government agencies, industry stakeholders, and the private sector have been advocating the establishment of a National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) in the country” highlighted Dr. Rafaelita Aldaba, Undersecretary for the Competitiveness and Innovation Group, Department of Trade and Industry of Philippines.
Dr. Rafaelita Aldaba further emphasized that international trading relationships are always built on trust, often based on a structure of standards, agreements, codes, and regulations crafted to ensure that when we buy something, we get exactly what we expect. A fully functional NQI can help ensure that the country's products and services comply with international standards and the conformity assessment requirements of trading partners, which could be barriers to trade.
This message has been further stressed by UNIDO’s Managing Director of the Directorate of Digitalization, Technology and Agri-Business, Dr. Bernardo Calzadilla Sarmiento, that “Quality infrastructure is a critical element in promoting and sustaining a country’s economic development and its capacities to ensure the well-being of its people and environment. Successful and sustainable exports to the global marketplace, for instance, are increasingly dictated by demonstrable compliance with international quality requirements for goods and services.”
A laboratory policy can facilitate better communication between regulators and laboratory infrastructure actors; ensure that testing and measurement requirements in regulations are appropriate and coherent; and foster both cooperation and fair competition among public and private laboratories. Capitalizing on opportunities for simplifying accreditation and certification for commodities against different product standards can help make the process more accessible and affordable to manufacturers and producers.
The launch was part of a series of activities geared toward supporting Philippine enterprises, particularly small and medium enterprises, during the commemoration of the International MSME Day marked on 27 June.
Read the publication on proceedings of the event here.
For further information contact dta [at] unido.org
