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* Atleast Project Title is Required.
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Project No. |
CTI 36 2011A
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Project Title |
APEC Product Safety Incidents Information Sharing Systems
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Project Status |
Completed Project
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Publication (if any) |
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Fund Account |
APEC Support Fund
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Sub-fund |
ASF: Human Security
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Project Year |
2011
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Project Session |
Session 3
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APEC Funding |
197,000
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Co-funding Amount |
67,500
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Total Project Value |
264,500
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Sponsoring Forum |
Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC)
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Topics |
Standards
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Committee |
Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI)
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Other Fora Involved |
Not Applicable / Other
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Other Non-APEC Stakeholders Involved |
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Proposing Economy(ies) |
Malaysia
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Co-Sponsoring Economies |
Korea; Russia; Singapore
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Expected Start Date |
21/12/2011
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Expected Completion Date |
31/12/2012
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Project Proponent Name 1 |
Puan Fadilah Baharin
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Job Title 1 |
Director General
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Organization 1 |
Department of Standards Malaysia
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Postal Address 1 |
Century Square , Level 1 & 2, Block 2300, Jalan Usahawan, 63000 Cyberjaya, Selangor Malaysia
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Telephone 1 |
03-83188989
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Fax 1 |
03-83182244
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Email 1 |
fadilah@standardsmalaysia.gov.my
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Project Proponent Name 2 |
Datuk Marimuthu Nadason
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Job Title 2 |
President
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Organization 2 |
Malaysian Association of Standards Users
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Postal Address 2 |
No 24 Jalan SS1/ 22A, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
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Telephone 2 |
03-78774741
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Fax 2 |
03-78771076
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Email 2 |
ratna@standardsusers.org
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Declaration |
Not Applicable
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Project Summary |
The APEC “Product Safety Information Sharing System is aimed at building capacity among developing APEC economies on safety incidents information management, develop a product safety incident information sharing web portal and a guideline document on product safety incidents information sharing. This entails the development of a preliminary portal to be used at the first of two workshops (both in Kuala Lumpur) of this project. At the first workshop in March'12 participants will be exposed to best practices in product safety incident information mechanisms and review the preliminary web portal for its effectiveness. Prior to the 2nd workshop improvements will be administered to the portal and participants will trial run the system for approximately 3 months. The second workshop in July'12 will gather input from participants on the trial run and for portal improvements and maintenance requirements. A draft guidance document will be prepared for comments at the second workshop.
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Relevance |
With the onset of globalization and the increasing movement of goods from one country to another within various regions through complex supply chains, it is difficult to assess how products are used and what risks they pose to consumers in different environments, cultures, weather/climate, languages and regulatory settings. Often safety incidents go unreported until they affect the health and safety of a large population of consumers or vulnerable groups.
Many APEC economies have been affected by safety scandals and issues leading to a loss of trade opportunities; toys, meat, seafood, milk etc. The credibility of the producers and the country of origin is tarnished and consequently, stricter measures of controls are imposed by importing economies to protect its consumers, thus adding to the cost of products and affecting the movement of goods across borders. There is therefore a pressing need for a viable information sharing system like RAPEX for example which has been established in the EU and has helped in strengthening consumer protection in the region. RAPEX is an EU rapid alert system for all dangerous consumer products excluding food, pharmaceutical and medical devices. APEC economies were involved in approximately 9% of the notifications in RAPEX in 2006 and this is set to increase with growing globalization and trade. Furthermore, during the APEC Toy Safety Initiative 2010 coordinated by the US, information sharing and the harmonization of standards were among the key points highlighted. Similar outcomes were noticed at the end of a product safety workshop organized by Australia and Malaysia in 2009. Information sharing on product safety incidents can address safety concerns with products at a very early stage and prevent large scale product recall and safety scandals. It supports the efficient movement of goods both within the APEC economies as well between other regions.
A safety incidents database would also promote the harmonization of standards and technical regulations and thus contribute to the facilitation of trade liberalisation. Situations where a product is recalled due to safety issues in one member economy and is still being used or sold to in other member economies, can be minimised. An Information Sharing System would further avoid developing member economies from becoming dumping grounds for substandard products due to a lack of information.
Malaysia has been working towards this with many APEC economies namely Japan, Korea, Australia and the United States. The Asian Network for Consumer Participation in Standardization was first initiated by Japan and Malaysia in 2006 and 5 successful capacity building workshops for representatives of developing countries in Asia have been organized to date, focusing on enhancing the balance of stakeholder participation in national standards development. The last workshop held in March of 2011 concluded that information sharing is the key in sustaining capacity building efforts. The proposed project will also draw or leverage on the work of the OECD Working Party on Product Safety which has the objective among others, to promote the exchange of information on problem products and injuries from products within and between economies.
The project contributes to Standards and Conformance under the Osaka Action Agenda in the area of cooperation in technical infrastructure development and transparency not to mention good regulatory practices. The project supports the SCSC action plan by enhancing the information exchange and knowledge on matters related to standards and conformance and increasing the transparency and access to information across the APEC region.
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Objectives |
· To build capacity among developing APEC economies in order to sustain an the information sharing system in their respective economies
· To develop a product safety incident information sharing system in the form of a web portal among APEC economies – at least between among 5 developing APEC economies by end of the project period
· To develop a guideline document on product safety incidents information sharing based on a sound assessment approach.
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Alignment |
The proposed project will contribute to promoting regional economic integration via free and open trade and investment. Currently, some APEC economies have adopted several measures to increase scrutiny on imported goods and impose higher penalties for products that fail safety standards. This has been one of the effects of the massive recalls of toys in 2007. However if safety incident information was initially shared among these economies and such information was analysed over time, it would have prevented the proliferation of strict technical regulations which sometimes restrict free trade. Product safety incidents information sharing will create an impetus to harmonize standards, foster conformity of assessments and technical regulations allowing free movement of goods between and within economies. This form of information sharing will also help in capacity building and better understanding of consumer protection and consequently enhance consumer protection laws. By doing so consumer confidence is strengthened and businesses gain confidence in marketing their product in other regions. This project strongly supports the November 2010 Yokohama APEC Economic Leaders' Statement on the 2010 Bogor Goals Assessment i.e. A community that promotes stronger and deeper regional economic integration and with higher quality growth with economic and technical cooperation for progress in all paths.
At their 2010 meeting in Yokohama, APEC Leaders called for regulatory cooperation to be “broadened and deepened” specifically noting that “trade costs should be minimized and bureaucratic inefficiencies removed.” Promoting regulatory cooperation and convergence through APEC also works towards the objectives outlined in the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade. The project will develop a shared understanding of product safety issues, increase transparency and promote better alignment of technical requirements and safety standards. This project also support capacity-building activities, including exchanging views and experiences on best practices for implementing good regulatory practices, to assist economies in implementing specific actions to advance regulatory convergence and cooperation.
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TILF/ASF Justification |
Some developing APEC economies have just begun implementing consumer protection laws – Vietnam and Papua New Guinea for example. Still many have laws but which are not implemented effectively or are weak due to various reasons among them being lack of technical capacity and access to up to date information. Regulating unsafe products without imposing barriers to trade requires these economies to assess risks associated with products or services sold, produced or used within their economies. One way to do that effectively is by gathering and sharing injury, product safety incident data and product recalls information. Analysis of this data provides insight on the level of risks associated with a product and help identify the relevant International safety standards and consequently develop or impose corresponding regulations (if needed). If incidents data and reports are shared among APEC economies, a more harmonised approach towards compliance with standards and laws can be utilised which promotes freer movement of safe goods and enhancing consumer protection across economies. The sharing of information also promotes the application of best practices in regulatory implementation and management, leveraging on accreditation schemes and initiatives, mutual recognition of test results etc.
The project's main target beneficiaries are regulators, industry representatives and consumer organizations in developing APEC economies to enhance the gathering of safety incidents data including recalls. Ten developing APEC economies will be provided with funding and support to attend capacity building workshops and for developing of a portal for the sharing of safety incidents, recalls and other related information. The product safety regulators of each developing APEC economy will be identified through the APEC contact points in each economy. Representatives at a decision making level will be the preferred choice to attend the sessions related to the project. Two representatives from each developing economy will be sponsored. Number of participants targeted is not more than 20 for the first workshop and 20 for the follow up workshop. These exclude speakers and administrators. Other APEC Working Groups which may find this project of relevance are the Market Access Group, Automotive Dialogue and APEC Chemical Dialogue.
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Beneficiaries and Outputs |
a) Consumer protection regulators/ authorities in developing APEC economies can look forward to enhancing their knowledge on the best available techniques and tools in gathering and sharing information on product safety incidents and recalls as well as the tools or provisions which will facilitate such actions. They will then be able to implement the tools or techniques within the context of local conditions and regulatory settings. Standards bodies and regulators will be able to harmonize and develop new standards or make existing standards mandatory based on more credible information and to also ensure conformity assessment requirements are readily available or accessible. Ultimately this will improve the transparency of regulatory practices among economies.
b) Business and Industry and members of the product supply chain will be able to enhance their understanding on best practices in product safety regulations and compliance and availability of tools to facilitate compliance with product safety standards. Improving safety standards enables businesses in developing economies to access international market for their products.
c) Consumers and consumer organizations will benefit from improved product safety standards which is one of the outcomes of the implementation of product safety information sharing system. The system will be able to indicate products which pose danger to both local and consumers in importing economies. The supply chain will be able to address the safety concerns at an early stage instead of recalling products which has huge cost impact to all stakeholders.
d) All other organisations under APEC member economies that are working on improving the information sharing system will be able to work to converge information sharing and leverage on each others' work in this area
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Dissemination |
Participants will also be provided with a CD that contains the outcome of this project and a guide to using the portal. Reports of this project, access to the portal (at different levels) will be shared among all APEC member economies and those outside to promote convergence. The guideline document will also be available online – in the portal.
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Businesses and regulators will be targeted to disseminate the results of the project through their associations (local and international) and contact points (APEC) respectively. The PO recommends that the project report is made available to target audience through the APEC website.
The outcome of the project will be advanced through the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), ASEAN ACCSQ, ANCO and various international product safety networks such as the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO), and APEC Database. The portal will also be shared with the Pacific Area Standards Congress (PASC) and OECD members.
Any intention to sell outputs arising from this project.
Not Applicable (NA).
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Gender |
The project will ensure a gender balance as much as possible in the selection of participants and resource persons. The project output, especially the sharing of product recall information will be of interest to women due to the role they play in the household in ensuring a high level of protection for their families from unsafe products in the market.
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Work Plan |
Two representatives from each developing APEC economies will be identified for the two (2) workshops and facilitate application / use of the safety incidents information sharing system in their respective economies / jurisdictions.
The first workshop session in March 2012 will include speakers with expertise on product safety injury and safety incidents gathering system to share with participants the best practices in their respective jurisdiction and in relation to regional context.
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Duration
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Activities
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Involvement of member economies, beneficiaries and others
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Related outputs for that particular step
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Jan 2012 – March 2012
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Develop workshop program and determine speakers and resource persons.
Develop terms of reference for experts, speaker and participants
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Project Overseers and technical experts
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Agenda and draft format safety incidents information sharing system; Draft terms and conditions for participating APEC economies (developing economies)
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Determine framework and format for information sharing and product recall portal and level of sharing (level of restriction)
Develop initial web portal for simulation exercise with participants during the workshop.
Web expert to develop portal according technical consultant's advice and participants' feedback. During the trial run of the portal the web expert will provide technical support to users throughout the project period. (May need to visit participating member economy to provide installation support (IF NEEDED).
Technical expertise – consultants will assist in developing the framework and assess functionality of the portal. Assist in online risk assessment tools, analysis and reporting. Consultant will provide guidance on data gathering (how to address representative sampling, sources of incidents data based on the participating economies regulatory framework and capacity)
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Project Overseers and technical experts.
Web expert to develop portal according technical consultant's advice.
Web expert will modify portal based on participants' feedback.
Web expert will also provide support for portal improvements prior to full run of the portal.
Consultants will assist in developing the framework and assess effectiveness of the portal.
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Draft portal framework, level of information sharing, elements to be shared .
Preliminary web-portal for simulation and to gather information on areas for improvements.
Input for guideline development
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Identification of members of developing APEC economies for a preliminary workshop in Kuala Lumpur.
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Project Overseers through APEC secretariat (other sources such as ASEAN CCP)
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List of participants for the capacity for workshop; accommodation and venue determined.
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1st. Workshop tentatively 26th - 29th March 2012
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Preparation of invitation letters, visa application, accommodation, and flight arrangements.
Participants to draft country report on current product safety incidents information and market surveillance approaches
Four days workshop – which includes testing out the preliminary web portal and to identify areas for improvement prior to full run/application. (See Attachment 1)
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Project Overseers
Participants to draft country reports
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Participants list and
Country report submitted by confirmed participants.
Workshop materials, audio video setting, workshop report and feedback on portal access / use-ability and effectiveness in full-filling the objectives of the project. Follow up actions and assignments
Preliminary project report to APEC – Feb 2012
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March 2012 – August 2012
July 2012
third week (2nd.Workshop tentatively 23rd – 25th July)
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Revise and enhance the portal based on workshop feedback and discussions.
Participants trial run the product safety information sharing system in their country / organization. Trial run for approximately 3 mths.
Project overseer will contact participants and visit the member economy (if required) for technical support on safety incident data collection and reporting.
Parent portal will be maintained by project overseer through the support of web expert support: data backup, protection against privacy infringement, data corruption and other technical support.
Web expert will support 'running' and monitoring of the portal during the project period to ensure the portal meets its objectives. Web expert will train project overseer representatives on maintenance and upgrading. To ensure project overseer is able to maintain and update the portal.
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Project Overseers and technical experts
Participating economies.
Web expert continues to support in terms of installation issues, data input issues, coding etc.
Project Overseer and web expert.
Project Overseer and web expert.
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Preliminary run of the portal and simulation: product recall information and follow up with safety incidents.
Trial run report / feedback
Fully operational portals for trial runs at both participating economies and support mechanism by the project overseer.
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Preparation for Follow up workshop
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Project Overseers and technical experts
Participants to prepare the trial run report
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Agenda and country report on trial run of the portal.
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Drafting of guideline document on operations of portal and submission of safety incident data and collection of recalls information
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Project Overseers and technical experts
Participants
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Draft guideline
Report to APEC (August 2012)
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Three days follow up workshop where participants will report back on the implementation of the system and feedback on draft guideline.
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Project Overseers and technical experts
Participants to report back
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Draft guideline
Participant reports and Report to APEC (August 2012)
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August 2012 – December 2012
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Finalize guideline based on output of second workshop.
Final project report
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Project Overseers and technical experts
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Full run of the portal by at least 5 economies (developing economies) at the end of the project period. Online version of the guideline made available
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Dissemination of project outcome amongst APEC economies through APEC website and other forum: ASEAN ACCSQ, OECD, ISO, ICPHSO.
The portal will be maintained by the project overseer. The funds for the maintenance in the meantime will be raised to sustain portal after completion of this project.
Portal accessible by APEC member economies :
· Password protected for safety information reported by supplier and
· unrestricted access for recall information and to reports such as comparative testing and notifications from other economies from inside and outside APEC.
APEC to have a link or RSS feed on the APEC website for the portal.
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Project Overseers
The Project Overseer engages other economies to apply the portal through alerts, e-news updates, RSS feed and other APEC forums.
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E-news alerts and updates to APEC secretariat and alerts to members. RSS Feed.
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Final report to APEC
Twice yearly report on the safety incidents and other relevant information to APEC, SCSC secretariat, ASEAN CCP, other APEC identified in the proposal, ICPHSO, ANCO, ISO COPOLCO, EU (RAPEX), PASC etc – online report.
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Malaysia and co-sponsors (Korea, Russia and Singapore)
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Final report
Twice yearly on-line reports – Jan and July
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Risks |
Risk: Representatives response rate towards tasks assigned prior to and after the workshops and capacity building sessions:
Mitigation: The above will be mitigated through the mapping of the different regulatory settings (some of which are already available among some ASEAN members who are also members of the APEC) to determine the most appropriate format for the information sharing system.
Risk: Differences in regulatory setting among APEC economies to determine the most appropriate format for the information sharing system.
Mitigation: The above will be mitigated through the mapping of the different regulatory setting (some of which is already available – among some ASEAN members who are also members of the APEC).
Risk: Duplication of efforts by some APEC economies and those outside for example in the OECD
Mitigation: The project aims to develop capacity among developing APEC economies to share information on safety incidents and eventually recalls which can be shared with current efforts and initiatives undertaken by APEC members and those outside APEC such as the OECD recall pools and RAPEX (of the EU) and recalls information of the Organization of American States and ASEAN CCP. The participating APEC economies will then be able to share recalls information and safety incidents data with other initiatives. Currently an information sharing system among developing APEC economies does not exist OR is in the preliminary stages. These efforts will benefit from the APEC project to improve their current system and leverage on APEC's efforts. Speakers and resource persons are also sourced from for example OECD Working Party on Product Safety to address duplication concerns and ensure proposed project complements and not duplicate OECD Recalls Pools initiatives.
Risk: Lack active participation of developing economy representatives
Mitigation: The project overseer (PO) will communicate with APEC developing economy contact points and in parallel develop terms of reference for the participation in the project and its activities. The APEC contact point will guide PO to the relevant product safety regulators and industry organizations (such as chambers of commerce and industry). The PO will also provide guideline to potential participants on effective participation and their commitment. A country report on the current product safety information sharing will also be required from participants.
Risk: Lack of implementers of the product safety information sharing system
Mitigation: the PO will provide continuous support to participating economies on technical issues. A network with resource persons (speakers and technical experts) will allow for effective consultation to participating economies during the course of implementing the safety information system. The technical experts are also assigned based on terms and reference of their functions to ensure the project meet its objectives.
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Monitoring and Evaluation |
Monitoring and evaluation elements comprises the following:
Objective 1: To build capacity among developing APEC economies in order to sustain the information sharing system in their respective economies
Monitoring and evaluation:
· Obtaining commitment from contact points in the developing economies to partake in the safety incidents information sharing project and share the relevant information on the portal
· Country reports provided prior to workshops will help assess current situation in the country and address any gaps in the draft information sharing framework and design. A pre and post workshop questionnaire will help assess the effectiveness of the workshop and identify areas for improvements.
Objective 2: To develop a product safety incident information sharing system in the form of a web portal among APEC economies
Monitoring and evaluation:
· Periodic assessment of the portal throughout its development to help ensure it is operable during the use of the member economy. PO will monitor inputs to the information sharing system of participating economies and seek periodic updates. The portal / web technical experts will provide technical support on short notice. Web expert monitors the portal during development and trial run period, thereafter taken over by PO employee. Web expert and PO employee ensure that incidents are logged correctly and that system is able to capture, store and analyse data for the preparation of periodic reports to APEC and member economies.
Objective 3: To develop a guideline document on product safety incidents information sharing based on sound assessment approach.
Monitoring and evaluation:
· Draft shared within developed and developing APEC economies to ensure it fulfils the aim of providing appropriate guidance on safety incidents information sharing. Draft will be tested on its use-ability among economies who are implementing the system for the first time - to ensure it provides useful guidance to develop and implement the safety information sharing system.
Inception report submitted to APEC in February 2012 and interim report in August 2012.
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Linkages |
The APEC EEMRA will be engaged to also guide the development and implementation of the safety incidents information sharing system. Other Working Groups within APEC will be the Market Access Group, Automotive Dialogue and APEC Chemical Dialogue and APEC's Business Advisory Council (ABAC).
A. The proposed project will also draw or leverage on the work of the OECD Working Party on Product Safety, RAPEX of the EU and other fora such as ASEAN CCP and Organization of American States which have the objectives among others to exchange of information on problem products (such as recalls) and injuries from products within and between economies. (note: ASEAN Committee on Consumer Protection (ACCP), was established in August 2007. The objective of this committee includes: the development of a (i) notification and information exchange mechanism by 2010; (ii) cross border consumer redress mechanism by 2015; and (iii) strategic roadmap for capacity building by 2010.). Four of the developing economies within APEC are also member of ASEAN.
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This proposal is based on the outcome of several workshops that were held by Japan and Malaysia. The workshops are titled Asian Network for Consumer Participation in Standardization (ANCO) and have been held since 2007. One of the main issues that are always highlighted by the participants from the Asian region is the lack of information sharing especially on product safety. Another workshop organised by Malaysia and Australia in 2009 (Ensuring Product Safety for Consumers – APEC Capacity-Building Workshop) also highlighted the lack of safety incident information sharing as one of the key challenges in improving product safety and facilitate efficient movement of goods across borders.
As mentioned there is currently a lack of a comprehensive information sharing mechanism on product safety among APEC member economies, especially developing economies. While the work of initiatives such as the OECD Working Party are highly commendable, they have not included sufficient capacity building initiatives or options for those economies that have neither regulatory systems nor a viable local safety incidents information sharing network in place. Economies within this context would not be able to benefit and contribute to such a system, as focus would primarily be on published reports of product safety incidents, which may be locally non-existent due to the aforementioned lack of regulatory methodologies and laws. This project thus aims to address these issues, allowing for a comprehensive involvement of all APEC economies in the information sharing system, regardless of their current context, facilitating an overall enhancement of product safety information sharing across the APEC region. Experts from APEC economies who have been working on the forums mentioned above including those involved in the development of the OECD Recall Pools, will be engaged to develop or advise on the development of the information sharing system to avoid duplication and promote convergence.
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Under APEC's Principle of Trade Facilitation harmonization, standardization and recognition, this project will address harmonization of rules and procedures affecting the acceptance of goods and services between economies and markets. The project also encourages continuing cooperation on technical infrastructure development as envisaged in the principle eventually enabling APEC economies especially developing ones to obtain access to international markets.
The project also supports the principle of consistency and predictability so that trade related procedures such as regulations and compliance to safety standards are applied in a non-discretionary manner.
While APEC member economies are also members of other product safety incidents information sharing systems, they are either very advanced (such as those of the US CPSC) or at the infancy stage (such as those being considered by the ASEAN CCP). Developing APEC member economies will be able to cost effectively improve or develop their local safety incidents information sharing systems to enhance their competitive edge and promote freer movement of goods and services amongst both APEC economies and non APEC economies. Consequently this data will be integrated into the proposed cross national and regional information sharing system to allow developing APEC economies to improve product safety features and understand better global or globally accepted requirements related to safety of consumer products. As mentioned above in Section A, the outputs of the APEC Toy Safety Initiative 2010 and the Network for Consumer Participation in Standardization workshops indicate a clear need for the proposed information system.
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Sustainability |
The portal will be maintained by the project overseer through Department of Standards Malaysia (SCSC member). The funds for the maintenance in the meantime will be raised by the project overseer to sustain the portal upon completion of this project. The portal will be accessed by APEC member economies; via password for safety information reported by supplier and unrestricted access for recall information and reports such as comparative testing and notifications from economies within and outside APEC.
Project Overseer will maintain, update and improve the portal and report latest developments to APEC secretariat and the APEC SCSC on a periodic basis via e-mail, e-newsletter etc. The Project Overseer will engage with other economies (beyond the 5 economies for this project) to apply the portal for safety incident information sharing through alerts, e-news updates, RSS feeds and at other APEC forums. Bi-annual online report on the safety incidents and other relevant information will be generated by Project Overseer for APEC, the SCSC secretariat, ASEAN CCP, other APEC groups such as the SME Disaster Management Centre, ICPHSO, ANCO, ISO COPOLCO, EU (RAPEX), PASC etc.
There are periodic forums which will assist in providing continuity to the project namely through the Asian Network for Consumer Participation in Standardisation (ANCO), ASEAN CCP, ICHPSO and OECD Working Party of Product Safety.
The lessons learnt will be shared with International Standards Organizations such as ISO. There are already efforts underway amongst APEC economies to share safety incidents information and this project will assist in facilitating the effort and ensure that other efforts are taken into consideration to avoid duplication and promote leveraging on these efforts.
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The project proponent and co-sponsors will also build on the outcomes by a possible second phase of a full scale application of this system among all APEC economies. The above will support the effort for phase 2 of the project which will see the expansion and a full scale application of the information sharing portal among APEC economies and sharing with those outside the APEC economies such as the EU.
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Project Overseers |
Marimuthu Nadason (Datuk)
Head, Malaysian Association of Standards Users
Tel: +60378774741
Fax: +60378760636
e-mail: marimuthu@eraconsumer.org
The co-founder of the ANCO. He has worked on promoting product safety in Malaysia and Southeast Asia for more than a decade. His organization has facilitated the implementation of Toy safety regulations in Malaysia.
Fadilah Baharin
Director General
Department of Standards Malaysia
Century Square , Level 1 & 2, Block 2300, Jalan Usahawan, 63000 Cyberjaya, Selangor Malaysia
Tel: 03-83188989 Fax: 03-83182244
Email: fadilah@standardsmalaysia.gov.my
Has been material in improving safety standards of consumers products in Malaysia through smart-partnership with relevant stakeholders such industry organizations, research institutions and consumer organizations. Key role in drafting the toy safety standards in line with International Standard. Ensures that standards do not pose unnecessary trade barriers by improving alignment and harmonization. Key role in trade facilitation through regional and international MRAs such as APLAC and ILAC.
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Cost Efficiency |
The cost efficiency of the project is enhanced by ensuring an alternate representative is able to continue the project implementation at local level even if the other is transferred or leaves the organization. This improves sustainability or continuity of the project at local level. Co-sponsors will contribute resource persons in relevant areas through self-funding. The two (2) workshops will be held on March 2012 and July 2012 in Malaysia where competitive rates can be obtained for event management and accommodation and other incidental services.
As much as possible workshop materials, reports and the guidelines will be made available on line to participating economies and forums.
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Drawdown Timetable |
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Direct Labour |
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Waivers |
The Project Overseer while respecting the ineligibility of government officials in receiving a speaker's honorarium,seek a waiver for the payment of these honorariums. This is because expertise on the best practices for information sharing exists primarily within government agencies / regulators thus possible speakers will need to be drawn from a pool of both technical experts and government officials (within their agencies) as well.
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Waiver
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Justification
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Waiver for advance payment
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Travel airfare for speakers – to encourage participation in the project
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Waiver to fund government officials from non travel-eligible member economies as experts for airfare and per diem
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Most of the time, even non travel eligible member economies government officials are subject to budgetary constraints as such, withdrawal of commitment from the project is unavoidable. Experts usually come from government agencies with extensive background on the subject matter, in this case, on food recall.
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Are there any supporting document attached? |
No
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Attachments
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