Strengthening the Compliance of the OIC Member States
to International Standards
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Bangladesh is also a member of the South Asian Regional Standards Organization (SARSO), a specialized
body of SAARC, the objective of which is enhanced coordination and cooperation amongst SAARC
countries in standardization and conformity assessment and the harmonization of domestic standards
among the (eight) SAARC countries to facilitate both regional and global trade. SARSO also aims to build
capacity and provide technical assistance to SAARC countries in developing standards, metrology, and
conformity assessment procedures. SARSO also hopes to sign MoUs with ISO and the IEC by the end of
2015.
Experts from SAARC countries through Sectoral Technical Committees are involved in developing
SAARC Regional Standards for about 35 products on a priority basis, of which seven standards have
already been finalized including for refined sugar, biscuits, code of hygienic practices on dairy products,
hessian, cotton twill, and cotton drill. It is expected that, within the next five years, a good number of
standards will be harmonized by SARSO. That said, priority is given to existing international standards
while formulating new domestic standards.
In terms of conformity assessment, Bangladesh has a number of elements of the necessary
infrastructure in place. The Certification Wing of the BSTI deals with certification of conforming
products, and has been accredited by the relevant authorities in India. Bangladesh used to require pre-
shipment inspection of all imports, but that step has been abolished. Inspection is now undertaken by a
set of public and private agencies. Responsibilities for conformity assessment are spread across a
number of government agencies, the primary ones being the BSTI and the BAB. Private laboratories are
also in operation, and this aspect is of particular importance in the garment and pharmaceutical sectors.
6.2.1.3 Impact of Technical Assistance and Capacity Building
Trade related technical assistance and capacity building have also contributed to the development of the
standards infrastructure in the country in the last five years. Some of the funding agencies and programs
include the following:
a) ISO, under a project entitled Institutional Strengthening (INS) of ISO members in developing
countries;
b) UNDP, under a project titled Better Work and Standards Program (BEST) and also a regional
energy efficiency initiative—Barrier Removal to the Cost Effective Development and
Implementation of Energy Efficiency Standards and Labeling (BRESL);
c) SIDA and Swedish Standards Institution (SIS);
d) SAARC-PTB; and
e) UNIDO (Accreditation of BSTI Management Systems Certification systems).