AACC
- Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce [top]
The Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce is set to create an environment
in which business in Addis Ababa can develop and grow at a much
faster pace. In doing so, the Chamber aims to encourage the Addis
Ababa business community to direct its resources on the critical
issues facing our city. AACC's site provides a wealth of trade-related
information.
ARSO
- African Regional Organization for Standardization [top]
The African Regional Organization for Standardization is an independent,
non profit-making regional association of African national standards
bodies mainly concerned with developing harmonized standards on
a regional level. In addition, It is also
involved in the operation of activities in the following principal
fields:
- Quality assurance activities;
- African Regional Accreditation and Certification
Marking Schemes (ARAS);
- Metrology;
- Laboratory testing;
- Technical information and consultancy services
in standardization; and
- International liaison and participation.
ASTM
- American Society for Testing and Materials [top]
ASTM International is one of the largest voluntary standards development
organizations in the world-a trusted source
for technical standards for materials, products, systems, and services.
Known for their high technical quality and market relevancy, ASTM
International standards have an important role in the information
infrastructure that guides design, manufacturing and trade in the
global economy. .
CAC
- Codex Alimentarius Commission [top]
The CAC, Codex Alimentarius Commission, is the international (FAO
and WHO) body responsible for compiling standards, codes of practice,
guidelines and recommendations that constitute the Codex Alimentarius,
or the food code.
They relate to:
- Food standards for commodities
- Codes of hygienic or technological practice
- Pesticides evaluation
- Limits for pesticide residues
- Guidelines for contaminants
- Food additives evaluation
- Veterinary drugs evaluation
CI
- Consumers International [top]
The CI is a worldwide non-profit federation of consumer organizations,
dedicated to the protection and promotion of consumer interests.
COMESA
- Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa [top]
COMESA was established in 1994 to replace the Preferential Trade
Area for Eastern and Southern Africa (PTA), which had been in existence
since 1981. The aims and objectives of COMESA are defined in the
Treaty and its Protocols. In summary, the main objective is to facilitate
the removal of all structural and institutional weaknesses of member
States, and the promotion of peace; security and stability so as
to enable them attain sustained development individually and collectively
as a regional bloc.
The current members of COMESA are: Angola, Burundi,
Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea,
Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda,
Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
ECoSA
- The Ethiopian Computer Standards Association [top]
The Ethiopian Computer Standards Association steering committee
was activated in a resolution of the July, 1997 National Workshop
on Information Technology and Ethiopic Software. ECoSA was established
as an association 6 weeks later at the ECoSA workshop hosted by
the Quality and Standards Authority of Ethiopia.
ECoSA was established to fill a role between government and industry
in the cooperative establishment of standards for Ethiopic computing.
ECoSA is also ideally positioned in Ethiopia to coordinate standardization
efforts between internal and external parties. ECoSA's establishment
comes at a most crucial time as Ethiopic computing standardization
efforts are already underway worldwide and as the first lights of
information society are dawning upon Ethiopia.
EEPA -
Ethiopian Export Promotion Agency [top]
The EEPA is a government institution, operating under the Ministry
of Trade and Industry. This site is an Ethiopian business portal
rich with export-related info, your gateway to do business in Ethiopia.
You can get answers to your queries concerning Ethiopian exports
or imports and exchange information through the Agency.
The main services of the Agency are:
- Provide professional support (hands-on technical
assistance ) and training to exporters in line with the newly
adopted export development strategy;
- Undertake supply and market studies on exportable
products that will enhance the Country's competitiveness in overseas
markets and provide information on same;
- Collect, analyze and disseminate trade-related
information to the business community and provide inquiry service.
This includes info on foreign trade laws, regulations, directives
and technical standards of other countries, etc;
- Provide support to exporters in order for them
to participate in regional and international trade fairs and other
trade promotion events;
- Link up Ethiopian exporters with foreign importers.
Engineering
manufactures catalogues [top]
The www.e4data.com site provides a comprehensive
collection of Engineering manufactures catalogues.
ESTC
- Ethiopian Science and Technology Commission [top]
The Ethiopian Science and Technology Commission
(ESTC) was first established in December 1975 to initiate, organize,
direct and promote scientific and technological Research & Development
(R&D) activities in Ethiopia. Its objectives are:
- Enhance the scientific and technological awareness
of the peoples of Ethiopia in order to develop their culture and
know-how with a view to promoting the development of traditional,
new and emerging technologies; and
- Make science and technology systems more productive,
efficient and development oriented.
The roles and activities of professional
S&T associations/societies in the country are explained
in detail.
Eur-Lex
- European Union Law [top]
The Portal to European Union Law.
IAF
- International Accreditation Forum, Inc. [top]
IAF is the world association of Conformity Assessment Accreditation
Bodies and other bodies interested in conformity assessment. Its
primary function is to develop a world wide program of conformity
assessment which will promote the elimination of non tariff barriers
to trade. IAF's objectives include facilitating trade and commerce,
in accordance with World Trade Organization policies, by establishing
a Multilateral Mutual Recognition Agreement (MLA) based on the equivalence
of accreditation programs operated by accreditation body members,
verified through peer review among those accreditation body members.
IFAN
- International Federation of Standards Users [top]
The International Federation of Standards Users is an independent,
non profit-making international association of national organizations
for the application of standards, companies, professional and trade
associations, and governmental agencies, concerned with the use
of standards.
ILAC
- International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation [top]
The International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation is an international
association whose work may be of interest to anyone involved with
laboratory accreditation, quality assurance, calibration and measurement,
international acceptance of test data and international agreements.
ISO
9000 and ISO
14000 [top]
Latest developments on quality management and environmental management
(ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 series) standards and drafts are found on
these sites.
ITC
- International Trade Centre [top]
ITC is a technical cooperation organization whose mission is to
support developing and transition economies, and particularly their
business sectors, in their efforts to realize their full potential
for developing exports and improving import operations with the
ultimate goal of achieving sustainable development. ITC deals specifically
with the operational aspects of trade promotion and export development.
NAPT
- National Association for Proficiency Testing [top]
At NAPT's Metrology Links Portal you will find a very comprehensive
set of links to metrology and test measurement and related sites.
NML-CSIR
- National Metrology Laboratory of South Africa [top]
The National Metrology Laboratory (NML), managed by the Council
for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), is empowered to maintain
and develop all national measurement standards of South Africa.
As the key provider of internationally traceable measurement standards
and measurements, the NML plays a pivotal role in underpinning South
Africa's industrial competitiveness by providing vital elements
of the quality infrastructure.
The NML's role in providing traceable measurement standards is equally
important within the context of the integrated Southern African
Development Community (SADC). The trading block holds potential
advantages not only for regional trade but ultimately also for participation
in global trading.
Services offered are:
- Maintenance and development of national measurement
standards;
- Measurement traceability through calibration,
measurement and analytical services;
- Measurement-related problem-solving;
- Metrology education and training;
- Proficiency testing schemes for calibration and
testing laboratories.
OIML
- International Organization of Legal Metrology [top]
The OIML promotes the global harmonization of legal metrology procedures.
The OIML has developed a worldwide technical structure that provides
its members with metrological guidelines for the elaboration of
national and regional requirements concerning the manufacture and
use of measuring instruments for legal metrology applications.
SADCMET
- Southern Africa Development Community Cooperation in Measurement
Traceability [top]
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Cooperation in
Measurement Traceability coordinates metrology activities and services
in the SADC Region, in order to provide regional calibration and
testing services, including regulatory bodies, with readily available
traceability to the SI units of measurement, through legally defined
and regionally and internationally recognized national measurement
standards. Quality and Standards Authority of Ethiopia is an associate
member of SADCMET effective April 2002.
WCN
- World Chambers Network [top]
The WCN, global network of Chambers of Commerce helps companies
of all sizes expand their national and worldwide markets through
secured, electronic commerce.
WCN is designed by chambers of commerce, for chambers of commerce
worldwide. The WCN site provides a platform for the exchange of
chamber "best practice" and facilitates communication
between chambers. In addition, the site provides an international
business opportunity service for chambers to promote their SME members
worldwide. WCN fosters a comprehensive exchange of business information,
on a wide rage of subjects including technology, products, services,
markets and resources. By using WCN's Global Business Exchange service
(GBX), a small or medium-sized company can do business globally
as quickly, efficiently and inexpensively as a large multinational.
WTO
- World Trade Organization [top]
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international
organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At
its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk
of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments.
The goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters,
and importers conduct their business.
WSSN
[top]
To facilitate access to standards information and
services, WSSN maintains direct links to the Web sites of organizations
in the following categories:
A world map with listing of the above sites by region
and by country is also provided.
In turn, the national members of ISO and IEC maintain
links to related national organizations and, where applicable, to
national standards-related networks, such as NSSN (a resource for
US, international and regional standards information in the USA,
accessible through the Web site of ANSI - American National Standards
Institute), SISC (Standards Information Service of Canada, accessible
through the Web site of SCC - Standards Council of Canada), etc.
The WSSN structured index provides a means of easy
access to specific pages of the Web sites of WSSN members, such
as contact information, catalogues, etc.
Information about organizations falling into the
above categories which do not have Web sites may be obtained as
follows:
- International standardizing bodies - the ISO/IEC
Directory of international standardizing bodies contains information
on some 45 international bodies with recognized standardization
activities. Available from national members of ISO.
- National members of ISO
- National committees of IEC
- ISO and IEC Web sites
ISO and IEC Web sites provide detailed information
on activities of these organizations and their products and services
including general information about the organizations, information
on membership and technical committees, technical programs of work,
catalogues of international standards and publications, access to
standards and publications, information on new developments in standardization
and related areas, etc.
ICS,
International Classification for Standards: Inasmuch as
an ever-growing number of standards catalogues are structured in
accordance with the ICS, the users of standards benefit from a common
access key to many of the standards collections of the world. Users
have a more comprehensive view over their fields of interest thanks
to a multiple classification of the standards and are better guided
in their search. ICS comprises 40 fields, subdivided into 389 groups,
133 of the 389 groups further subdivided into 879 subgroups.
Other sources of information [top]
ISONET: the information centres of a number of national
standards bodies, regional standardizing bodies and international
standardizing bodies cooperate within the framework of ISONET, the
ISO Information Network. ISONET is an agreement between standardizing
bodies to combine their efforts in order to make information on
standards, technical regulations and related matters readily available
whenever it is required. ISONET members agree to share experience
and exchange information as required with each other, enabling information
about foreign national standards and regulations to be obtained
through the local ISONET member. Contact information for ISONET
members and information on the services they provide is given in
the ISONET
Directory.
WTO TBT and WTO SPS enquiry points: these WTO Agreements*
foresee the establishment of national enquiry points to provide
information and assistance about relevant technical regulations,
standards and conformity assessment procedures. For countries where
there is an ISONET member, contact information for relevant WTO
TBT and WTO SPS national enquiry points is included in the ISONET
Directory. Complete listings of WTO TBT and WTO SPS national enquiry
points are maintained by the WTO.
* WTO TBT: World Trade Organization Agreement
on Technical Barriers to Trade;
WTO SPS: World Trade Organization Agreement on Sanitary Phyto-Sanitary.
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