About WTO/TBT

World Trade Organization (WTO) is a governmental membership organization that polices all global activities in relation to commerce. In addition it is a “forum for governments to negotiate trade agreements, and a place where trade disputes are settled.” The WTO conducts trade agreements that ‘cover goods, services and intellectual property.’ Trade policies are implemented and monitored by the WTO: regulations are set to ensure that governments’ trade policies are transparent. Furthermore, special provisions are made for developing countries to ‘build their trade capacity.’ Longer time periods are allotted ‘to implement agreements and commitments, measures to increase trading opportunities, to settle disputes and to implement technical barriers.’ Hence, the WTO Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement was established.

ABBS is the National Enquiry Point (NEP) for the WTO Technical Barrier to Trade. ‘The TBT Agreement requires WTO members to establish a National Enquiry Point (NEP) as a way of mitigating problems business enterprises face in obtaining information on technical regulations, standards and conformity assessment procedures applicable to their products in international markets.’ Therefore, ABBS serves as the NEP where stakeholders can gain valuable trade-related information to advance themselves further into the global market.