Share
  1. Partnership of international organisations for effective international rulemaking
  2. Compendium
  3. Practices
  4. Co-ordination among IOst

Illustrative examples of IO Practices: Co-ordination among IOs

A number of specific practices undertaken by IOs provide illustrative examples of the trends and experiences described throughout the Compendium. Below are a selection of practices related to co-ordination among IOs, which are under collection and will feature more in detail in the final Compendium.

Co-operation in the development of instruments

 

IO Practice Brief Description
ASTM/ISO Partner Standards Developing Organization (PSDO)

A Partner Standards Developing Organization (PSDO) agreement between ASTM International and ISO, signed in 2011, paved the way to create joint AM standards in additive manufacturing by: fast-tracking the adoption process of an ASTM international standard as an ISO final draft standard; the formal adoption of a published ISO standard by ASTM International; and the maintenance of published standards.
BIPM (IEC, IFCC, ISO, ILAC, IUPAC, IUPAP and OIML) Joint Committee for Guides in Metrology The Joint Committee for Guides in Metrology (JCGM) is composed of broadly-based international organisations working in the field of, or dependent on, metrology. The tasks of the JCGM are to develop and maintain guidance documents (GUM and VIM) addressing the general metrological needs of science and technology, and to consider arrangements for their dissemination. This is achieved through the issuance of guidance documents, updating and aligning of terminologies, provision of advice, and promotion of the worldwide adoption and implementation of the results of the committee’s work.
ISO/IEC Directives The production of ISO/IEC Directives is subject to shared procedures for technical work and joint principles/rules for the structure and drafting of ISO and IEC documents.
FAO, OIE, WHO Tripartite Collaboration The FAO-OIE-WHO Collaboration, sets out a strategic direction for the three Organisations to develop a long term basis for international collaboration aimed at co-ordinating global activities to address health risks at the human-animal-ecosystems interfaces. In particular, actions aim to ensure consistency across the standard-setting activities of the three organisations (the intergovernmental standards of the OIE, the International Health Regulations [IHR] of the WHO and the international food standards of the Codex Alimentarius).
OIML, OIML Memoranda of Understanding The OIML has a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) in place with IOs to co-ordinate activity, reduce the possibility of duplication and to enhance communication and collaboration. In practice, this involves co-ordinating a joint approach in areas of common understanding and, when relevant, developing joint technical documents. The objective is to avoid contradictory or duplicate requirements and to establish common interpretations and understanding in the field of legal metrology; consequently, manufacturers and users of measuring instruments, certification bodies, test laboratories, etc. may simultaneously apply OIML Publications and those of other institutions. The organisation has established MoUs with ISO (1966), ILAC and the IAF (2006), UNIDO and BIPM (2008), and the IEC (2011). 
OTIF / UNECE, OTIF-UNECE RID/ADR/ADN Joint Meeting The RID/ADR/ADN Joint Meeting is hosted by Secretariats of OTIF and the UNECE Transport Division and meets twice annually. This meeting develops harmonised dangerous goods provisions for carriage by rail, road and inland waterways, which also align with the UN Model Regulations.
IMF / OECD / UN / World Bank Platform for Collaboration on Tax The United Nations Commission On International Trade Law provides the full, downloadable text of all UNCITRAL texts, a consolidated and updated overview of their use at the national level, and links to general and subject-specific guidance on their adoption, use and interpretation.
 WTO, Status of WTO legal instruments publication The Platform for Collaboration on Tax brings together the IMF, OECD, UN and World Bank in order to intensify co-operation on international tax issues and avoid duplication. This formalises regular discussions between the four IOs on the design and implementation of standards for international tax matters, strengthens their ability to provide capacity-building support to developing countries, and helps them deliver jointly developed guidance.
FAO, OIE, WHO, Tripartite collaboration The FAO-OIE-WHO Collaboration, sets out a strategic direction for the three Organisations to develop a long term basis for international collaboration aimed at co-ordinating global activities to address health risks at the human-animal-ecosystems interfaces. In particular, actions aim to ensure consistency across the standard-setting activities of the three organisations (the intergovernmental standards of the OIE, the International Health Regulations [IHR] of the WHO and the international food standards of the Codex Alimentarius).
UNCITRAL, Endorsement of use of standards of other IOs The co-ordination of the activities of organisations active in the field of international trade law is a core element of UNCITRAL’s mandate, conferred to avoid duplication of efforts and to promote efficiency, consistency and coherence in international trade law reform. Pursuant to its co-ordination mandate, UNCITRAL secretariat prepares a general survey of the activities of other organisations related to international trade law (including technical assistance to international trade law reform), as well as in-depth reports on the activities of organisations on particular international trade law topics. In addition to regular co-operation among IOs in this field for this purpose, UNCITRAL has regularly endorsed the use of standards from other IOs, most recently the Uniform Rules for Forfaiting of the International Chamber of Commerce and in 2020 has endorsed Incoterms® 2020.
UNCITRAL, Joint Development of ICR Standard In 2016, UNCITRAL jointly developed the Insolvency Creditor-Debtor Regimes (ICR) Standard with the WBG, IMF and INSOL. This comprises the World Bank’s Principles for Effective Insolvency and Creditor/Debtor Rights Systems and the UNCITRAL Legislative Guide on Insolvency Law. The ICR Standard provides States with tools to reform their national and cross-border insolvency regimes and to meet international consensus on best practices for evaluating and strengthening national insolvency and creditor rights systems.  These systems should balance the need to address a debtor's financial difficulty as quickly and efficiently as possible; the interests of the various parties directly concerned with that financial difficulty, principally creditors and other stakeholders in the debtor's business; and public policy concerns, such as employment and taxation.

Co-ordination in the provision of assistance

 

IO Practice Brief Description
BIPM, IAF, IEC, IIOC, ILAC, IQNet, ISO, ITC, ITU, OIML, UNECE, UNIDO, World Bank, WTO - International Network on Quality Infrastructure The International Network on Quality Infrastructure (INetQI) facilitates enhanced co-operation among 14 international organisations in promoting the understanding, value and acceptance of the quality infrastructure and providing guidance and support for its effective implementation and integration worldwide.
OIE / WHO - Strengthening multi-setoral collaboration at the national level The OIE and WHO have developed tools to assist their Member Countries to implement their respective standards and help them to identify tailored and co-ordinated strategies to deal with national health risks at the human–animal interface.
UNCITRAL, collaboration with multilateral and regional development agencies The UNCITRAL Secretariat collaborates with multilateral and regional development agencies, and other international and regional organisations under both formal partnerships and joint initiatives to deliver co-ordinated assistance to international trade law reform.  Current examples include the ; with the International Labour Organization and the University of Turin Master’s programmes in International Trade Law and Public Procurement; with International Anti-Corruption Academy; with UN ESCAP in the design and delivery of Readiness Assessments for Cross-Border Paperless Trade.

Co-ordination in the implementation of instruments

 

IO Practice Brief Description
BIPM, IAF, IEC, IIOOC, ILAC, IQNet, ISO, ITC, ITU, OIML, UNECE, UNIDO, World Bank, WTO International Network on Quality Infrastructure (INetQI) The International Network on Quality Infrastructure (INetQI) facilitates enhanced co-operation among 14 international organisations in promoting the understanding, value and acceptance of the quality infrastructure and providing guidance and support for its effective implementation and integration worldwide.
UNFCCC, FAO,  UNEP, UNESCO, UNFCCC, UNICEF, UNITAR, WMO UN Alliance of Climate Change The UN Alliance of Climate Change (with FAO, UNEP, UNESCO, UNFCCC, UNICEF, UNITAR, WMO) aims to promote meaningful, result-oriented and effective international co-operation in support of action on climate change education, training, public awareness, public participation and access to information.
UNCITRAL / HCCH / UNIDROIT, Partnerships with IOs for joint implementation UNCITRAL partners with IOs to design joint implementation tools.  For example, with the World Bank Group, International Monetary Fund and INSOL to implement instruments in insolvency reform through a joint “ICR Standard”, which comprises World Bank’s Principles for Effective Insolvency and Creditor/Debtor Rights Systems and the UNCITRAL Legislative Guide on Insolvency Law, and with the Hague Conference on Private International Law (“HCCH”) and the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (“Unidroit”) to develop co-ordinated tools to harmonise and modernise commercial contract law, culminating in a Legal Guide to Uniform Legal Instruments in the Area of International Commercial Contracts (with a focus on sales).

Co-ordination in monitoring activity

 

IO Practice Brief Description
IAF and ILAC co-operation and establishment of one international organisation for accreditation The IAF and ILAC conduct joint peer evaluations of regional accreditation groups and bodies. These are underpinned by a series of collective instruments, including IAF/ILAC A1 - Multilateral Mutual Recognition Arrangements: Requirements and Procedures for Evaluation of a Regional Group and IAF/ILAC A2 – Multilateral Mutual Recognition Arrangements: Requirements and Procedures for Evaluation of a Single Accreditation Body  which are continually revised in response to emerging developments. These evaluations contribute to the issuance of recognition, which increases confidence in conformity assessment results in international markets, eliminates the need for products and services to be re-tested, re-calibrated, re-inspected or re-certified in each country into which they are imported and sold, and supports international trade at the global level. 
ILAC / WADA, ILAC-WADA Cooperation The ILAC-WADA Cooperation is aimed at exchanging relevant information on matters related to the criteria for the assessment and accreditation of anti-doping laboratories, harmonising the application of these criteria and optimising practices in the assessment and accreditation of anti-doping laboratories worldwide. The objective of the ILAC-WADA Cooperation is to achieve greater consistency in laboratories’ monitoring of compliance with their international standards. In June 2020, ILAC and WADA issued Joint Guidelines for the Harmonisation of Scopes of ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation of WADA Anti-Doping Laboratories which include recommendations on how to adjust the formulation of different types of scopes of accreditation for the WADA anti-doping laboratories and describe the level of scrutiny that should be granted to these laboratories.  
IOSCO, Monitoring the Implementation of the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures IOSCO and the CPMI (within the Bank for International Settlements (BIS)) jointly monitor the implementation of the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures (PFMI) to ensure their full, timely and consistent application. This is achieved through an online tracker and implementation database, a disclosure framework and assessment methodology, and the issuance of joint periodical assessment reports.