Conformity Assessment

System of Cambodia

Mr. CHAN Bonnivoit

WTO Office
ASEAN and International Department
Ministry of Commerce
CAMBODIA

KOICA 8-22/10/2006, Seoul 1

Table of Contents

ƒ A. Introduction

ƒ B. Standard and conformity assessment system of

Cambodia
– Government policy and legal framework
– Government organization on standards and conformity
assessment
– Recent standards status and projects
– International projects

ƒ C. Government interventions and future directions

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A. Introduction

ƒ Cambodia joined ASEAN on January 30, 1999 and WTO on October 13, 2004.

ƒ These regionalization and globalization processes bring into the Country an urgent
problem relating to adoption and harmonization with the institutional global standards.

ƒ Establishing of TBT and SPS measures consisted with the global standards would be
also priorities for the Country, because the Country needs to develop and diversify its
domestic industry and exports, utilizing its resource endowments such as land labors and
natural resource.

ƒ Relevant Ministries like MOC, MIME and MOH are responsible for these matters.

ƒ Dept. CAMCONTROL of MOC is responsible for establishment of SPS Enquiry Point and
conducts not only monitoring and surveillance of food products in the domestic market
but also controls the import and export of foods.

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B. Standard and conformity assessment
I. Government policy and legal framework
1. Technical regulation
- Cambodia’s Standard used are voluntary, only certain products are
mandatory.

- Dept. CAMCONTROL of MOC is to enforce conformity assessment

and when necessary, to take samples of imports and domestically
produced goods for testing.

- Labeling is also required by MOC.

- MIME sets industrial standards and manages a certification

programs for local manufacturers.

- Dept. of drugs and food of MOH requires registration for same drug
samples and an analysis certificate for the importation of
pharmaceuticals and medical materials and for agr. Inputs.

- MAFF is in charge of plant protection and phytosanitary inspection.

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B. Standard and conformity assessment
I. Government policy and legal framework

2. Quantitative control measures

- Most imported goods may enter Cambodia without an
import license, only an small number of imported
products requires such licensing because of safeguard
human health consumer and environmental welfare,
and national security.

- Import license is required for the importation of

pharmaceuticals and medical materials, including raw
pharmaceutical materials and bulk and finished
products.

- Agr. Inputs including raw materials and semi-and

finished products are subjected to import licensing
issued by MAFF.

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B. Standard and conformity assessment
I. Government policy and legal framework

3. Obligation due to accession to the WTO

™ Legislation according to an implementation agenda
- Following revised agendas are submitted by Government for
WTO conformity:

- Sub-Degree on inquiry points for services, SPS and TBT.

- Sub-Degree on Animal Quarantine.

- Sub-Degree on Plant Quarantine.

- Fisheries Law.

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B. Standard and conformity assessment
I. Government policy and legal framework

3. Obligation due to accession to the WTO

™ Trade policy review on TBT

- Full implementation of the WTO Agreement on TBT until 1 January, 2007,

during this period applied on a non-discriminatory basis (MFN and NTM) to all
imports.

- Sub-Degree on industrial standard provided the basis rules and procedures for
adopting new standard, technical regulation and conformity assessment
procedures

- Sub-Degree on metrology adopted on 2003.

- Cambodia extend any conformity assessment agreements, in particular those

foreseen under ASEAN to all members of WTO.

- Cambodia recognizes certificates from the third countries’ certification bodies.

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B. Standard and conformity assessment
I. Government policy and legal framework
3. Obligation due to accession to the WTO
™ Trade policy review on SPS
- Quantitative import restrictions on agricultural inputs, the Government confirmed
that eliminate such restriction no later than June 1, 2005, and establish a WTO-
registration and review of imported agr. Chemicals.

- Law on the management of quality and safety of products and service, the Sub-
Degree on sanitary inspection of animal and animal products, the Sub-Degree on
plant quarantine and Sub-Degree on standards and management of agr. Materials
provided the basis rules for SPS measures.

- Cambodia established a National Codex Committee and technical working Groups

to provides effective inputs and proactive participation in Codex work.

- Framework for adopting the standard, guidelines and recommendation developed

by the relevant international organizations (Codex alimentarius Commission and the
international office of Epizootics) would be incorporated in the Law of industrial
standards of Cambodia and promulgated in the first half 2003.

- Some Sub-Degree and regulation related to fruit safety and cosmetic products are
preparing.

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B. Standard and conformity assessment
II. Governmental organization on standard and conformity
assessment
ƒ Standardization, certification and testing are not implemented properly in
Cambodia, mostly due to the lack of technical infrastructure.

ƒ Dept. of industrial standards of Cambodia (ISC) of MIME is the national

standard body and responsible for all standardizations, certifications and an
other conformity assessment activities.

ƒ Dept. of Industrial Technique (DIT) of MIME responsible also for quality control
and products certifications.

ƒ MAFF is responsible for regulation and control of agr. Products.

ƒ Ministry of Construction, Urbanization and Land Management is responsible for

construction materials.

ƒ MOC is responsible for drugs registration (CODEX).

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 B. Standard and conformity assessment
II. Governmental organization on standard and conformity
assessment

MIME

ISC DIT

Library and
Training and
Standards Formulation Product Certification System Certification Administrative Information
Consultancy Service Testing Laboratory Quality Control Product Certification
Office Office Office Office Service and WTO/TBT
Office
Enquiry Point

Organization of Conformity Assessment System in Cambodia

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B. Standard and conformity assessment
III. Recent Standard Status and Projects
1. Standards formulation

– Cambodia has been a Member of ISO sin January 1, 1995 and had
ratified ASEAN frame work agreement on mutual recognition
arrangement.

– Only six Cambodia’s standards have been published and with the
assistance of UNIDO seventeen priority standards are currently being
formulated.

– The output of ISC per year would average to about fifteen standards
(standardizations projects).

– The only reasonably equipped chemical testing laboratories available

presently for preparation standards in Cambodia are laboratories of Dept.
CAMCONTROL, Dept. of Industrial techniques and Pasteur Institute, but
did not documented quality management system or accreditation.

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B. Standard and conformity assessment
III. Recent Standard Status and Projects
2. Product certification

– Base on a few test taken from foreign standards ISC started in

2001 to operate 310 registrations for 19 product categories.

– With participation of UNIDO it was decided to put the product

registration scheme base on the guidelines given in ISO Guide
65 and expanding it to a third-party product certification scheme.

– When Cambodia standards are published, a product registration

mark should be replaced by an ISC certificate mark for export
products.

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B. Standard and conformity assessment
III. Recent Standard Status and Projects

3. System certification

– ISC has yet to commence systems certification activities

– 5 staffs of ISC have satisfactorily passed the lead auditor examination for ISO 9001
and 14001.

– ISC also needs to set up its own quality management system (QMS) in accordance
with ISO Guide 62 and obtain accreditation from a recognized accreditation body.

– QMS documents required for the purpose have been prepared and the QMS will be
made operational shortly.

– ISC is preparing to focus on providing ISO 9001, 14001 and HACCP certification.

– ISC, with the help of UNIDO experts, will identify at least four companies interested
in obtaining ISO 9001 and/or ISO 14100.

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B. Standard and conformity assessment
III. Recent Standard Status and Projects

4. Accreditation

– Cambodia at present has no accreditation body and

accredited laboratory

5. Enquiry points and other activities

– TBT Enquiry point has been set up within ISC, the

library and the information services office

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B. Standard and conformity assessment
III. Recent Standard Status and Projects
6. Food safety control system

– Food safety control is divided into two stages, one is the processing and
production stage and the other is the marketing stage.

– The production and the processing stage are controlled by relevant

authorities, animal-based products by MAFF and processed food by
MIME.

– Food products in the market stage are controlled by CAMCONTROL of

MOC.

– Ministry of Health has authorities on the workers in the food industries

and food service business.

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B. Standard and conformity assessment
IV. International Projects
ƒ UNIDO assist the standards formulation.

ƒ WB and NZAID help to build a sufficient plant protection capacity (PP) and
phytosanitary inspection office (PSO).

ƒ United States and EC-ASEAN project provided the training the staff members
of TBT Enquiry point.

ƒ UNCTAD assist to amend the law on drug management and Prakas to allow
any firm to engage in import activity.

ƒ EU is being provided the TA for the SPS Enquiry Point (National Codex
Committee).

ƒ IAI Plan Activities for CLMV

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C. Government intervention and the future
directions

ƒ Single technical Committee for standard formulation composed of member

from relevant Ministries and does not include any representatives from other
private stakeholders.

ƒ ISC is responsible for all standardization and conformity assessment activities.

ƒ DIT claim also to be responsible for quality control and product certification.

ƒ Testing laboratory is expected to become operable in the near future.

ƒ Cambodia has to pursue forming an accredited certification body.

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C. Government intervention and the future
directions

ƒ Cambodia needs more programs to train its auditors so that Cambodia

Companies will be able to have enough support from the consultants in
obtaining system certificates.

ƒ Accredited testing laboratory, testing facilities and staff training program need
to be provided.

ƒ Supporting the infrastructure of standards and conformity assessment

activities, library and information services need to be improved.

ƒ Mandate of each agency with regard to SPS matters need to be clearly defined
and distinct from the mandate of all other agencies involved, especially
CAMCONTROL.

ƒ Some sophisticated equipment for food safety assessment and its operational
technique and system need to be acquired.

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References

ƒ KOICA and KIEP, Final report : The project for capacity building in
trade in goods and services for Cambodia, 2006

ƒ WTO work program of Royal Government of Cambodia, February 2004

ƒ Report of the working party on the accession of Cambodia,

WT/ACC/KHM/21

ƒ www.wto.org

ƒ www.asean.org

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THANK YOU
FOR YOUR ATTENTION

KOICA 8-22/10/2006, Seoul 20