With technical regulations and standards on the rise, produce growers and traders will now be able to ensure they're always up-to-date with developments, thanks to a new service from a series of transnational organizations.

Created by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Trade Centre (ITC), the ePing service was launched yesterdayduring a special meeting of the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee at the WTO.

The new system allows access to WTO members' notifications of TBT and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, as well as facilitating dialogue among the public and private sector in addressing potential trade problems at an early stage. 

Users of ePing will be able to easily keep up-to-date with notifications affecting foreign markets and products of particular interest to them.

In a release, the WTO highlighted it received more than 3,500 TBT and SPS notifications proposing new measures that may affect international trade

"Accessing relevant information on product requirements in export markets can be a huge challenge, especially for SMEs,” said Karl Brauner, WTO Deputy Director-General, at the launch.

“More transparency makes trade more inclusive — making information on regulations and standards more accessible for all stakeholders is essential. This is what ePing is all about."

International Trade Centre Executive Director Arancha Gonzalez said ePing was about moving from "making trade possible to making it happen".

"Using information technology we will help small and medium businesses comply with product regulations in foreign markets and thereby reduce obstacles to trade," Gonzalez said.

"This is an excellent example of how practical and innovative solutions can address key trade-related obstacles to sustainable development," added Lenni Montiel, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, UN DESA.

"Today, this inter-agency collaboration shows the world that by using the expertise of different development partners we can address real-life problems, reach more people and move from dialogue to action."

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