Launch of ePing in Viet Nam
29 April 2021. 09:00–11.00 (Geneva), 14:00-16:00 (Hanoi)
About the event
A high-level event featuring Mr. Do Thang Hai, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ms. Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of International Trade Centre (ITC) and Mr. Aik Hoe Lim, Director, World Trade Organization to launch the Vietnamese version of ePing.
The launch will be followed by a panel discussion on the challenges of Vietnamese businesses with technical measures, highlight the importance of transparency in trade regulations and the benefits of the partnership between a wide range of stakeholders to help reducing trade cost and increasing Viet Nam’s trade competitiveness.
Background
ePing is an online alert mechanism for new Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) notifications. After signing up (access is free upon registration), users receive daily or weekly alerts on new WTO notifications in sectors and markets of interest to them. The platform also aims to connect with national traders via a national forum to discuss notifications and connect with SPS/TBT officials around the globe.
WTO Members are required to notify other WTO members when they are planning on adopting a new measure on product requirements if the measure is likely to affect international trade. These notifications are captured and disseminated to the ePing users according to their preferences of sectors and/or markets.
High-level event to launch ePing in Viet Nam
Vietnamese businesses reported to ITC Business Survey the difficulties they face to understand the myriad of health and safety requirements, product regulations, testing and certification procedures and other measures necessary to access international markets. For small and medium-sized companies in Viet Nam, the language barrier represents an additional challenge.
To help Vietnamese businesses stay informed about regulatory changes in target markets, Vietrade, ITC and the WTO have formed an unprecedented partnership with the SPS and TBT enquiry points in Viet Nam, the Foreign Trade University (FTU) and private sector associations, joining forces to make the notification alert system ePing (www.epingalert.org) accessible in Vietnamese, and to provide, for notifications concerning products and markets of high priority, Vietnamese translations as well as an explanation of the notification content in simple language. It will be the first time that ePing will be available in a language that is not an official WTO language, bringing the information closer to local businesses and fostering public-private dialogue
The high-level event on 29 April 2021 marks the official launch of the Vietnamese version of ePing. It also serves to formalise the innovative collaboration between ITC and the Foreign Trade University related to the translations of the notifications. A panel will discuss the challenges of Vietnamese businesses with technical measures, highlight the importance of transparency in trade regulations and the benefits of the partnership between a wide range of stakeholders to help reducing trade cost and increasing Viet Nam’s trade competitiveness.
Official event documents
ePing: tracking products requirements in foreign markets - WTO
How ePing contributes to better transparency for Vietnamese traders - STAMEQ (TBT Enquiry Point)
Translating and explaining selected notifications in Seafood and Footwear sectors - Foreign Trade University