Dear WP.6 experts,
We would like to share a brief update following the
35th Session of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP.6),
held on 9–10 September 2025.
Key outcomes and changes:
- The structure of WP.6 has been streamlined: from four official subgroups (MARS, GRM, ToS-GRS and START), we now have two (RAMS and ToS-GRS). All “initiatives” are marked as completed, with the exception of the Education on Standardization Initiative.
- Sessions will now be held on a biennial basis. Our next official session will therefore take place in 2027. The Programme of Work now covers a two-year period, and relevant updates have been introduced to the Working Procedures.
- Three deliverables presented for approval were adopted: Gender & AI Standards, Hydrogen
CRA, and IRM+SW.
CRA-AI Declaration:
The WP.6 Bureau has endorsed a significant change to the
CRA-AI Declaration. Regulatory agencies may now sign the declaration
on their own behalf,
without requiring an engagement from the entire government. This makes it easier for individual agencies, such as market surveillance authorities, to demonstrate their commitment. We strongly encourage experts to explore whether their organization could consider
signing the declaration.
The project in Albania, Benin and Georgia on mainstreaming gender throughout the quality infrastructure has developed, in close collaboration with the ToS-GRS, has developed a step-by-step guide to assist agencies to integrate gender into their internal
processes and their outputs. Though this is catered for QI bodies, it could be used by nearly any government agency. A news story on this is
available on the website;
please feel free to circulate this.
Upcoming meetings (13:00–15:00 Geneva time):
Agendas and connection details will be shared on each event’s webpage. Please already save these dates in your calendar.
As always, thank you for your continued engagement and support. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the secretariat.
Best regards,
Lance Thompson
Head of Regulatory Cooperation Unit / Secretary WP.6
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Palais des Nations
8-14 avenue de la Paix
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland