19 COMMONWEALTH STANDARDS NETWORK I


It is now over a year since former UK PM Theresa May announced the establishment of the Commonwealth Standards Network (CSN) at the 2018 Commonwealth Business Forum, part of the Commonwealth


Heads of Government Meeting. The CSN was welcomed as a positive move to tackle non-tariff barriers and promote strong trade amongst all Commonwealth states by adopting and implementing international standards.


The CSN is a collaborative network open to all Commonwealth states and regional Commonwealth associations. It aims to facilitate intra-Commonwealth trade and reduce poverty through the increased use of international standards. It will do this by increasing awareness of international standards and by improving the technical and institutional capacity of its members to use and develop them.


BSI is overseeing the fi rst two years of the project with


funding from the UK government. It is the intention that the programme will continue to grow and evolve well beyond the initial UK government-funded lifespan of this project.


Ben Hedley


The CSN launch meeting took place in September 2018 in Geneva. During the fi rst year of the programme, the groundwork has started on increasing the capacity of developing Commonwealth states to adopt international standards through


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CSN


training and awareness programmes and with


focused technical assistance programmes.


The Commonwealth is seen as a particularly fertile ground


for trade improvements because of the ‘Commonwealth advantage’. This is based on pre-existing trade links, common legal systems and the rule of law. Trade among Commonwealth countries


is already signifi cant; according to the Commonwealth Trade Review 2018, Commonwealth countries, on average, tend to trade around 20% more and generate 10% more investment with each other than with non-member countries. Reducing technical


barriers to trade can trigger even greater opportunities. Ben Hedley, CSN Programme Manager


said, “International standards play a pivotal role in supporting global trade fl ows. When countries have adopted the same international standard, it makes it easier for companies in those countries to conduct business with one another, without making costly modifi cations to the goods or services they deliver. “International standards support market access and their increased adoption and implementation present great opportunities for countries around the Commonwealth to increase business with one another and the rest of the world.”


Kayula Siame, MCTI Permanent Secretary in


Zambia, speaking at the CSN


Zambia Launch in Lusaka in October 2018


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