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Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP.6)

Introduction

The Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP.6) encourages increased regulatory coherence in specific sectors that have a critical impact on sustainable development and promotes greater resilience to natural and man-made hazards. WP.6 also works to:

Promote the use of standards by policy-makers and business as a tool for reducing technical barriers to trade, promote increased resilience to disasters, foster innovation and good governance
Advocate the use of standards in the implementation of UN-wide goals, including the implementation of the Agenda 2030 and the Sendai framework for action

Calendar of WP.6 events for 2026

Update of WP.6 activities September 2025

Key areas of work

Market Surveillance

Risk Management

Gender-Responsive Standards

Education on Standards

Regulatory Cooperation

Digital Regulation of Goods and Artificial Intelligence

Digital Regulation & AI

In focus

How do regulators, standards bodies, businesses and consumers work together to ensure that products are safe? Launched on 23 June 2026, the new WP.6 publication Basics of Product Safety provides an accessible introduction to the systems, actors and international cooperation mechanisms that help protect consumers and facilitate trade in an increasingly interconnected world.

News

UNECE publication on product safety to support consumer protection and international trade

23 June 2026

Managing product risks in the digital marketplace: UNECE advances risk-based approaches to product safety

05 June 2026

UNECE marks Human Rights Day with new guidance on gender equality in AI standards

10 December 2025

Highlights

18 August 2026: WP.6 has published a new publication, From Rules to Enforcement: Managing Capacity Constraints in Quality Infrastructure. The publication examines how regulatory systems can adapt to increasingly complex markets through more risk-based, selective and cooperative approaches to enforcement. It is available here.

2 June 2026: WP.6 finalized its new publication on Basics of Product Safety. The official launch will take place during the SCTCS meeting on 23 June. The publication is available here.

17 April 2026: WP.6 finalized its 5^th Forum with success. This event marked the launch of the newly formed Group of Experts on Risk Management and Market Surveillance (RAMS).

15 April 2026: WP.6 underlines the importance of the World Development Report 2025 and its link to quality infrastructure. A technical webinar was held during the WP.6 5^th Forum and a technical note on the topic has been published.

14 April 2026: WP.6 organized a practical workshop during its 5^th Forum to demonstrate how technical working groups can become more inclusive, using artificial intelligence as an example. More information available here.

Highlights archives