Manila – 14 October 2022, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), together with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, represented by the Embassy of Switzerland in the Philippines, launched the Global Quality and Standards Programme (GQSP) in the Philippines: Standards and Conformity Assessment for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Medical Devices.
The overall purpose of the GQSP in the Philippines is to help address the need to provide adequate supplies of PPEs, medical device, and sanitation products, meeting the required global quality and safety product and manufacturing standards. This will be done through strengthening the capacity of the country’s national quality infrastructure (NQI) to promote and verify compliance of the commodities mentioned with relevant quality and safety standards.
“Right now, we still don’t have a strong NQI, the ecosystem is fragmented and hence this project really would create a very big impact especially as we build the NQI ecosystem here in the country.” shared Dr. Rafaelita Aldaba, DTI Undersecretary for the Competitiveness and Innovation Group on her message after the ceremonial signing.
Dr. Aldaba further emphasized that the GQSP will certainly boost the capacity of the NQI of the Philippines, especially in terms of promoting and verifying the compliance of critical products with relevant quality and safety standards.
UNIDO Country Representative, Mr. Teddy Monroy, expressed his full support for the initiative. He stressed that “UNIDO will strongly collaborate with government in strengthening the country’s NQI and ensure adequate supply of fit-to-purpose PPEs and medical devices. This will not only prepare the country to become a major global actor in manufacturing and international trade, but also contribute to achieving important health outcomes.”
While contributing to availability of PPEs and medical devices for the general population and the health workers that meet quality and safety standards, the project also aims to protect the income generating capacities of its citizens.
H.E. Alain Gaschen, Ambassador of Switzerland in the Philippine, recalled his country’s experiences in building their Quality Infrastructure and how this has helped his country attain economic success today. He shared their ongoing cooperation with DTI which includes the GQSP and further reiterated Switzerland’s support to UNIDO’s mandate of promoting inclusive and sustainable industrial development through progress by innovation.
The three signed a pledge of commitment that highlighted the strong collaboration between the Government of the Philippines, UNIDO and the Government of Switzerland towards assisting the Philippine Government, the country’s industrial sector and related value chains in adopting principles around inclusive and sustainable development and enhancing the level of competitiveness, innovation, productivity, safety, health and environmental soundness and sustainability of locally-manufactured goods and services, fit for both domestic and international markets.
Department of Trade and Industry
DTI is the executive department of the government tasked as the main catalyst that enables innovative, competitive, job generating, inclusive business and empowers consumers, intensified private sector activity in order to accelerate and sustain economic growth through comprehensive industrial growth strategy, progressive and socially responsible trade liberalization and deregulation programs and policymaking designed for the expansion and diversification of Philippine trade – both domestic and foreign.
As a member of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (“IATF-EID”), mobilizes its various units, attached agencies, and regional and foreign offices to ensure uninterrupted service delivery to our stakeholders and to find ways to contribute in the Philippines’ effort to beat COVID-19.
United Nations Industrial Development Organization
UNIDO promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability through dialogues and multi-stakeholder partnerships in order to monitor and foster progress towards the achievement of inclusive and sustainable industrial development.
Global Quality and Standards Programme
The Global Quality and Standards Programme (GQSP) is a large-scale programme to encourage systematic trade development along specific value chains by strengthening quality infrastructure institutions and service providers, enhancing the compliance capacity of private sector actors, particularly small-medium enterprises (SMEs), and creating a culture of quality among all stakeholders.
GQSP works in 11 countries, including the Philippines, supporting 14 value chains on five continents worldwide. In the Philippines, the GQSP focused on enhancing standards and strengthening conformity assessment services for safe and fit-for-purpose Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and medical devices, in support to the Government’s efforts to combat COVID-19 pandemic and building back better.
GQSP is funded by the Swiss Confederation, through the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.
Date of Release: 25 October 2022