The Belize Bureau of Standards is a

government of Belize His Majesty's Government in Belize, also referred to as the Belizean Government is the democratic administrative authority of Belize, a constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. It was formed in 1981 after gaining sovereignty from ...

department that develops, promotes and implements standards for goods, services and processes. Established in 1992, the Bureau is under the Ministry of Economic Development, Petroleum, Investment, Trade and Commerce.

History

The Bureau was established under the Standards Act Chapter 295 of the substantive Law of Belize revised edition 2000-2003. Its goal is to develop, promote and implement standards associated with goods, services and processes within Belize. Three other units makes up the department; namely, Supplies Control,

Consumer Protection Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...

and Metrology Units. With these units operating under the department there are additional responsibilities. The Supplies Control Unit is responsible for managing both import and export licenses and price controlled regulated goods. Under the Metrology Units, the department is responsible for the verification of weighing and measuring instruments use for trade within

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

. Lastly, the department has the responsibility of ensuring the health, safety and life of the Belizean population under the Consumer Protection Unit. This unit is currently operating without establish legislated framework hence enforcement is a challenge in carrying out this mandate. Before October 2015, the Bureau was under the Ministry of Trade, Investment Promotion, Private Sector Development and Consumer Protect. The department worked closely with the ministry as a stakeholder in

trade negotiation The term multilateral trade negotiations (MTN) initially applied to negotiations between General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) member nations conducted under the auspices of the GATT and aimed at reducing tariff and nontariff trade barrier ...

and other closely related mandates.

Additional information

Some key legislation that this department to carry out its mandates are: *Government policies *National Metrology Act *Standards Act *Supplies Control Act *

Bill Draft *Standard Advisory Council ACpolicies, and *The

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...

Technical Barrier to Trade Agreement TO/TBT The Belize Bureau of Standards collaborates with the following organization: *The CARICOM Regional Organization for Standards and Quality ROSQ*The

Technical Barrier to Trade Agreement TO/TBT*Beltraide

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belize Bureau of Standards Standards organisations in Belize

History

Additional information

See also

References