Tonga’s first National Standardization Roadmap launched in Tonga
20 June 2024. The Minister for Trade and Economic Development, Hon. Dr Viliami Uasike Latu, launched Tonga’s first National Standardisation Roadmap on Wednesday at Liku’alofa (Resort)Function Centre, Tonga National Centre, Tofoa.
The Roadmap sets out a 10-year vision for Tonga that seeks to: Increase Tongan exports, including by supporting market access and consumer; trust in Tongan products; Protect Tongan consumers from low quality or unsafe imported products; Protect and promote a resilient natural environment; and Build reliable infrastructure, including for energy, construction, and health.
Hon. Dr. Viliami Uasike Latu, Minister for Trade and Economic Development said that “the Roadmap is an investment in Tonga’s national capability and will position Tonga to meet our national objectives as well as international obligations around standards and trade”.
The Roadmap has been a collaboration between the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development (MTED) and Standards Australia, with support from the PACER Plus Implementation Unit.
Standards Australia’s Chief Development Officer, Adam Stingemore was delighted with the project’s focus on practical outcomes and said “this project is a foundational step to develop Tonga’s national standards infrastructure that will allow Tonga to develop and adopt standards to support their national objectives.”
The Ministry and Standards Australia will continue their collaboration under PACER Plus for the next phase of implementation.
While standards are often invisible, they are essential for global trade.
Standards provide guidelines or specifications for products, processes, systems, or services that can be used to demonstrate their quality, safety and performance to local and international consumers.
