​Chair of the Workshop: Hosting Administration

• ​Welcome address from the hosting Administration
• Opening remarks from ITU: Slaheddine Maaref, ITU Arab Regional Office 

​SESSION 1: ITU Activities on Conformance and Interoperability

Chair: Representative of ITU Regional Office

This session will review the ITU Resolutions on conformity and interoperability. It will show the ITU C&I Programme implementation including an overview on the ITU Conformity Database and the ITU C&I Portal           

S1-1 ITU C&I Programme Pillars 1 and 2: Xiaoya Yang (ITU)

S1-2 ITU C&I Programme Pillars 3 and 4: Riccardo Passerini (ITU)

S1-3 ITU Regional Activities for the development of ICTs: Slaheddine Maaref (ITU Arab Regional Office)

S1-4 Status of Homologation of Telecommunication Equipment in Maghreb Countries: M. Sebouai Lotfi (Union du Maghreb Arabe - UMA)

​SESSION 2: Procedures to establish C&I Regimes: International Organizations, reference Standards, Procedures for establishing a Conformity Assessment Schemes, Assessment Studies, Building Labs, Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs)

Chair: tbd           

This session will consider the applicability of the global system for conformity assessment (e.g. ISO/CASCO Toolkit) and the approach to Conformity Assessment, Interoperability, Certification and Mutual Recognition Agreements and Arrangements

S2-1 Why assess conformity? The benefits, principles and approaches to conformity assessment: Bill McCrum (ITU Expert)

S2-2 ITU Guidelines for Establishing an C&I Regime: Riccardo Passerini (ITU) 

​SESSION 2 (cont.): Procedures to establish C&I Regimes: International Organizations, reference Standards, Procedures for establishing a Conformity Assessment Schemes, Assessment Studies, Building Labs, Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs)

S2-4 Authentification of certificates in the context of MRAs and proposals to integrate equipment approval and importation procedures to ensure that approval requirements are met: Keith Mainwaring (UNIS)            

S2-5 Criteria and characteristics to establish accredited Bodies/Labs in the Regions for Type Approval/Homologation: recommendations and best practices (e.g. ISO/IEC/CASCO toolbox, guides and standards such as ISO/IEC 17011 and 17025); building Type Approval and Interoperability Test Labs and areas of operation - Part 1 - Part 2: Bill McCrum (ITU Expert)          

S2-6 Mutual Recognition Agreements/Arrangements: General Introduction, framework and benefits: Bill McCrum (ITU expert)

Session 3 : Conformity Assessment and Interoperability - Building Test Labs

Chair: tbd                                                     

This session will show some key elements of the BDT guidelines to set up laboratories in the region, strategies, best practices, costs, status in the industries and their labs. This session will also present the accreditation schemes that could be applied for the recognition by the ITU of conformity assessment bodies (Laboratories) and best experiences, IAF and ILAC procedures for MRAs and MLAs.

S3-1 Technical and economical steps to be followed to build Testing Labs according to the identified criteria and characteristics outlined in ISO/IEC 17025 (Basic Steps to establish an ISO/IEC 17025 compliant testing laboratory). Criteria for selecting countries for establishing Regional Test Centres: Bill McCrum (ITU Expert)            

S3-2 Organization and Activity of a test Lab: Environments, procedures and methodologies to be adopted to establish, manage and maintain a testing center covering different kind of C&I testing areas: Karim Loukil (CERT)           

S3-3 Feasibility Study for Building a Testing lab - Part A / Part B: Siala Kais and Karim Loukil (CERT) and Riccardo Passerini (ITU)

​SESSION 4: Conformity Assessment and Interoperability - Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs)                        

Chair: tbd

This session will consider the conformity assessment procedures set up by various organizations, test suites, certification schemes especially from experiences gained in the Maghreb Region. The view of the industry with respect to conformity assessment and certification will also be considered.

S4-1 ITU Guidelines for the development, implementation and management of Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs): Riccardo Passerini (ITU)

S4-2 Mutual Recognition Agreements/Arrangements: Procedures for definition, implementation and management of MRAs: Bill McCrum (ITU Expert)

​​SESSION 5: Conformity and interoperability Assessment on Regional Basis . Collaboration among Regional and Sub-regional Organizations for Establishing common Conformity and Interoperability (C&I) Programmes and Mutual Recognition Agreements

Chair: tbd           

S5-1 Assessment Study on Conformance and Interoperability for Maghreb Countries. Background, Objective, Methodology Deliverables and Outcomes: Riccardo Passerini (ITU)

S5-2 Situational Analysis - Status of Conformity and Interoperability and related initiatives in Maghreb countries. Awareness and Capacity on C&I in Maghreb countries, Centres of Excellences, Assistance required and Training capabilities: Karim Loukil (CERT) / Mokrane Akli (ITU experts)

S5-3 Results and Findings from the Study - General aspects of the Region, Regulatory framework, Accreditation bodies and Institutions: Mokrane Akli (ITU expert)          

SESSION 5 (cont.): Conformity and interoperability Assessment on Regional Basis . Collaboration among Regional and Sub-regional Organizations for Establishing common Conformity and Interoperability (C&I) Programmes and Mutual Recognition Agreements

S5-4 Proposed Roadmap and way forward for establishing a common Conformity and Interoperability Programme, including MRAs, for Maghreb Region- Implementation process, Phased approach, Expected benefits from a common C&I Programme for Maghreb countries Part A / Part B: Karim Loukil (CERT) / Mokrane Akli (ITU experts)         

S5-5 Conclusions from the C&I Assessment Study conducted for Maghreb Countries - Part A / Part B: Karim Loukil (CERT) / Mokrane Akli (ITU experts)           

S5-6 Conclusions from the C&I Assessment Study conducted for SADC Countries in Africa: Joshua Peprah (ITU expert)

​SESSION 6 : C&I policies, Accreditation, test Labs, Certification, Regulations and needs in the region: the experience in developing countries

Chair: tbd           

This session will present the situation in the region with respect to laboratories, accreditation and certification schemes, regulators and industry views. It will also consider the point of views of regulators concerning the need of certification of products to be entered in a national market and to fight counterfeit products. Proposals, experiences, certification and rules, solutions, TBT issues. Best practices for labs accreditation, technologies covered, conformity assessment schemes, associated costs and procedures, products certification will be shown as well.

S6-1 Homologation of Telecommunication Equipment, Procedures and Experience in Maghreb Countries - Representative from Maghreb Region: Mauritania (Cheikh Tidjani Oudaa)

S6-2 Testing Laboratory experience in the Maghreb Region, Country's experience, Case Studies: Chokri Ben Hadj Yahia, Abdelkarim Chammem, Karim Chaouachi (CERT)

​Session 7: Interactive discussion Way Forward

Interactive groups will make possible discussions among the participants to find possible solutions to a satisfactorily implementation of the common approach for Maghreb Countries: Building labs and/or Establishing MRAs

Chairman: ITU

Moderators/Animators: ITU, ITU experts, CERT            

​Session 8: Panel Discussion - Implementation of the C&I Programme and Action Plan for Maghreb countries

Panel: Follow up for the implementation of the C&I Programme in the region based on the results of the interactive sessions. Steps to be undertaken to facilitate the creation of regional test labs and/or establishing MRAs and to create capacity building opportunities at a regional level. Establishment of further actions economical, technical and regional presence.

Moderator: Mokrane Akli (ITU expert)

Discussions with Panelists will follow

• ITU
• Hosting Administration