1. The World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) held its 184th session from 22 to 24 June 2021, chaired by Mr. A. Erario (Italy). The following countries were represented, following Rule 1 of the Rules of Procedure of WP.29 (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/690/Rev.2): Australia, Austria, Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Republic of Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and United States of America. Representatives of the European Union participated. The following international organization was represented: International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The following non-governmental organizations were also represented: American Automotive Policy Council (AAPC, under Rule 1d of the WP29 Terms of Reference), Association for Emissions Control by Catalyst (AECC), Consumers International (CI), European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA/MEMA/JAPIA), European Tyre and Rim Technical Association (ETRTO) International Federation of Automotive Aftermarket Distributors (Fédération Internationale des Grossistes, Importateurs et Exportateurs en Fournitures Automobiles (FIGIEFA)), Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP), International Automobile Federation (FIA), International Motor Vehicle Inspection Committee (CITA), International Automotive Lighting and Light Signalling Expert Group (GTB), International Motorcycle Manufacturers Association (IMMA), International Organization for Standardization, International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA), Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), SAE International, Secure America’s Future Energy (SAFE) and World Bicycle Industry Association (WBIA).

2. The Chair of WP.29, Mr. A. Erario (Italy) welcomed delegates to the 184th session of WP.29 and opened the meeting. He recalled the exceptional circumstances of this session due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

3. The Deputy Executive Secretary of UNECE, Mr. Dmitry Mariyasin, welcomed participants from all over the world to the 184th session of WP.29.

4. He highlighted the importance of road safety, recalling that, according to latest statistics 1.36 million persons were killed and some 50 million severe injured by road crashes annually. He underlined that the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.6, aiming at halving the number of road fatalities and serious injuries, required concerted efforts from all road safety stakeholders. He recalled that in July 2020 the Unite Nations General Assembly had proclaimed the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety, 2021 to 2030, reinforcing SDG 3.6 target, adding that work dedicated to achieving SDG 11.2 calling for safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport in cities and communities was also crucial.

5. The Deputy Executive Secretary highlighted that the work done at WP.29 on setting highest safety and environmental standards for all categories of vehicles and their occupants, as well as the work related to the protection of vulnerable road users, particularly cyclists and pedestrian. He recalled his attendance of WP.29 subsidiary GR sessions and commended their work, and the role of WP.29 itself, in enhancing the safety and environmental performance of vehicles. He particularly emphasized WP.29’s leadership in the sphere of automated and connected vehicles, demonstrated through the recent adoption of three new legal acts, including of which were the UN Regulations on Cyber Security and on Over-the-air Software Updates as well the first UN Regulation for automated vehicles.

6. He stated that, through its work on global harmonization of requirements for the certification of vehicles and their parts, WP.29 largely contributed to improvements in global road safety through the international regulatory framework of the UN Vehicle Agreements. He recognized that the work of WP.29 had a direct impact around the world, making road traffic safer and environmentally friendlier with safer, more efficient, and less polluting vehicles and safer public transport.

7. The Deputy Executive Secretary reflected on the agenda of the 184th session of WP.29, which addressed topics covering both traditional elements but also latest technical developments for automated vehicles. He concluded his statement by wishing delegates a fruitful discussion and the achievement of good results during the 184th session of WP.29.

8. The Chair of WP.29 thanked Mr. Dmitry Mariyasin for addressing WP.29 delegates. He stated that WP.29 will continue to contribute to improving road safety and in cooperation with all its subsidiary GRs, strive to, through carrying out work within respective mandates, play a leading role towards the achievement of all road safety and environmental protection related SDG goals and their targets.

9. WP.29 took note of the special proceedings during COVID-19 period that were adopted under silence procedure on 11 June 2021 and was informed about the outcome of the written voting procedures, which took place from 15 to 18 June 2021, for AC.1 and AC.3 items envisaged for voting in accordance with the agenda of the 184th session of the World Forum, as well as of the live voting procedure for WP.29, AC.1 and AC.3 items which had been scheduled to take place during online sessions with interpretation on 22 and 23 June 2021.

10. WP.29 adopted the annotated provisional agenda (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1158 and Add.1 and WP.29-184-04) and the running order of the 184th session (WP.29-184-03).

11. The list of informal documents is reproduced in Annex I to this report.

WP.29-184-03 | WP.29 June 2021 session: Running order of the agenda

WP.29-184-04 | Consolidated agenda for the 184th (June 2021) WP.29 session

WP.29/1158 | WP.29-184: Annotated provisional agenda for the June 2021 session

WP.29/1158/Add.1 | WP.29: Changes to the provisional agenda for the 184th (June 2021) session

12. The 136th session of WP.29/AC.2 (21 June 2021) was chaired by Mr. A. Erario (Italy), Chair of the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29), and was attended**, in accordance to Rule 29 of the terms of reference and rules of procedure of WP.29 (TRANS/WP.29/690/Rev.2) by the Chairs of GRBP (France), GRE (Finland), GRPE (Netherlands), GRSG (Italy), GRSP (United States of America), GRVA (Germany), the Vice-Chairs of GRBP (Russian Federation), GRE (Netherlands), GRPE (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), GRSG (represented by Canada delegate), GRSP (Republic of Korea), GRVA (China and Japan), the Chair and Vice-Chairs of the Executive Committee (AC.3) of the 1998 Agreement (United States of America, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Japan), the Vice-Chair of the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) (Russian Federation), the Chair of the Administrative Committee of the 1997 Agreement (Russian Federation) and by the representatives of the European Union.

13. Prior to its scheduled meeting on 21 June 2021, AC.2 held an ad-hoc virtual informal meeting on 7 June related to the special procedures during COVID-19 period in order to enable business continuity for WP.29 and its subsidiary bodies.

14. On 14 June 2021, AC.2 held an additional ad-hoc virtual informal meeting, concerning Nomination/Voting of Chair/Vice-Chairs within the WP29 family of expert groups. AC.2 decided to continue discussions on the matter at a meeting to be scheduled to take place during the latter part 2021.

15. AC.2 took note of the special procedures during COVID-19 period, which had been adopted under silence procedure on 11 June 2021 and was informed about the results of the written voting procedures, which took place from 15 to 18 June 2021, for AC.1 and AC.3 items envisaged for voting in accordance with the agenda of the 184th session of the World Forum.

16. AC.2 was informed of matters related to the use of content protected by copy or intellectual property rights in documents prepared for and presented at WP.29 and GR sessions and the consequent liability exposure of secretariat staff members. AC.2 requested the secretariat to prepare a guidance document that would assist delegates on how to address this matter when preparing documents for sessions under the WP.29 umbrella, i.e. to avoid using copyrighted materials for which authorization had not been obtained. The secretariat announced that the document would be presented at the AC.2 session in November 2021, while in the meantime submitters of documents that contain potential copyrighted material would be asked to sign a waiver releasing the secretariat of liability to potential copyright claims.

17. AC.2 reviewed the proposed programme of work of the World Forum for 2021, noting comments provided by the European Commission concerning a streamlined timeline for the adoption of annual programmes of work.

18. AC.2 reviewed the progress made on the activities listed in the Framework document on autonomous/automated vehicles and requested the secretariat to issue an informal document for the session of the World Forum in this respect.

19. AC.2 took note of the revised calendar of sessions of the World Forum and subsidiary bodies for 2021 and the draft calendar of sessions for 2022.

20. AC.2 reviewed and adopted the revised annotated provisional agenda for the 184th session and reviewed the draft of the 185th session of the World Forum, scheduled to be held in Geneva from 23 to 25 November 2021.

21. AC.2 reviewed the request and approved participation of the European Caravan Federation at sessions of WP.29 and subsidiary bodies, under Rule 1(d) of the Terms of Reference of the World Forum, for a period of two years. AC.2 reviewed the request for participation of the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets at sessions of WP.29 and subsidiary bodies (GRVA), and recommended that an invitation by the Chair of GRVA, according to Rule 1(e), would be sent to the organization for participating in the forthcoming session of the GRVA in September 2021. AC.2 will resume consideration of this request at its 137th session in November 2021.

22. AC.2 noted the issue of potential under representation of average female by the existing dummies raised during the last sessions of the Working Party on Passive Safety (GRSP). The Committee agreed on the approach of the Working Group to verify first the merit of this claim and then eventually consider the Terms of Reference of an informal Working Group on this subject and the possible involvement of other working parties.

23. AC.2 was briefed on the initiative to hold a side-event at the 2022 session of the Inland Transport Committee (ITC) showcasing the work of the World Forum in the field of Intelligent Transport Systems. The Chair of the World Forum stated that the initiative was welcomed by the Bureau of the ITC at its May 2021 session, and that further presentations on the initiative would be made to the Bureau at its November 2021 session.

24. AC.2 recommended AC.4 not to convene.

25. Following the presentation of the AC.2 report, the representative of OICA acknowledged the need for exercising particular care concerning copyrights and intellectual property. However, he expressed concern about the exclusive liability for potential breach of copyrights and/or intellectual property rights that would be bestowed on the waiver signatory as a result of signing the template form in its current format, and proposed WP.29 to work on a simpler, administratively less cumbersome and more pragmatic process. Representatives from ETRTO and GTB supported OICA’s statement.

26. The Chair of WP.29 and AC.2 clarified that such waiver would not be needed in obvious cases such as e.g. proposals for transitional provisions amendments and that such waiver, possibly in a more simple format, would only be needed in cases of serious doubts.

27. The WP.29 Secretary introduced the list of Working Parties, Informal Working Groups and Chairs (WP.29-184-01), the revised calendar of meetings of the World Forum for 2021 (WP.29-182-02/Rev.3, Annex III), the draft calendar of meetings of the World Forum for 2022 (WP.29-184-02, Annex IV), and presented the revised Programme of Work (PoW) with a strategic introduction on the main priorities of the WP.29 work, which are related to the implementation of the ITC strategy 2030 and among others, to vehicle automation and environmental protection. (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/1/Rev.1).

28. The representatives of Japan and the United States of America requested to change the dates for the November 2022 session of WP.29 to a week earlier as the proposed dates would coincide with national holidays and thus their participation would not be possible. The secretariat, proposed to reflect these new dates in a revised version of the calendar of meetings of the World forum for 2022 (WP.29-184-2/Rev.1).

29. The representative of Germany, Chair of GRVA, recalled WP.29 that the GR had planned to hold three meetings during 2022 and was envisaging to organize two meetings held at venues outside of Geneva, one of which in Asia and the second in North America, to better reflect the global scope of activities within the World Forum. He explained that consultations were going on related to organizational and financing matters.

30. The Chair of WP.29 recalled the discussions on the PoW of the World Forum which took place its March 2021, reminding delegates that while it was provisionally endorsed at the time, additional consultations through WP.29 subsidiary Working Parties (GRs) were deemed necessary and CPs were invited to submit their comments on the document to the Secretariat (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1157, paras. 15-19). The consultations resulted in a revised PoW issued for consideration at the current session (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/1/Rev.1).

31. The representative of the European Union introduced document WP.29-184-16 and WP.29-184-17, containing proposals for amendments to the PoW (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/1/Rev.1) by the European Commission. He also called on establishing a procedure for the development of annual PoWs that would ensure their finalization and endorsement prior to the year that they are addressing.

32. The representative of the United States of America expressed concern regarding delays in endorsement of the PoW for 2021. She stated that consultations on additional amendments to the document since the March 2021 session of WP.29 should have been held at GR level rather than through tabling of proposals for its amendment by CPs at the ongoing session of WP.29 and proposed its adoption as document ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/1/Rev.1, without further amendments. In addition, she emphasised the PoW should reflect priorities in the development of activities within the scope of the 1998 Agreement on an equal footing as those addressing the further development of UN Regulations under the 1958 Agreement.

33. The representative of Canada supported the position expressed by the delegate from the United States of America.

34. The Representative of the European Union also called for a timelier adoption of the PoW, before the end of the current year for the upcoming year, and for putting in place a mechanism to ensure the realization of this principle moving forward. He recommended the consultations on the future PoW be started at the level of GRs well in advance (e.g., second half of 2021 for 2023 PoW) and on that basis the CPs would be in a position to submit their priorities on time (e.g. between January and March 2022 for 2023 PoW) for the adoption of PoW ahead of the upcoming year (November 2022 for 2023 PoW).

35. The Chair of WP.29 requested the secretariat to prepare a draft PoW with activities for 2022 and 2023, which is to be circulated to GRs meeting as of September 2021 in order for experts participating in the work of the GRs to be able to discuss and agree on activities for the 2022 PoW and initiate consideration of 2023 PoW activities. The input from the GRs, that would be meeting before the November 2021 sessions of AC.2 and WP.29, for the PoW for 2022 could then be consolidated by the secretariat and tabled for consideration of AC.2 and subsequently to WP.29 at their November 2021 sessions. WP.29 delegates supported the Chair’s motion based on the proposal by the European Union.

36. Upon consideration of the section of the PoW related to the activities of GRVA, delegates, after failing to agree on the priority areas of work between the regulatory files and soft law, decided to remove the column titled “Priorities”.

37. WP.29 also considered the section related to activities under GRBP based on the EU proposal and highlighted the need to ensure in tyre definitions consistency between UN Regulations and UN GTRs under 1958 and 1998 Agreements respectively.

38. The World Forum endorsed the PoW for 2021 (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/1/Rev.1), as amended in session (WP.29-184-16/Rev.1 and WP.29-184-17/Rev.1), with the amended sections related to priorities of GRVA and GRBP, as reproduced in Annex VII of this report.

WP.29-184-01 | WP.29 Working Parties, Informal Working Groups and Chairs as of 1 June 2021

WP.29-184-02/Rev.3 | Draft calendar of WP.29 sessions in 2022

WP.29-184-16 | Proposal to amend the WP.29 programme of work

WP.29-184-16/Rev1 | Revised proposal for the WP.29 Programme of Work

WP.29-184-17 | Comments on subjects under discussion by GRBP

WP.29-184-17/Rev.1 | Revised subjects under GRBP consideration

WP.29/2021/1/Rev.2 | WP.29: Revised programme of work

39. The secretariat introduced WP.29-184-15 proposing updates to Table 1 of the Framework document on automated/autonomous vehicles (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2019/34/Rev.2). He explained that the document was developed by AC.2, and that it had been reviewed and completed by GRVA at its tenth session and that it included the last-minute amendments proposed by the IWGs on Validation Method for Automated Driving (VMAD) and Event Data Recorder / Data Storage System for Automated Driving (EDR/DSSAD).

40. The representative of the European Union introduced document WP.29-184-18 tabling proposed changes to the rows on DSSAD and EDR in WP.29-184-15.

41. The World Forum discussed and endorsed the revised Framework document on automated/autonomous vehicles (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2019/34/Rev.2), as amended by WP.29-184-15 and the EDR/DSSAD related amendments in WP.29-184-18, with deadlines for submission of EDR related deliverables to WP.29 reflected in its Table 1 remaining in square brackets. WP.29 requested the secretariat to distribute the revised document with an official symbol for final consideration in November 2021.

WP.29-184-15 | AV Framework Document: Proposal for amendments to the deliverables table

WP.29-184-18 | AV Framework: Proposal for amendments to Table 1

WP.29/2019/34/Rev.2 | Revised Framework document on automated/autonomous vehicles

42. WP.29 considered and adopted document ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/61, New Assessment/Test Method for Automated Driving (NATM) Master Document, recommending that it is considered by GRs and IWGs as a reference document when developing activities in the field of automation.

WP.29/2021/61 | New Assessment/Test Method for Automated Driving (NATM) - Master Document

43. The Chair of WP.29 briefed delegates on the initiative to hold a side-event at the 2022 75th anniversary session of the Inland Transport Committee (ITC), scheduled for 22-25 February, showcasing the work of the World Forum in the field of Intelligent Transport Systems. He invited Co-Chairs of the IWG on ITS to consider and discuss possible content and elements for the side event, with the support of the secretariat, and invited further information to be provided on the event at the forthcoming session of WP.29 in November. The Chair of the World Forum reported that the initiative had been welcomed by the Bureau of the ITC at its May 2021 session, and that further presentations on the initiative would be made to the Bureau at its November 2021 session.

44. The World Forum approved the report of the Chair of GRSP at its sixty-eighth session (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSP/68).

GRSP/68 | Report of GRSP on its 68th (December 2020) session

45. The World Forum approved the report of the Chair of GRSG on its 120th session (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/99).

GRSG/99 | Report of GRSG on its 120th (January 2021) session

46. The World Forum approved the report of the Chair of GRPE on its eighty-second session (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRPE/82).

GRPE/82 | Report of GRPE on its 82nd (January 2021) session

47. The World Forum approved the report of the Chair of GRBP on its seventy-third session (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRBP/71).

GRBP/71 | Report of GRBP on its 73rd (January 2021) session

48. The World Forum approved the report of the Chair of GRVA on its eighth session. (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRVA/8) and the report of the ninth session (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRVA/9).

GRVA/08 | Report of the GRVA on its 8th (December 2020) session

GRVA/09 | Report of the GRVA 9th (February 2021) session

49. The Chair of GRSG reported on the results of the 121st session of GRSG (for details, see the report in ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/100).

50. He pointed out that GRSG adopted amendments to UN Regulations Nos 55, 58, 67, 110, 116, 118, 125, 151, 158, 159 and to the Consolidated Resolution on the construction of vehicles, R.E.3.

GRSG/100 | Report of GRSG on its 121st (April 2021) session

51. The Chairman of GRE reported on the results of the eighty-fourth session of GRE (for details, see the report in ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRE/84).

52. He pointed out that GRE adopted a package of amendment proposals that introduce Light Emitting Diode (LED) replacement light sources in UN Regulations Nos. 37 “Filament light sources” and 128 “LED light sources”, and in the Consolidated Resolution on the common specification of light source categories (R.E.5).

53. He further mentioned that GRE adopted new series of amendments to the following UN Regulations:

1. No. 48 (Installation of lighting and light-signalling devices) with the aim to define the switching conditions of various lamps and the variable intensity of rear lamps in conjunction with traffic conditions.
2. No. 86 (Installation of lighting and light-signalling devices for agricultural vehicles) with the aim to improve lateral lighting on vehicles, which were longer than 4.6 m, and took into account asymmetric vehicles designs.

GRE/84 | Report of GRE on its 84th (April 2021) session

54. The Chair of GRSP informed WP.29 about the results achieved by his group during its sixty-ninth session (for details see the session report ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSP/69), which took place virtually on May 17-21, 2021.

GRSP/69 | Report of GRSP on its 69th session

55. Concerning Amendment 3 to UN GTR No. 9, the Chair of GRSP reported that, while treating this issue with utmost urgency, based on the consensus among the CPs, GRSP has decided to recommend postponement of the vote on Amendment 3 in AC.3 in June 2021. The Chair of GRSP reported that GRSP has agreed to establish a task force under the leadership of the United States to facilitate in timely fashion the discussion by the experts to reach clarity on the ramifications of the provisions and in connection with other relevant issues raised by the experts. An update on the progress to AC.3 may be given at the November session of WP.29, while the final report and proposal are expected to the December meeting of GRSP. WP.29 endorsed the approach of GRSP referring to the decision of AC.3 on this subject (see paras. 151 and 152 of the session report).

56. Concerning Amendment 4 to UN GTR No. 9, the Chair of GRSP reported that GRSP endorsed the request of the expert from the Republic of Korea to extend the mandate of the IWG until November 2022. Moreover, he urged experts of CPs to both 1958 and 1998 Agreements to provide an official position on applying the numerical simulation method to the proposed requirements to the UN Regulation/UN GTR by the December 2021 session of GRSP. WP.29 endorsed the request of GRSP pending confirmation of AC.3 at its November 2021 session.

GRSP/69 | Report of GRSP on its 69th session

57. On UN GTR No. 20 (Electric Vehicle Safety), the Chair of GRSP reported that GRSP agreed to grant an 18-months extension of the mandate of the IWG on Electric Vehicle Safety (EVS) to complete its work on the amendments to UN GTR No. 20 under Phase 2. WP.29 endorsed the request for the extension of mandate of the IWG on EVS until June 2023 pending confirmation by AC.3 at its November 2021 session.

GRSP/69 | Report of GRSP on its 69th session

58. In regard to the concern raised by Sweden over the poor representation of adult female by existing dummies, the Chair of GRSP reported that GRSP has agreed to establish an Ad-hoc group to examine the issue to ensure adherence to the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 5 on Gender Equality. An informal progress report may be given at the November session of WP.29. Based on the recommendation by Sweden, GRSP will also examine the most appropriate way to engage with other Working Parties (WPs), while the Chair of GRSP will continue discussion with AC.2 to seek guidance on cooperation with WPs. WP.29 agreed on the approach of GRSP to verify first the merit of this claim and then eventually consider the Terms of Reference of an Informal Working Group on this subject and the possible involvement of other working parties.

GRSP/69 | Report of GRSP on its 69th session

59. On UN Regulation No. 22 (Protective Helmets) the Chair of GRSP reported that an Ad-hoc group will continue its work under the leadership of Italy on examining the concerns with provisions of the latest series of amendments. WP.29 endorsed the approach of GRSP on this subject.

GRSP/69 | Report of GRSP on its 69th session

60. On UN Regulation No. 129 (Enhanced Child Restraint Systems), the GRSP chair informed that GRSP adopted an interpretation of the expert from the Netherlands on the way “one belt route” defined by the current text of UN Regulation No. 129 (Enhanced Child Restraint Systems). On request of GRSP he sought guidance to address the issue of interpretations of this kind in a more coordinated way in the work of WP.29 and its subsidiary bodies. WP.29 recommended GRSP to continue discussion with such technical subjects either at the level of the working group or of a dedicated informal working group/task force.

61. Referring to the report of the 183rd session of WP.29 (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1157), the Chair of GRSP requested to introduce the following correction to paragraph 37, as follows:

“37. The World Forum noted that GRSP agreed to establish an Ad Hoc Group to study the impact of the latest series of amendments to the UN Regulation No. 22 (Protective Helmets) on the helmet and helmet accessories industries.”

GRSP/69 | Report of GRSP on its 69th session

62. Chair of GRSP further explained the GRSP position on the type-approval issued by Poland for a belt-guide device and reported to WP.29 on the outcome of discussion which took place at the sixty-eight session of GRSP. He explained that GRSP adopted a document which contains a list of statements/actions:

1. The belt-guide device does not meet the requirements of the UN Regulation;
2. There is no possibility to bring this device in line with the requirements of the UN Regulation;
3. There is no legal base for the approval of the belt-guide under UN Regulation No. 44;
4. Therefore, the approval under UN Regulation No.44 is invalid;
5. GRSP is urging Poland to withdraw the approval.

63. WP.29 endorsed the decision of GRSP and urged the Type Approval Authority of Poland to take the appropriate steps.

GRSP/69 | Report of GRSP on its 69th session

64. The GRVA Chair reported on the results achieved by GRVA during its special (tenth) session (for details, see the reports of the sessions ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRVA/10).

65. He reported on the progress of the GRVA working groups on automation with the objective to submit proposals for guidelines for automated/autonomous vehicles in 2022.

66. The representative of OICA explained that some contracting parties were initiating regulatory activities having relevance for automated driverless shuttles and that others were launching regulatory activities on Artificial Intelligence. He proposed that WP.29 reflects on the harmonization of these matters.

67. The representative of France made a distinction between activities related to the performance of automated driving addressed by the IWG on FRAV and activities related to the vehicle category to reflect such shuttles.

68. The Chair of GRSG recalled that GRSG already exchanged views on the definition of a vehicle category for shuttles.

69. The Chair of GRVA mentioned that GRVA reviewed two documents on Artificial Intelligence and vehicle regulations and that GRVA requested the secretariat together with the GRVA Officers, to prepare a draft guideline for a first review in September 2021.

GRVA/10 | Report of GRVA on its 10th session

70. He reported on the GRVA discussions on the implementation of UN Regulation No. 155 and on the workshop on this matter to be held on 8 July 2021 prepared with the support of the secretariat and Japan.

GRVA/10 | Report of GRVA on its 10th session

71. The Chair of GRPE (Netherlands) reported to WP.29 on the results achieved by GRPE during its eighty-third session (for more details see the report of the session ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRPE/83).

72. GRPE endorsed proposals for Supplements 15, 17 and 14 to the 05, 06 and 07 series of amendments to UN Regulation No. 83 (Emissions of M1 and N1 vehicles), Supplement 7 to the 03 series of amendments to UN Regulation No. 24 (Visible pollutants, measurement of power of C.I. engines (Diesel smoke)), Supplement 11 to the 01 series of amendments to UN Regulation No. 101 (CO2 emission/fuel consumption) and Supplement 1 to UN regulation No. 133 (Recyclability of motor vehicles). GRPE endorsed a request for authorization to develop a new UN GTR on brake particulate emissions and a revised authorization to develop a UN GTR on RDE. Finally, GRPE endorsed amendments to Mutual Resolution No. 2 (M.R.2).

73. GRPE agreed to host an additional session on 12 November 2021 for half a day (pending confirmation from UNOG conference services), to allow for a timely finalization of the development of the UN GTR on in-vehicle durability by the IWG on EVE, and tackled other agenda items if time allows. GRPE requested the secretariat to organize this session as a hybrid session.

74. GRPE requested the GRPE ambassador to International Whole Vehicle Type Approval (IWVTA) to communicate to the IWG on IWVTA that GRPE agreed to maintain the inclusion of UN Regulation No.154 in the list of candidates for IWVTA Phase 2.

75. GRPE agreed to update terms of references and rules of procedure for the IWGs on RDE and PMP; the terms of references of the IWG on EVE, that also expired, are expected to be considered by GRPE in November 2021.

76. GRPE updated its list of priorities according to the latest information available and received a request from the representative of Japan to initiate the inclusion of Life Cycle Analysis into the priority list. He underlined preparatory work on a revised priority list for 2022 and 2023 would be tackled in the GRPE November 2021 session to feed the discussions about the Programme of Work held in AC.2 and WP.29.

77. WP.29 endorsed the request to hold an additional GRPE session on 12 November 2021.

78. WP.29 agreed to extend the mandate for the IWG on Global RDE and IWG on PMP until June 2023.

GRPE/83 | Report of GRPE on its 83rd (June 2021) session

79. The secretariat informed the World Forum about the latest update of the status of the 1958 Agreement, based on ECE/TRANS/WP.29/343/Rev.29. WP.29 noted that contracting parties should notify the secretariat about any amendments needed to Add.1 to the status document via the online data base (/343app) only. The secretariat invited those Contracting Parties who had not yet notified their Single Points of Contact, to gain writing permission for the database, to do so as soon as possible.

80. WP.29 noted that no document had been submitted under this agenda item.

81. WP.29 noted that no document had been submitted under this agenda item.

82. The representative of Japan, Chair of the IWG on IWVTA presented a proposal for the 04 series of amendments to UN Regulation No. 0 (WP.29-184-07), the regular annual update of the UN Regulation and its Annex 4, Part A, Section I (List of requirements for Universal (U)-IWVTA), including an addition of four UN Regulations into the table (Nos. 154, 161, 162 and 163). He invited the World Forum to consider the document for issuing as an official proposal for its November 2021 session.

83. The representative from Switzerland explained the situation in the country that is similar to the situation in the EU, where approval from UN Regulation No. 154 are not sufficient to grant vehicle emission approvals. He suggested to add a footnote in UN Regulation No. 154 to clarify the situation for all CPs. The representative from the EU agreed that for the purpose of EU type approval, an approval to UN Regulation No. 154 needs to be accompanied by supplementary evidence of meeting regional regulatory requirements. He added that the intention of the EU was not to prevent other CPs to benefit from an inclusion of UN Regulation No. 154 into UN Regulation No. 0.

84. The representative from OICA sought further clarifications from the EU, and whether approvals to UN Regulation No. 154 (accompanied by the needed additional EU regulatory requirements) would be accepted by the EU. The representative from the EU said the questions would be clarified in the EU legislation and stated the approvals to UN Regulation No. 154 in itself would be accepted, but evidence related to additional emission requirements not covered by UN Regulation No. 154 was needed to get EU Whole Vehicle Type approval. The representative from the UK supported the contribution from Switzerland and suggested some further discussions were needed. The Chair invited WP.29 to reconsider this issue during the November 2021 session, if need be, when the inclusion of UN Regulation No. 154 into UN Regulation No. 0 is expected.

85. The World Forum requested the secretariat to issue WP.29-184-07 as an official document for consideration at its November 2021 session, invited interested stakeholders to discuss outstanding issues and to revise the proposal accordingly prior to submission.

WP.29-184-07 | UN R0: Proposal for a 04 series of amendments Proposal to update the whole vehicle approval requirements to the latest series of amendments and to add the WLTP emissions cycle (UN R154). The update would also reflect the separation of UN R116 into three regulations respectively covering vehicle locking systems, alarm systems, and immobilizers.

86. The representative of ETRTO recalled the petition for guidance it submitted to WP.29, at its March 2021 session (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1157, para. 65ff), concerning additional documentary requirements that their members had faced in several Contracting Parties to the 1958 Agreement when importing tyres which had been previously type approved by other Contracting Parties according to UN Regulations (WP.29-183-07). He reiterated the view that such requirements were not in line with the text and spirit of Revision 3 to the 1958 Agreement and requested WP.29 guidance on the issue. He recalled that WP.29 had invited Contracting Parties to report on issues which could impede the smooth application of mutual recognition at the national level and decided to revert to this matter at the current session, to assess the need for appropriate actions. He added that since the March session of the World Forum, when the concerns were initially raised by ETRTO to WP.29, members of ETRTO had continued to report receiving requests for additional documentation and requests for retesting from local authorities in circumstances where such requests were uncalled for.

87. The delegates from OICA, IMMA and CLEPA restated their support to ETRTO regarding concerns over the proper implementation of the 1958 Agreement, while pointing out that their own members had so far not encountered similar problems.

88. WP.29 reiterated (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1145, para. 87) that, in accordance with the provisions of Article 3 of the 1958 Agreement, wheeled vehicles, equipment or parts for which type approvals have been issued by a Contracting Party pursuant to a UN Regulation shall be held to be in conformity with the relevant part of the national legislation of all of the Contracting Parties applying the said UN Regulation. WP.29 highlighted that Contracting Parties applying UN Regulations shall, by mutual recognition, accept for the placement on their markets type approvals granted pursuant to these UN Regulations without requesting any further testing, documentation, certification or marking concerning these type approvals, unless any special provisions within these UN Regulations so permit.

WP.29-183-07 | 1958 Agreement: Request for guidance on Contracting Parties not following rules

89. The representative from Germany, Chair of the IWG on DETA, presented (WP.29-184-14) the report to the World Forum related to the use of DETA and also updating WP.29 on the work of the IWG at its forty-first session, held on 14 June 2021. He laid out the current state of play, noting the number of approvals uploaded as well as the geographical distribution of their origin. He underlined that Germany was able to continue hosting DETA until a long-term solution for its hosting, potentially at UNECE, is finalized, recalling the discussion at the March 2021 session of WP.29 about scheduling an AC.2 level meeting on the financing of DETA. He further noted activities of the IWG related to Contracting and implementation of Unique Identifier (UI) / Declaration of Conformance (DoC), Two factor authentication and Mass Upload Functionality, noting the intention of the IWG on DETA to present the UI summary documents to all WP.29 GRs. He requested WP.29 to consider extending the mandate of the IWG on DETA for a further two years. He also introduced a preliminary proposal for amendments to of the UI guidelines (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2019/77) for consideration of WP.29.

90. The representative of CITA welcomed the aim of the IWG on DETA to present UI summary documents to all WP.29 GRs, and inquired whether the IWG on PTI could also benefit from the presentation. The Chair of the IWG on DETA confirmed that the IWG on PTI would be included in the activity.

91. The secretariat updated the World Forum on the status of activities related to the financing of DETA and hosting it at the UNECE, noting the proposal of United States of America, reflected in the Programme of Work of the World Forum (page 2, item g.), to extend the scope of DETA to address needs of 1998 Agreement Contracting Parties (CPs). The secretariat further expanded on this proposal noting the potential development of DETA towards addressing 1997 Agreement CPs as well. In closing, the secretariat thanked Germany for hosting DETA and for its willingness to continue hosting until a permanent solution is established.

92. The World Forum welcomed the initiatives to expand the scope of DETA to address the needs of CPs to the 1998 and 1997 Agreements. WP.29 also supported the proposal to hold a meeting of interesting parties at AC.2 level to discuss DETA financing, inviting the secretariat to convene it in coordination with interested stakeholders.

93. WP.29 granted the extension of mandate of the IWG on DETA until June 2023. The World Forum invited the IWG on DETA to develop a document containing the proposal for amending the UI guidelines (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2019/77) and submit it to at its upcoming session.

WP.29-184-13 | DETA informal group: Draft report of the 41st session

WP.29-184-14 | Report to the 184th WP.29 session from the 41st IWG on DETA meeting

WP.29/2019/77 | DETA: Specifications and application guidelines for the Unique Identifier (UI) module

94. The World Forum considered draft amendments under agenda items 4.6.1 to 4.6.3. and recommended their submission to AC.1 for voting, subject to the following modification of ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/63/Rev.1 (agenda item 4.6.2):

Paragraph 4.14., renumber as 4.15.
In Annex 27, throughout the text, replace “Figure 0(c)” with “Figure 3(c)” and “Figure 0(d)” with “Figure 3(d)”.

WP.29/2021/63/Rev.1 | UN R129: Proposal for Supplement 5 to the 03 series of amendments Proposal to clarify<ul><li>provisions including the Test Report Template and Dimension Assessment Method</li><li>that specific vehicle belted Enhanced Child Restraint Systems (ECRS) may be fitted with a support leg, top tether and lower tether attachments.</li></ul> This proposal also amends the existing support leg volume to improve the compatibility between the support leg volume and the Child Restraint Fixtures used for accessing the external dimensions of an ECRS and introduces provisions for a Digital User Guide.

95. The Chair of GRSP presented draft amendment proposals contained in document ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/65 under agenda item 4.6.4., to amend UN Regulation No. 134.

WP.29/2021/65 | UN R134: Proposal for a new 01 series of amendments Proposal to align UN R134 with UN R67 and UN R110 with regard to labelling requirements and to assist emergency services in determining appropriate responses in case of fire.

96. The World Forum considered draft amendments under agenda items 4.7.2 to 4.7.6 and recommended their submission to AC.1 for voting.

97. The Chair of GRPE presented draft amendment proposals contained in document ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/66 under agenda item 4.7.1., to amend UN Regulation No. 49. The World Forum recommended its submission to AC.1 for voting, subject to the following addition:

In Annexes 2A, 2B, 2C and Appendix 2 to Annex 13, replace all instances of “… 06 series …” with “… 07 series …”

WP.29/2021/66 | UN R49: Proposal for a new 07 series of amendments Proposal to introduce new requirements relating to Auxiliary Emission Strategies, cold engine starts and the use of Portable Emissions Measurement Systems (PEMS) to measure particle numbers.

98. The World Forum considered draft amendments under agenda items 4.8.3 and 4.8.4. and recommended their submission to AC.1 for voting.

99. The Chair of GRVA presented draft amendment proposals contained in documents ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/72 and ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/82 as amended by WP.29-184-05, reproduced in Annex VI, under agenda items 4.8.1 and 4.8.2., to amend UN Regulation No. 79. The World Forum recommended their submission to AC.1 for voting.

WP.29-184-05 | UN R79: Proposal for amendments to document GRVA/2021/82 Amendments as agreed during the 10th (May 2021) GRVA session to the proposal to introduce a “risk mitigation function” (RMF) to enable an automated emergency response to driver incapacitation or unresponsiveness during use of an automatically commanded steering function.

WP.29/2021/82 | UN R79: Proposal for a 04 series of amendments Proposal from GRVA to introduce a "risk mitigation function" (RMF) to enable an automated emergency response to driver incapacitation or unresponsiveness during use of an automatically commanded steering function.

100. The World Forum considered draft amendments under agenda items 4.9.1 to 4.9.4. and recommended their submission to AC.1 for voting.

101. WP.29 noted that no document had been submitted under this agenda item.

102. WP.29 noted that no document had been submitted under this agenda item.

103. WP.29 noted that no document had been submitted under this agenda item.

104. WP.29 noted that no document had been submitted under this agenda item.

105. WP.29 noted that no document had been submitted under this agenda item.

106. WP.29 noted that no document had been submitted under this agenda item.

107. The World Forum agreed that agenda items 5.2 to 5.5 related to the 1998 Agreement should be considered in detail under agenda items 15 to 20 prepared for the Executive Committee of the 1998 Agreement, WP.29/AC.3.

108. The World Forum agreed to keep this item on its agenda awaiting additional presentations.

109. The representative of the Russian Federation, Co-Chair of the IWG on Periodical Technical Inspections (PTI) reported to WP.29 on the activities of the IWG at its twenty-first, twenty-second and twenty-third sessions, which took place in April, May and June 2021, in a virtual format (WP.29-184-08). He informed delegates that IWG on PTI had revised its terms of reference and submitted it for consideration by the World Forum. He stated that the IWG had completed the development and submitted for approval to WP.29 the framework document on vehicle whole-life compliance, which contained definitions, a safety and environmental vision, working principles, and a whole-life compliance principles based on a risk assessment approach. In addition, he introduced the work of the IWG concerning a draft proposal for amending UN Rule No. 1 and the WP.29 recommendation on application of Particulate Number (PN) measurement at PTI, as well as the work towards the development of the draft Guidance for road-side technical inspections and enforcement.

110. The representative of the Russian Federation, Co-Chair of the IWG on PTI introduced the updated draft terms of reference of the IWG (WP.29-184-09). The World Forum endorsed the updated draft terms of reference, as amended in session (WP.29-184-09/Rev.1). He also introduced the draft Framework document on vehicle whole-life compliance (WP.29-184-10).

111. The representative of the Netherlands, Chair of GRPE, congratulated the IWG on PTI for the initiatives taken, and the forward-thinking activities introduced. He welcomed the approach of the IWG on PTI, and insisted both IWG on PTI and GRPE were already working closely together on the topic of lifetime compliance, especially looking at tampering and the links between the type approval and periodic technical inspection procedures. The Chair of WP.29 agreed a close collaboration was fully appropriate.

112. Upon detailed discussion pertaining to its contents, and further comments from representatives of the Russian Federation, CITA and OICA, WP.29 requested the draft Framework document on vehicle whole-life compliance as revised in session (WP.29-184-10/Rev.1) to be issued as an official document, circulated among all GRs for their comments and contributions and submitted for consideration at the November 2021 session of the World Forum.

113. The Chair of WP.29 invited the IWG on PTI to initiate activities in line with its newly endorsed terms of reference and invited the IWG to regularly report on its activities to the World Forum.

WP.29-184-08 | PTI informal group: Report to WP.29 about results of the 21st, 22nd and 23rd meetings

WP.29-184-09/Rev.1 | Draft Terms of Reference of the Informal Working Group on Periodical Technical Inspections

WP.29-184-09/Rev.1 | Draft Terms of Reference of the Informal Working Group on Periodical Technical Inspections

WP.29-184-10/Rev.1 | Proposal for a framework document on vehicle whole-life compliance

WP.29-184-11 | Presentation on the proposal for a framework document on vehicle whole-life compliance

114. WP.29 noted ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1074/Rev.16 on the status of the agreement, including the status of the UN Rules annexed to the agreement, the list of the contracting parties to the agreement and of their administrative departments.

115. WP.29 noted that no document had been submitted under this agenda item.

116. WP.29 noted that no document had been submitted under this agenda item.

117. WP.29 noted that no document had been submitted under this agenda item.

118. WP.29 noted that no document had been submitted under this agenda item.

119. WP.29 agreed to defer consideration of this agenda item to the next session.

120. WP.29 noted that no document had been submitted under this agenda item.

121. WP.29 noted that no proposals for amendments have been submitted under this agenda item.

122. WP.29 noted the overview of proposals, adopted at the 183rd session, and their envisaged entry into force.

WP.29-184-12 | 1958 Agreement: Proposals adopted during the March 2021 WP.29 session: Situation of their entry into force

123. The World Forum adopted the report on its 184th session and its annexes based on a draft prepared by the secretariat under COVID-19 special procedures. The report included sections related to the seventy-eighth session of the Administrative Committee (AC.1) of the 1958 Agreement and to the sixty-first session of the Executive Committee (AC.3) of the 1998 Agreement.

WP.29/1159 | Report of WP.29 on its 184th (June 2021) session

124. The AC.1 voting followed the special proceedings during COVID-19 period, which had been adopted by all Contracting Parties to the 1958 Agreement under a silence procedure on 11 June 2021. The written procedure, had been initiated on 15 June 2021 12:00h CET and had lasted for 72 hours, ending on 18 June 2021 15:00h CET. The seventy-eighth, online, session of AC.1 was held on 23 June 2021.

125. Of the 56 contracting parties to the agreement, 41 were represented by taking part in the written procedure and at the online AC.1 session, its seventy-eighth session, on 23 June 2021.

126. AC.1 invited the Chair of WP.29 to chair the online session.

127. The results of the voting on the documents submitted to the 184th session, following the rules of procedure of article 12 and the appendix of Revision 3 to the 1958 Agreement, can be found via the Adopted Texts link and in the session report under this paragraph number.

128. The sixty-first session of the Executive Committee (AC.3) was held on 22 June 2021 and chaired by the representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Decision taking and voting followed the special proceedings during COVID-19 period, which had been adopted by all Contracting Parties to the 1998 Agreement under a silence procedure on 11 June 2021. The representatives of 14 of the 38 contracting parties to the agreement attended: Australia, Canada, China, European Union (representing Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden), India, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, South Africa, Tunisia, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and United States of America.

129. AC.3 noted the information, as of June 2021, on the status of the Agreement of the Global Registry and of the Compendium of Candidates (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1073/Rev.30), the status of the priorities of the 1998 Agreement (based on WP.29-184-06 as reproduced in Annex V to this report) and items on which the exchange of views should continue. AC.3 noted that notifications and the mandatory reports on the transposition process through their Permanent Missions in Geneva to the secretariat, are publicly accessible at: wiki.unece.org/display/TRAN/Home. AC.3 recalled its agreement to always send the above-mentioned reports and notifications through their Permanent Missions in Geneva and directly to the secretariat (email: edoardo.gianotti@un.org) to ensure updating of the status document, which is the monitoring tool of the Agreement.

130. AC.3 noted that since March 2020, no status reports or final notifications were submitted to the secretariat. Therefore, AC.3 warmly reiterated its request to its Contracting Parties to send the above-mentioned status report and notifications as one of the main obligations of the 1998 Agreement. Moreover, it was noted that this action would imply that representatives would provide the secretariat with the coordinates of their corresponding focal points to the agreement, appointed in their capitals to draft the reports and notifications to keep them informed in the exchange of information through the above-mentioned website. In addition, the representative of the European Union suggested to look for solutions to streamline the submission of status reports/final notifications (e.g. transposition of UN GTRs through the adoption of corresponding UN Regulations).

131. The representative of the United States of America argued that a de facto transposition of UN GTRs through UN Regulations might not be ostensibly acceptable since differences exist between UN GTRs and UN Regulations on the same subjects and only tight harmonization could provide the same level playing field.

132. The representative of OICA stressed the crucial importance of an update situations on the process of transposition into Contracting Parties as a whole, including precise information as to the legal status of the UN GTRs implementation (mandatory, alternative, …).

133. Finally, AC.3 noted that according to Articles 7.4 to 7.4.1. of the Agreement, status reports should be provided to the secretariat for each one-year period if action or no action had been taken in the above-mentioned process and that no specific layout to provide such information was requested by the Agreement.

134. AC.3 noted that no proposals for a new UN GTR had been submitted.

135. AC.3 noted that the proposal under this agenda item had been withdrawn.

WP.29/1157/Add.1 | GTR 9: Statement on Amendment 3 decision

WP.29/1157/Add.2 | GTR 9: Statement on Amendment 3 decision

WP.29/2021/53 | GTR 9: Proposal for Amendment 3 Proposal to clarify provisions of the headform tests of UN GTR No. 9.

WP.29/2021/54 | GTR 9: Final progress report on the development of Amendment 3 Review of the work behind the proposal to clarify GTR 9, in particular concerning the definition of the headform testing/contact area for measurement purposes.

136. Submitted for consideration and vote, the proposal for Amendment 4 to UN GTR No. 4 on WHDC (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/79 and ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/80) was adopted on 22 June 2021 by consensus vote of the following contracting parties present and voting: Australia, Canada, China, the European Union (representing Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden), India, Japan, Norway, the Russian Federation, South Africa, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and United States of America.

137. The representatives from the Republic of Korea, Malaysia and Tunisia abstained from voting.

WP.29/2021/79 | GTR 4: Proposal for Amendment 4 Proposal to improve the text of provisions introduced in Amendment 3 to UN GTR No. 4.

WP.29/2021/80 | GTR 4: Technical report on the development of Amendment 4

138. No new information was provided under this agenda item.

139. AC.3 noted that no proposals had been submitted under this agenda item.

140. No new information was provided under this agenda item.

141. No new information was provided under this agenda item.

159. Due to lack of time, AC.3 deferred consideration of agenda items 19.15 to 19.24, to its next session scheduled for November 2021.

142. No new information was provided under this agenda item.

143. The representative of European Union updated AC.3 on the latest progress made by the Informal Working Group (IWG) on Environmental and Propulsion Performance Requirements of L-category vehicles (EPPR) with respect to the on-going development of Amendment 5 to UN GTR No. 2. He informed AC.3 that a draft Amendment 5 to UN GTR No. 2 had been presented during the last session of GRPE in June 2021. He added that a broader range of vehicle and fuel types were expected to be covered by UN GTR No. 2 through Amendment 5. He finally concluded that a consideration from GRPE was expected in the course of 2022.

144. The representative of Italy informed AC.3 that GRVA should address, at its September 2021 session, a proposal to amend requirements for motorcycle braking. He announced that the proposal would deal with the introduction of stop lamp activation under regenerative braking and the updating of the references to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards for the determination of the Peak Braking Coefficient (PBC). He added that the proposed requirements, if agreed by GRVA, could be submitted to AC.3 as a proposal to amend to UN GTR No. 3.

145. The Chair of AC.3 congratulated Japan, as the technical sponsor of the work on the development of Amendment 4 to UN GTR No. 4 on WHDC, on the adoption of the Amendment.

146. No new information was provided under this agenda item.

147. No new information was provided under this agenda item.

148. The representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, informed AC.3 that GRSP recommended, at its May 2021 session, a proposal for Addendum 1 to Mutual Resolution 1 (M.R.1.) to incorporate drawings, specifications and a manual of the Biomechanical Rear Impact Device (BioRID) test tool. He clarified that the adoption of this amendment at the November 2021 session of AC.3 would facilitate the proper use of UN GTR No. 7 and UN Regulation No. 17 by Contracting Parties of both Agreements. Therefore, he recommended that the representatives of Contracting Parties would be ready to endorse it.

149. The representative of the Republic of Korea presented the work progress on an amendment to UN GTR No. 8. He recalled that AC.1 adopted, at its June 2020 session, amendments to UN Regulation No. 140 (ESC) for allowing new innovative steering systems which have a significantly lower steering gear ratio. He added that, for the sake of keeping the consistency between the UN Regulation No. 140 and UN GTR No. 8, the Republic of Korea had submitted a proposal for amendments to UN GTR No. 8 at the September 2020 GRVA session. He recalled that the proposal submitted received comments from Canada and that no consensus had been reached so far. He explained that there had not been a heightened sense of urgency for completion of this work as this new technology was not yet deployed on the market.

150. The delegate from the United States of America explained that he had similar views as delegates from Canada and proposed the organization of consultations involving the interested stakeholders. The representative of the Republic of Korea welcomed this initiative, and informed stakeholders that attempts would be made to organize consultations before the end of September 2021.

WP.29/2020/99 | GTR 8: Request for authorization to develop an amendment Request to develop an amendment to the GTR 8 testing provisions to accommodate the latest innovations for steering systems which have significantly low steering gear ratio (i.e. quick steering characteristics).

151. Referring to the deferral of vote on Amendment 3 to UN GTR No. 9, the representative of the United States of America, Chair of GRSP, informed AC.3 about the actions undertaken in the progress towards a resolution of outstanding matters in this context. He informed delegates that a meeting of interested experts was held virtually on 23 April 2021, when the representatives from the United States of America and Germany presented findings and conclusions of their respective experts. It was agreed that more discussions were warranted, as well as the involvement of the industry. Following that meeting, United States of America and Germany continued the dialogue and exchange of views and technical information to find a solution. He also added that experts met on 17 May 2021, just prior to the GRSP May 2021 session, and agreed to establish as soon as possible a task force for the purpose of solving the issue before the December 2021 GRSP session. He also noted that the first meeting of the task Force was held on 14 and 15 June 2021 and that a proposal would most likely be ready by the GRSP meeting in December 2021. He underlined that the experts from Germany, Canada, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, and Republic of Korea, supported the approach of the United States of America and emphasised the relevance of timing.

152. The representative from OICA stressed the importance of not delaying the finalisation of the extension of the impact zone to the windscreen area, explaining that this is urgently needed due to the European Union requirements of the General Safety Regulation, which were already decided in general (including the application dates), but which were currently under technical development in the framework of UN Regulation No. 127. He warned that if such detailed topics were referred back to GTR No. 9 as additional items under the currently foreseen draft amendment 3 (designation of the test points), the deadlines would possibly not be respected, creating for industry and authorities a legal void. However, the Chair of AC.3 recommended that the work of the Task Force would focus on Amendment 3 to UN GTR No. 9, since many Contracting Parties would not afford further delays on this subject and recommended the adoption of the revised authorization for developing the work (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/83). AC.3 endorsed the Chair’s approach and adopted the proposal. AC.3 requested the secretariat to distribute ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/83 with an AC.3 symbol at its November 2021 session, awaiting a status report of the Task Force at this session.

153. Due to lack of time, AC.3 deferred consideration on Deployable Pedestrian Protection Systems (DPPS) to its next session scheduled for November 2021.

WP.29/2021/83 | GTR 9: Proposal to revise the authorization to develop amendments

154. No new information was provided under this agenda item.

155. No new information was provided under this agenda item.

156. No new information was provided under this agenda item.

157. Due to lack of time, AC.3 deferred consideration of this agenda item to its next session scheduled for November 2021.

158. AC.3 noted that no activities on the harmonization of the World Side Impact Dummy (WorldSID) were undertaken. AC.3 urged for a solution to complete the specification of the WorldSID that would be integrated into an addendum of M.R.1, in similar fashion to what had been pursued for the Flex Pedestrian Legform Impactor and BioRID.

160. The Chair of AC.3 recommended that AC.3 endorses ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/81, granting authorization to the IWG on EPPR to develop a new UN GTR on durability of after treatment devices for two- and three- wheeled motor vehicles. AC.3 adopted ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/81 and requested the secretariat to issue it as an AC.3 document for consideration at its next session in November 2021.

WP.29/2021/81 | Request for authorization to develop a UN GTR on durability of after treatment devices for two- and three-wheeled motor vehicles Proposal to develop a new UN GTR based upon the European Regulation No. 168/2013 and its supplementing regulations (Euro 5) to provide test procedures and requirements for the durability of emissions after-treatment devices.

161. Due to lack of time, AC.3 deferred consideration of agenda items 20 and 21, including pertaining subitems, to its next session scheduled for November 2021.

161. Due to lack of time, AC.3 deferred consideration of agenda items 20 and 21, including pertaining subitems, to its next session scheduled for November 2021.

162. The Administrative Committee (AC.4) did not convene, as recommended by AC.2 during its 136th session.

163. No subject was raised under this agenda item.

164. No subject was raised under this agenda item.

165. No subject was raised under this agenda item.