From a press release issued by the AMA:

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST ASSOCIATION REPRESENTS U.S. RIDERS AT U.N. CONFERENCE

PICKERINGTON, OHIO — Ed Moreland, the AMA’s Vice President for Government Relations, represented the interests of American motorcyclists at the recent United Nations Working Party 29 (WP.29) meeting, which was held March 11 – 14 in Geneva, Switzerland.

During the meeting, Moreland met with members of the parliament of the European Union, officials of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Dr. Jeffrey Runge, Administrator of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Moreland reports that these discussions will prove useful in the coming months as the United Nations considers Global Technical Regulations (GTRs) on emissions testing, brake standards, and noise.

The WP.29 meeting was part of the World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations, a United Nations group considering international motor-vehicle standards in areas such as safety, emissions, energy efficiency and theft prevention. The U.S. is among the countries that signed the agreement creating the Forum, raising the possibility that standards set by the international agency could become law here.

In October of last year, the AMA attended Forum meetings in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Montreal, Quebec, offering motorcyclists’ perspectives on efforts to create worldwide standards for motorcycle brakes and for testing exhaust emissions.

The United Nations Economic and Social Council granted the AMA Non-Governmental organization (NGO) status in July of 2001. With NGO status, the AMA is able to participate in the Forum and has the opportunity to offer U.S. riders’ input as well as monitor regulations that could affect this nation’s six million motorcyclists.