. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/474 
15 March 2004 
 
 (04-1135) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
  
 
REPORT ON ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN BY THE INTERNATIONAL REGIONAL 
ORGANISATION FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL HEALTH (OIRSA) IN RELATION 
TO THE AGREEMENT ON SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES 
 
 
 The following communication, dated 11 March 2004, is being circulated at the request of the 
OIRSA.  
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 Report to be submitted during the 29
th Meeting of the WTO Committee on Sanitary and 
Phytosanitary Measures on 17 and 18 March 2004.  
Technological Masters' Degree in Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  
 1. In view of the satisfactory results of the fi rst courses of the Technological Masters' Degree 
Programme, the Ministers/Secretaries of Agricultu re and Livestock of the OIRSA region agreed on 
the organization of a third course.  The purpose of  this programme, which is being implemented by 
the OIRSA with the academic coordination of Cole gio de Posgraduados de México (Postgraduate 
College of Mexico), is to train academically rec ognized, high-level human resources so that they can 
contribute to the modernization and implementati on of sanitary and phytosanitary measures, as well 
as to help foster international trad e in Mexico and Central America. 
To date, the following modules have been comp leted:  (a) Leadership, Human Development 
and Basic Statistics;  (b) Food Safety, theory an d practice;  (c) Global Ec onomy and International 
Trade.  The last of these modules, for example, involved the study, inter alia,  of the development of 
the multilateral trade framework, the main WTO agreements, globalization, stages of economic 
integration, and trade negotiation techniques. 
Support for the prevention, control a nd eradication of pests and diseases 
 
2. Monitoring activities were developed in coordi nation with the authorities of the countries of 
Central America for two pests, "citrus leprosies" and "citrus cancrosis", a nd the countries developed 
plans for their control and eradication. 
3. The Technical Animal Health Commission of H.CIRSA (technical  directors of the countries) 
held its emergency meeting to address the emerging subject of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy  
and to define regional strategies to prevent the disease from entering the region. 
Training and dissemination in the area  of agricultural health and trade 
 4. In connection with the implementation of the United States Public Health Security and Bio-
Terrorism Preparedness and Response Act (Pub lic Law 107-188), between October 2003 and G/SPS/GEN/474 
Page 2  
 
 February 2004 nine dissemination and training semin ars were held in Guatemala, El Salvador, 
Honduras and Nicaragua. 
5. A course was organized for officials from Ni caragua, Costa Rica and Panama on laboratory 
diagnosis for the detection of the West Nile viru s.  The course was conducted in the high security 
laboratory of the Mexico – United States Commiss ion for the Prevention of Foot-and-Mouth Disease 
and Other Exotic Animal Diseases, SAGARPA/SENASICA, in Mexico. 
6. Simulation courses were conducted on the subj ect of Avian Influenza in Panama and 
Foot-and-Mouth disease in El Salvador. 
7. The following courses were organized through th e Regional Project for the Strengthening of 
Phytosanitary Surveillance in Non-Traditional Export Crops (VIFINEX):  good manufacturing 
practices and geographical information systems in Guatemala;  production and post-harvest 
management of pineapples for export in El Salv ador;  good agricultural practices and integrated 
management with respect to melons  and watermelons in Honduras;  plan t health in peanut cultivation 
in Nicaragua;  and good agricultural practices w ith respect to organic coffee in Costa Rica. 
8. Farmers from the Nicaraguan Chamber for the Dairy Industry (CANISLAC) received training 
on the subject of exotic diseases for central ameri ca, and the regional animal health situation in 
relation to the Central American Customs Union. 
9. At the request of the College of Veterinary Su rgeons of Costa Rica, a talk was organized on 
the topic:  Animal Health at the Forefront of Sanitary Measures for International Trade. 
10. At the request of the Agricultural and Agro-Indu strial Chamber of El Salvador (CAMGRO), a 
talk was organized on the topic:  Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures in Free Trade Agreements. 
11. During the Seventh Meeting of Agricultural Quarantine Decision-Makers from the OIRSA 
region, a talk was organized on the topic:  Inte rnational Trade and Sanitary and Phytosanitary 
Measures. 
12. Officials and inspectors from the Agricultural Quarantine Division of  El Salvador received 
training on the subject:  Obligations and Ethics in International Trade. 
Strengthening of regional sanitary institutions to facilitate trade 
 
13. The FAO/OIRSA project on phytosanitary capac ity building in OIRSA member countries was 
launched.   This project seeks to strengthen the ca pacity of regional phytosanitary institutions by 
evaluating their capacity, identifying development st rategies, providing training on phytosanitary 
regulations, and modernizing phytosanitary legislati on to bring it into line with the IPPC and the 
WTO SPS Agreement. 
14. In the framework of the IDB/ OIRSA project on support for agricultural trade through the 
harmonized implementation of sanitary and phytosanita ry measures in mesoamerica, work was begun 
on identifying the structures, procedures and mechan isms of the region's sanitary and phytosanitary 
services. 
 
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