WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/GEN/290
30 October 2001
(01-5331)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
REPORT BY THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
ADENDA ITEM 4 - TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND COOPERATION
1. WHO provides various technical assistance to Member States with a particular focus on
strengthening national capacities for:  assessing and responding to foodborne diseases (FBDs) and
their risks; participating in the WTO multilateral trade negotiations including the SPS Agreement and
the work of the Codex Alimentarius Commission at national, regional and international level; and
reviewing/developing national food legislation with a view to meeting the obligations of WTO trade
agreements and harmonizing with Codex standards,  guidelines and recommendations.  The following
are some examples of these activities carried out by the WHO Head Quarters in Geneva, Switzerland
and the six WHO Regions (Regional Offices for the Americas, Africa, Europe, Eastern
Mediterranean, Western Pacific and South-East Asia).
A. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR FOODBORNE DISEASE SURVEILLANCE AND RESPONSE
2. Surveillance data are of paramount importance for all steps of risk analysis, namely, risk
profiling, risk assessment, risk management and risk communication. WHO offers technical
assistance to Member States to improve FBD surveillance data in order to reduce uncertainties in risk
assessment and thereby entail an appropriate selection of prevention and control strategies.  Examples
include:
(a) WHO Training Courses for Laboratory Microbiologists1
3. WHO offers training courses for national re ference laboratories in different regions to
strengthen the capacities of WHO Member States for surveillance and control of the major FBDs.  Sofar, eight training courses are organized in South East Asia, Central America, South America, China
and the Mediterranean.  In July 2001, a training course was organized in Merida, Mexico with
participants from: Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras,
Nicaragua, Mexico and Panama.  In September 2001, a training course was organized in Buenos Aires
with participants from Argentina, Bolivia, Braz il, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru,
Uruguay, and Venezuela.  Future courses are planned in Poland for Middle and Eastern Europe and in
Thailand for South East Asia.
(b) Upcoming WHO Consultation on Global Strategy for Foodborne Disease Surveillance
4. This Consultation will be convened on 26-29 November 2001, in Geneva, Switzerland to
establish a "global network of networks of FBD surveillance systems (FoodWeb)" by bringing
                                                     
1 This is part of WHO’s Global Salm-Surv (GSS) Programme ( http://www.who.int/salmsurv ) which is
a global surveillance network on Salmonella in the human health, veterinary and food-related areas.  The WHO
Global Salm-Surv comprises the following elements:  external quality assurance and reference testing programon Salmonella  serotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility testing; communication and information exchange
between laboratories and individuals through an electronic discussion group; and web-based databank
containing annual surveillance results of national and regional laboratories.G/SPS/GEN/290
Page 2
together various potential partners.  This is part of WHO’s comprehensive strategy for strengthening
national capacities for FBD surveillance systems in developing countries:  surveillance data are used
for planning, implementing and evaluating public health policies, however little information exists for
measuring the incidence, prevalence and types of FBD in developing countries.  Such a “global
network of networks” that transcends current bounda ries, by involving developing countries, could be
used as a rapid alert system when FBD outbreaks occur and would enable rapid exchange of new
information and technologies.  The starting point of  the Consultation will be to review national and
international experiences on FBD surveillance networ ks and to identify the needs of surveillance data
for risk analysis, especially risk assessment.
(c) WHO Training Workshops on Surveillance of Human Transmissible Spongiform
Encephalopathies (TSEs)2
5. WHO offers training workshops on developing surveillance systems for human TSEs to
provide skills in the screening and diagnosis of human TSEs.  Wokshops have been held in every
region (Bangkok, Beijing, Cairo, Dakar, Buenos Aires and Bratislava) and more are planned in the
NIS in 2002.  Workshops can be requested by an y WHO Member State although funding would have
to be identified to support the workshops.  Training in the laboratory diagnosis of human TSEs is
coordinated through WHO Collaborating Centres in Human TSEs.  Trainees learn how to make thediagnosis through neuropathology, Western blot and cerebrospinal fluid testing.
B. WHO T
RAINING COURSE "PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF THE MULTILATERAL TRADE
AGREEMENTS "
6. This training course was held on 10-14 September 2001 in Geneva, Switzerland with the
cooperation of WTO.  Public health and trade specialists were brought together to explore the linksbetween the two disciplines and to gain a broad underst anding of the public health implications of the
multilateral trade agreements (MTAs) with a focus on poor people.  The course was designed to
enable its participants to acquire a grounding in negotiating skills; be able to identify the opportunities
for constructive interventions by public health practitioners in trade negotiations; and be in a better
position to participate in national, regional and international MTA deliberations.  The trainingmaterial used for this course will soon be available on CD-ROM.  A guide on health and the MTAs is
also being prepared by WHO in collaboration with WTO.
C. E
XAMPLES OF REGION SPECIFIC TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES
1. FBD Surveillance
7. The Pan American Institute for Food Protection and Zoonoses (INPPAZ)/Pan American
Health Organization (PAHO) of the WHO Region for the Americas coordinates the Regional
Information System for the Epidemiological Surv eillance of FBDs (SIRVETA).  Since 1994, 21
countries have informed the system of data on FBD outbreaks to provide basic information for risk
analysis.
2. Risk Analysis
(a) Joint FAO/WHO/ILSI Workshop on "Risk Analysis:  Exposure Assessment"
8. The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO)  organized this
workshop in January 2001, preceding the First Session of the Codex Coordinating Committee for the
Near East which was organized in Cairo, Egypt.  The objectives of the workshop were:  to acquaint
                                                     
2 I.e. CJD (Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease)G/SPS/GEN/290
Page 3
participants with the principles of risk analysis and the methodologies for assessing exposure to food
borne hazards; to sensitize participants to the risk  assessment needs in the region; to provide guidance
to participants on the necessary data required for exposure assessments; and to encourage participants
to apply the acquired knowledge in risk analysis of food borne hazards in the development of their
food legislation.
(b) International Workshop on Risk Analysis and Food Safety
9. The WHO Regional Office for the Americas (AMRO),  together with FAO, sponsored
workshops in September 2000 to provide training to give practical consideration to the issues and
types of hazards and risks that needed to be addressed.  Also, in February 2001, preceding the Codex
Regional Committee of Latin America and the Caribbean, the Pan American Institute for Food
Protection and Zoonoses (INPPAZ)/Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), jointly with FAO,
conducted a workshop on “Risk Analysis and Exposure Assessment” in Santo Domingo, theDominican Republic.
3. National Food Legislation, the WTO SPS Agreement, and Codex
(a) Technical Assistance by the Pan American Institute for Food Protection and Zoonoses
(INPPAZ)/Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
10. In the WHO Region for the Americas , INPPAZ/PAHO is supporting various technical
assistance activities to stimulate the commitmen t of the countries of the region to the Codex
standards.  Technical and financial support is provided to the Codex Coordinating Committee for
Latin America and the Caribbean for organizing the meetings and to enable the participation of most
countries of the region.  Assistance is offered to countries for the dissemination of information on
Codex meetings and facilitation of exchange of information by conducting virtual meetings ofnational contact points in preparation of Codex meetings.  A free Internet site has been developed for
this purpose.  In 2001, INPPAZ/PAHO has also been conducting a project with Brazil to provide
training for the staff of the National Agency of Sanitary Surveillance (ANVISA) to strengthen
capacities for the revision/development and enforcement of national food legislation in addition to
Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Good Agricu ltural Practice (GAP), Standard Sanitation
Operating Procedures (SSOP) and HACCP.
11. Member States have requested INPPAZ/PAHO support for establishing a database on food
standards and legislation.  INPPAZ/PAHO has recently developed the Information System on Food
Legislation, an electronic tool for maintaining a database on national food legislation and standards,
enabling a comparison of food legislation among different countries as well as with Codex standards
and thereby contributing to harmonization of international legislation.  The system has been
completed in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Guatemala.  INPPAZ/PAHO, upon request, providestechnical assistance to Member States to update national food safety legislation.
(b) The Caribbean Food Safety Initiative "Assessment of the Food Safety Systems as Related to
Human, Animal and Plant Health"
3
12. The WHO Regional Office for the Americas (AMRO)  has been promoting this initiative to
assist the English-speaking Caribbean countries to meet the obligations of the WTO SPS Agreementand keep the competitiveness of these small state economies for health and development.  It consists
of four technical cooperation components:  harmonization of food legislation/regulations in line with
                                                     
3 A project proposal has been recently submitted for funding to the USAID/CARICOM agencies.  For
information contact: Dr Genaro W. Garcia, Regional Adviser, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
Email:  garciage@paho.org  Tel:  (202) 974-3193G/SPS/GEN/290
Page 4
Codex standards; laboratory-based surveillance ; risk analysis and HACCP application; and
community outreach in food safety.  The program comprises an assessment of the food safety system
in each country and provides policy guidance at the country and sub-regional level.
13. The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO)  has been undertaking a series
of activities aimed at increasing the understanding of the work of Codex and the WTO SPSAgreement during 2000-2001, which will be continued in 2002 and beyond.  In May and June 2001,
joint FAO/WHO workshops on "Food Safety and Codex" were held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, for senior health and non-health authorities to draft a national plan
of action for food safety and Codex.  In June 2001, two more workshops of a similar nature were held
by WHO in Suva, Fiji, and Honiara, Solomon Islands.  In July 2001, a Joint FAO/WHO workshop on
food safety and Codex was held for health, environment and industry personnel in Majuro, Republic
of the Marshall Islands.  Another WHO workshop on this theme is scheduled to take place inNovember 2001 in Kiribati and Samoa, pending gove rnment agreement.  Many of the Pacific Island
countries have identified a need for greater understanding of the implications of the WTO and its
trade agreements.
14. Technical advice and funding is being provided for inter-ministerial meetings and working
groups on food safety policy, laws and standards in accordance with Codex to Viet Nam by WHOwith funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2001-2002.
15. An agreement for the performance of work to provide technical advice to national Codex
committee members for strengthening food legislation and participation in the work of Codex is under
preparation for one or two countries in the Western Pacific Region for 2002-2003.
16. Following the request to WPRO from Chin a in 2000 for the symposium (implemented
November 2000) and workshop (implemented December 2000) covering WTO requirements on food
safety and the steps that needed to be taken to prepare China for the accession to the WTO, in the
recent 52
nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific (September 2001),
China again noted the need for WHO to provide in formation, technical advice and guidance on the
WTO SPS Agreement and suggested WHO should further strengthen its collaboration with WTO andother international organizations.
17. The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO)  has been providing
technical assistance for reviewing national food legislation in Member States with a view to
harmonizing them with the Codex standards, guidelines and recommendations. A number of countries
have been reviewing their food safety legislat ion (Egypt, Oman, Sudan) or actually updating it
(Jordan). Assistance by WHO/EMRO includes collecting and forwarding food legislation from and to
Member States.  Activities are planned to assist countries in the region develop a full understanding ofthe content and implications of the SPS and TBT agreements at a national level, become more
actively involved in the work of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and to involve the Ministries of
Health in the process.
ADENDA ITEM 6 - MATTERS OF INTEREST ARISING FROM THE WORK OF THE
OBSERVER ORGANIZATIONS
18. The following is a brief description of some of the activities conducted by WHO since the
previous SPS Committee meeting in July, and those scheduled to take place.G/SPS/GEN/290
Page 5
A. CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION OF FOOD
(a) Meeting of Global Environment Monitoring System/Food Contamination Monitoring and
Assessment Programme (GEMS/ Food-Euro) Contact Points
19. This meeting was held on 10-12 July 2001 in Berlin, Germany, and discussed the re-
establishing of data collection and cooperation in the area of food contamination monitoring.  Atraining course in the electronic reporting of data was held immediately following the workshop.
(b) Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR)
20. The 2001 JMPR was held on 16-25 September 2001 in Geneva, Switzerland and evaluated 26
pesticides, including two new compounds and seven that were subjected to full re-evaluation, for
toxicology or residues or both, within the Pe riodic Review Programme of the Codex Committee on
Pesticide Residues (CCPR).
(c) Upcoming Second International Total Diet Workshop
21. This workshop will be held on 5-15 February 2002 in Brisbane, Australia with the purpose to
develop procedures and to train staff for Total Diet Studies in Member States.  Member States
undertaking these activities will be able to acquire data needed for effective participation in Codex
work and risk assessments of chemical contamination of food at a national level.  Enabling these risk
assessments would provide the capacity for priority setting of foodborne disease risks and lead toeffective risk management.  This Workshop will be held in collaboration with a FAO workshop on
food composition and nutrient assessment, also to be held in Brisbane.
B. M
ICROBIOLOGICAL CONTAMINATION OF FOOD
(a) Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Risk Assessment of Microbiological Hazards in
Foods
22. This Expert Consultation was held on 23-27 July 2001 in Geneva, Switzerland to examine
available relevant information on the exposure assessment and hazard characterization steps of risk
assessments of two more pathogen-commodity combin ations identified as priority issues by the
Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH), namely, Campylobacter  spp. in broiler chickens and
Vibrio  spp. in seafood. The preliminary report of the Expert Consultation was submitted to the 35th
Session of the CCFH (8-13 October 2001, Bangkok, Thailand) which defined more focused questions
for the continued work of the Expert Consultation.  A final report will be delivered to the CCFH in
2002.
23. A Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on the risk assessment of Enterohemorrhagic
Escherichia coli  will be convened in early 2002.
(b) Upcoming WHO Consultation on Global Strategy for Foodborne Disease Surveillance
24. This Consultation will be convened on 26-29 November 2001 in Geneva, Switzerland to
establish a "global network of networks of foodborne disease (FBD) surveillance systems
(FoodWeb)" by bringing together various potential partners.  This is part of WHO’s comprehensive
strategy for strengthening national capacities for FBD surveillance systems in developing countries:
surveillance data are used for planning, implementing and evaluating public health policies, however
little information exists for measuring the incidence, prevalence and types of FBD in developingcountries.  Such a "global network of networks" that transcends current boundaries, by involving
developing countries, could be used as a rapid alert system when FBD outbreaks occur and wouldG/SPS/GEN/290
Page 6
enable rapid exchange of new information and technologies.  The starting point of the Consultation
will be to review national and international experiences on FBD surveillance networks and to identify
the needs of surveillance data for risk analysis, especially risk assessment.
(c) Proposed FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on "Principles and Guidelines for Incorporating
Quantitative Risk Assessment in the Developm ent of National and International Food Safety
Policy" (tentative)
25. This Expert Consultation is currently being planned to provide guidance for the systematic
use of the results of risk assessments by the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) in
developing standards, guidelines and recommendations.  International risk assessments on Salmonella
in broilers and eggs and Listeria  in ready-to-eat foods will be used as resources in developing
principles and guidelines to achieve this goal through the following approaches:  illustration of how
completed international quantitative risk assessments can be integrated into the various outputs of theCCFH, and demonstration of how risk management questions posed by the CCFH should be
formulated in cases where a quantitative risk assessment is commissioned to achieve risk management
goals.
C. A
NTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE
(a) WHO Consultation on Methods and Principles for the Monitoring of Antimicrobial Usage in
Food Animal Production for the Protection of Human Health
26. This Consultation was held on 10-13 September 2001 in Oslo, Norway in concurrence with
recommendations from the WHO Consultation on the Medical Impact of the Use of Antimicrobials in
Food Animals (October 1997, Berlin, Germany).  Many international bodies have identified
surveillance of antimicrobial consumption in food animals as a pre-requisite for the identification ofrisk factors for the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic bacteria and the evaluation of
public health intervention for their containment.  However, there is still insufficient information
available on antimicrobial consumption, as very little progress has been made on strengthening of
antimicrobial usage surveillance at national and international levels.  This Consultation focused on
this issue to develop models for and an inventory on existing national and international strategies fornational and international surveillance of antimicrobial usage in food animals for the protection of
human health, and to make recommendations to support governments, national authorities, the
pharmaceutical industry, international organizations and other stakeholders in their endeavours to
establish national antimicrobial usage surveillance programmes.  Existing data on non-human
antimicrobial usage, national experiences and approaches in the setting up of antimicrobial usage
surveillance systems was reviewed.  The WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology
and pharmaceutical industry representatives particip ated in the Consultation. Recommendations and
guidelines that can assist governments in establishing national monitoring programs are being
developed.
D. F
OODS DERIVED FROM MODERN BIOTECHNOLOGY
(a) Third Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultatio n on Foods Derived from Biotechnology
27. WHO and FAO convened this Expert Consultation on 24-28 September 2001 in Geneva,
Switzerland to consider the scientific aspects of safety assessments of foods derived from genetically
modified microorganisms.  The findings of this Expert Consultation will be published shortly and will
also be provided to the Working Group of the Codex ad hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods
Derived from Biotechnology (4-8 March 2002, Yok ohama, Japan) which is drafting the Proposed
Draft Guideline for the Conduct of Safety A ssessments of Recombin ant-DNA Microorganisms in
Food.G/SPS/GEN/290
Page 7
(b) WHO Research Consortium on Modern Food Biotechnology and Health and Welfare
28. The 53rd World Health Assembly (May 2000) recognized that the application of gene
technologies to food is an important health i ssue and resolved that WHO should strengthen its
capacity to provide a scientific basis for decisions on the effects of genetically modified (GM) foods
on human health and welfare.  Following from this World Health Assembly resolution, starting end-2001, WHO will be commissioning a research consortium to establish a knowledge base to assist
Member States, international standard-setting bodies and other stakeholders to achieve consensus on
appropriate modes of application and risk assessment of foods produced using gene technology.  The
research consortium will identify and recapitulate current knowledge on the potential risks and
benefits of modern biotechnology, considering both direct and indirect effects.  Areas covered will
include current and future application of gene technology to food production, issues of food safety,
access and technology transfer, socio-economic costs/benefits, civil society implications and, to acertain extent, environmental impacts.
Contact Points at WHO
Dr Jorgen Schlundt
Coordinator, Food Safety ProgrammeWorld Health Organization
E-mail: schlundtj@who.int
Tel:  +41-22-791-3445     FAX: +41-22-791-4807
Address:  20 Avenue Appia,  CH-1211, Geneva 27, Switzerland
Dr Francois Meslin
Coordinator, Animal and Food Related Public Health Risks
World Health Organization
Email: meslinf@who.int
Tel:  +41-22-791-2575
Address:  20 Avenue Appia,  CH-1211, Geneva 27, Switzerland
WHO Food Safety Related Web Sites
Food Safety:  http://www.who.int/fsf
Foodborne Disease surveillance:  http://www.int/salmsurv
Veterinary Public Health and Zoonosis:  http://www.who.int/emc/diseases/zoo/
Chemical Safety:  http://www.who.int/pcs
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