G/SPS/GEN/2192/Rev.1  
 
22 February 2024  
(24-1637) Page: 1/4 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures    
 
 
SPS COMMITTEE THEMATIC WORKSHOP ON TRANSPARENCY  
MONDAY, 18 MARCH AND TUESDAY, 19 MARCH 2024  
WTO, CENTRE WILLIAM RAPPARD, GENEVA  
PROGRAMME  
Note by the Secretariat1 
Revision  
1.  As decided by the SPS Committee at its November 2023 meeting, the Secretariat of the World 
Trade Organization will organize a workshop on the transparency provisions of the Agreement on 
the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS  Agreement), on 18 -19 March 2024. 
The workshop will be followed by informal and formal meetings of the SPS Committee, lasting until 
Friday, 22  March 2024. The workshop , open to participation by WTO  Members and Observers, will 
be of particular interest to government officials in charge of the implementation of the trans parency 
provisions of the SPS Agreement, i.e. SPS national notification authorities (NNAs) and enquiry points  
(NEPs) . 
2.  The workshop aims to enhance the implementation of SPS transparency provisions  by bringing 
together officials to engage in a technical dis cussion on SPS  transparency -related work, and to 
exchange experiences on the use of online transparency tools, including the ePing SPS&TBT 
Platform . It builds on the successful June 2022 SPS Workshop on Transparency  which had provided 
the Committee with an introduction to the main functions of the ePing SPS&TBT Platform , launched 
in July 2022, which integrates SPS and TBT online transparency tools.  
3.  The workshop will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, beginning  on Monday,  18 March  at 15:00  (CET)  
for all interested delegates , and continuing on Tuesday, 19 March at 10:00 (CET) . The workshop can 
be attended in person or virtually via Zoom . Interpretation will be provided in English, French and 
Spanish. Additional  training will be held  for SPS NNAs and NEPs (in  person only), as  indicated in the 
programme.  
4.  Members are invited to submit comments on this draft programme as soon as possible and at 
the latest by Friday,  1 March 2024 . The Secretariat will circulate a final programme after taking 
into consideration the comments received . 
 
 
1 This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own responsibility and is without prejudice to 
the positions of Members or to their rights and obligations under the WTO.  G/SPS/GEN/2192/Rev.1  
 
- 2 - 
 
  DRAFT PROGRAMME  
MONDAY, 18 MARCH 2024  
10:00 – 11:15  
Group work on SPS transparency provisions  (in person only)  
This session for SPS national notification authorities (NNAs)  and enquiry points (NEP s), will include 
group work and training on SPS transparency provisions.  
Resource persons:  
▪ WTO 
▪ Speakers/ External experts  
11:15 – 11:30  Coffee Break 
11:30 – 13:00  
Group work on the  roles and responsibilities of SPS N NAs and N EPs and implementation  
challenges (in person only)  
This session for SPS NNAs and NEPs will include an interactive exercise  to enhance the work of 
SPS NNAs and NEPs.  
Resource persons:  
▪ WTO 
▪ Speakers/ External experts  
13:00 – 15:00  Lunch Break 
15:00 – 15:15  
Opening r emarks  
Chairperson of the SPS Committee:  Mr Tayutic Mena Retana  
15:15 – 16:30 
Session 1: Transparency in the SPS Agreement and relevant online tools 
In this session, the Secretariat will provide a brief overview of SPS transparency obligations and 
recommendations, work undertaken since the Fifth Review of the SPS Agreement , and online 
transparency tools.  
Speakers:  
▪ WTO 
Q&A and discussion  
16:30 – 18:00  
Session 2: Linkages with transparency -related work in the TBT Committee  
This session will discuss notifications of SPS and TBT measures as well as ongoing transparency -
related work in the TBT Committee.  
Speakers:  
▪ Mr Rolando Alcal á, WTO. 
▪ Ms Serra Ayral , WTO. Transparency -related work in the TBT Committee  
▪ Mr George Opiyo , Uganda.  
Q&A and discussion  G/SPS/GEN/2192/Rev.1  
 
- 3 - 
 
  TUESDAY, 19 MARCH 2024  
10:00 – 11:15  
Session 3: Monitoring the implementation of  international standards  
This session will discuss the  interface between transparency and monitoring the implementation of 
international standards, including the work of the IS SB observatories.  
Speakers:  
▪ Mr Farid El Haffar , Technical Officer , Codex Secretariat. Use and impact of Codex texts 
▪ Dr Laure Weber -Vintzel , Head of Data Integration Department, World Organisation for 
Animal Health (WOAH). Monitoring the implementation of international standards: 
Two examples from the WOAH Observatory: 1) Monitoring WOAH members ' transparency 
and 2) Using SPS ePing  
▪ Mr Descartes  Koumba , Agricultural Officer ; and Ms Rokhila  Madaminova , Programme 
Specialist, IPPC Secretariat . Monitoring IPPC: Successes and challenges  
Q&A and discussion  
11:15 – 11:30  Coffee Break 
11:30 – 13:00  
ePing  clinic – Building the operational capacity of NNAs and NEPs  (in person only)  
In this session for  SPS NNAs and NEPs , the Secretariat  will explain the different levels of access  on 
the ePing SPS&TBT Platform , including the  functions available to admin users . 
Resource persons:  
▪ WTO 
▪ Speakers/ External experts  
13:00 – 15:00  Lunch Break 
15:00 – 16:15  
Session 4: Preparation and submission of notifications: National perspectives  
In this session, Members will be invited to discuss the procedures to submit SPS notifications to 
the WTO, including through the ePing SPS&TBT Platform . 
Speaker s: 
▪ Dr Maia Beruashvili , Head of Food Safety Division, Ministry of Environmental Protection 
and Agriculture, Georgia. Preparation and submission of SPS notifications  
▪ Mr Diego Schuch Nakayama , Health Regulation Analyst, Brazilian Health Regulatory 
Agency (Anvisa), Brazil.  
▪ Ms Sally Griffin , Senior Policy Analyst - New Zealand SPS Contact Point Manager , Ministry 
for Primary Industries, New  Zealand.  
▪ Ms Bahati Samillani , National Enquiry Point Officer for SPS, Bureau of Standards, 
Tanzania . How do we implement transparency under the SPS Agreement ? Procedure for 
drafting SPS notification s 
Q&A and discussion  G/SPS/GEN/2192/Rev.1  
 
- 4 - 
 
  16:15 – 17:45 
Session 5: Reaching out to national stakeholders and other Members  
In this session, Members will share their  experiences on coordination at national level and /or with 
other Members, including  through the ePing SPS&TBT Platform . 
Speakers:  
▪ Dr Mohammed Benhaddou , Official Veterinarian, Standar disation and SPS issues 
Department at the National Food Safety Office (ONSSA), Morocco.  
▪ Ms Xianxian Tang , Government Counsel,  Section Chief of the SPS Commenting Division  
and National Enquiry Point, General Administration of Customs, China.  
▪ Mr Andrés Quiróz , Director of Negotiations on SPS Measures and Technical Barriers to  
Trade , Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment and Fisheries , Ecuador.  
Compliance with WTO transparency provisions, analysis of ePing notifications and 
coordination of the  WTO TBT and SPS committees in Ecuador  
▪ Dr Betul Vazgecer , Regulatory Expert, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Türkiye. 
Transparency and food safety approaches in Türkiye  
▪ Ms Priscila Rech Pinto Moser , Federal Inspector, Ministry of Agriculture and Live stock 
(MAPA), Brazil.  Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture perspectives on identifying, preparing and 
sharing WTO SPS notifications  
Q&A and discussion  
17:45 – 18:00  
Next steps and closing remarks  
Discussion of any  possible next steps , followed by  closing remarks.  
Chairperson of the SPS Committee:  Mr Tayutic Mena Retana  
 
__________