G/SPS/GEN/1754/Rev.2  
 
9 September 2020  
(20-6106) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures    
 
SPS COMMITTEE THEMATIC SESSION ON VOLUNTARY THIRD -PARTY ASSURANCE  
AS PART OF NATIONAL SPS CONTROL SYSTEMS  
 
TUESDAY, 3 NOVEMBER  2020 
WTO, CENTRE WILLIAM RAPPARD, GENEVA  
PROGRAMME  
Revision  
In the context of the Fifth Review of the Operation and Implementation of the Agreement on the 
Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  (SPS Agreement), Belize submitted a proposal 
for the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Co mmittee) to consider holding a 
thematic session on voluntary third -party assurance programmes .1 At the July 2019 meeting, the 
SPS Committee agreed to the proposal  and to hold the thematic session in March 2020. After its 
suspension due to the COVID -19 pand emic, the SPS Committee agreed to hold the thematic session 
in November 2020.   
The session will cover voluntary third -party assurance as part of national SPS control systems, with 
the main objectives to: receive updates from the international standard -setting bodies on their work 
in the area; facilitate an exchange of information among Members on their use of voluntary 
third-party assurance as part of national SPS control systems ; obtain the perspectives and 
experiences of the private sector; and learn abou t capacity -building initiatives in this area.  
Further to Belize's proposal, Members were invited to submit any inputs on the programme and 
speakers by 29 November 2019. This programme is based on the structure suggested by Belize.2 
The thematic session w ill be held in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday, 3 November 2020, starting 
at 10:00 , and continuing in the afternoon at 15:00 , as necessary. The thematic session will take 
place at the WTO and can also be attended virtually through the Interprefy platform.  
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Chairperson : Mr. Gregory MacDonald  
1  RELEVANT INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS  
Update from the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems 
(CCFICS) on the "Draft Principles and Guidelines for the Assessment and Use of Voluntary 
Third-Party Assurance" , and presentation s on the development of relevant standards from IPPC  and 
OIE. 
Speakers:  
▪ Mrs. Gracia  Brisco , Codex Secretariat.  
 
1 G/SPS/W/316 . This original proposal referred to "a thematic session or works hop", however in the 
July 2019 SPS Committee meeting, Belize informed the Committee that the four areas indicated in its proposal 
would be best covered in a one -day thematic session, as opposed to a two -day workshop.  
2 G/SPS/W/3 20. G/SPS/GEN/1754/Rev.2  
  
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  ▪ Mr. Steve Wearne , Vice -Chair Codex Alimentarius Commission  and Director, Global Affairs, 
Food Standards Agency, United Kingdom.  
▪ Mr. Brent Larson , Implementation and Facilitation Unit Leader, IPPC Secretariat.  
▪ Dr. Gillian Mylrea , Head of the Standards Department, OIE.  
Followed by Q&A session and discussion . 
2  MEMBER S' EXPERIENCE S WITH VOLUNTARY THIRD -PARTY ASSURANCE PROGRAMMES 
AS PART OF NATIONAL SPS CONTROL SYSTEMS  
Experiences of both exporting and importing Members with the use  or application  of these 
programmes as part of national SPS control systems to facilitate  trade. (Some of the questions 
speakers may address are: What changes, if any, had to be made at the national level to enable the 
use of these programmes? Are there any cost savings which enable extra resources to be channelled 
to other needed areas? If ye s, what are some of the other benefits? What are the challenges faced?)  
Speakers:  
▪ Mrs. Delilah Cabb , Coordinator, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Enquiry Point, Belize 
Agricultural Health Authority  (BAHA), Belize.  
▪ Mrs. Miriam Bueno, Subdirectora General de la Subdirección General de Inocuidad 
Agroalimentaria , Honduras.  
▪ Prof. Hussein Mansour , Chairman, National Food Safety Authority , Egypt.  
▪ Mrs. Emma Pagotto , Acting Senior Trade Policy Analyst, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 
Canada . 
▪ Mrs. Jennifer Thomas , Senior Advisor, US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food 
Safety and Applied Nutrition, United States.  
▪ Dr. Peter Wend , Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety Dep artment,  Food 
Safety Unit, Monitoring Strategy and Coord ination , Germany.  Inclusion of private assurance 
schemes in the official controls - various approaches in Europe . 
Followed by Q&A session and discussion . 
3  PRIVATE SECTOR EXPERIENCES REGARDING VOLUNTARY THIRD -PARTY ASSURANCE 
PROGRAMMES USED AS PART OF NATION AL SPS CONTROL SYSTEMS  
Private sector experiences with government use of voluntary third -party assurance schemes as a 
means to facilitate safe trade – benefits and challenges.  
Speakers:   
▪ Ms. Anne Gerardi , Senior Manager, Global Food Safety Initiative (GF SI): GFSI 
Benchmarking .  
Followed by Q&A session and discussion . 
4  CAPACITY -BUILDING EFFORTS  
Presentations on capacity -building efforts regarding use of voluntary third -party assurance 
programmes as part of national SPS control systems.  
Speakers:   
▪ Mrs. Marlynne Hopper , Deputy Head, Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF): 
STDF Pilot proje cts and other relevant work . 
▪ Mr. Ali Badarneh , Chief, Food Systems and Nutrition Division, Department of 
Agri-Business, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).   G/SPS/GEN/1754/Rev.2  
 
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  ▪ Dr. Mukayi Musarurwa , SPS Expert, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa 
(COMESA)  
▪ Dr. Andrew Edewa , Director, Standards & SPS Measures Trademark East Africa.  
Voluntary Third -Party Assurance Schemes – The Case of Eastern Africa.  
▪ Ms. Anne Gerardi , Senior Manager, GFSI: GFSI Global Markets Programme . 
Followed by Q&A session and discussion . 
5  CLOSING  
Roundtable  
Discussion on some overarching themes such as:  
▪ Based on the discussions throughout the thematic session, in Member's views, what are 
aspects of voluntary third -party assurance programmes that enable the facilitation of 
international trade?  
▪ What are the key challenges of third-party assurance programmes faced by industry and by 
importing and exporting countries that Members should seek to address?  
▪ As a next step, how can capacity -building effort s better address the challenges faced in this 
area?  
Speakers:  TBC 
 
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