G/SPS/GEN/1731  
 
10 October 2019  
(19-6567) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
INFORMATI ON ON SPS -RELATED AC TIVITIES OF  
THE INTERNATIONAL TR ADE CENTRE (ITC)  
(1 JULY  – 1 OCTOBER  2019) 
The following communication, received on 9 October  2019, is being c irculated at the request of 
the ITC. 
 
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The International Trade Centre is continuing its efforts to assist enterprises to meet technical 
requirements. An update of selected SPS -related activities of interest to the WTO Members is 
provided below.  
1  PROJECTS  
1.1  Myanmar Trade -Related Assistance (Arise Plus – Myanmar) (July 2019 - June 2023  / 
Donor European Union ) 
1.1.  The ARISE Plus project aims at building inclusive and sustainable trade growth in Myanmar 
through support to MSMEs in selected value chains, enhancing food safety and SPS compliance and 
trade policy  formulation and implementation. The project started in September 2019 with an 
inception phase, where priority sectors have been confirmed and gaps on SPS related issues are to 
be further identified. At the end of this phase in February 2020, the activitie s of the project in the 
area of food safety and SPS will be finalised.  
1.2.  As an initial support in the context of this project, ITC provided technical assistance to the 
honey sector in Myanmar to submit the 2019 -2020 honey National Residue Monitoring Plan to EU - 
DG SANTE and Myanmar is now included in the EU approved list for market access.  
1.3.  The ARISE Plus project with its component on SPS will build synergies with the other ITC 
ongoing projects and their related quality and SPS components. The projects are: I nclusive tourism 
development with focus on Kayah state (consolidation) & Tanintharyi (extension) (NTF IV), funded 
by the Netherlands Trust Fund; Myanmar Trade and Investment Project (TIP) funded by DFID; 
Myanmar: Upgrading horticulture supply and sustainab le tourism to develop business linkages, UN 
Cluster on trade and productive capacity -  funded by Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs 
(SECO) trust fund).  
1.2  Burundi Market Access Upgrade Programme (MARKUP) (July 2018 – June 2022  / 
Donor European Unio n) 
1.4.  This project aims to enhance quality infrastructure services with particular focus on its support 
to coffee and tea sectors. During the first year, an assessment of the National Quality Infrastructure 
was conducted and a draft National Quality Policy ha s been developed with an action plan addressing 
quality and food safety issues. Seven testing laboratories have been assessed and a road map for 
their reinforcement has been developed. Several lots of testing of equipment are being procured to 
reinforce th eir capacities. The Burundian NSB has been supported and trained to implement 
management system certification scheme, including ISO 9001 and ISO 22000 in line with 
ISO/IEC  17021 and to reinforce its product certification scheme in line with ISO/IEC 17065. Selected 
beneficiaries were trained on advanced coffee grading techniques.  G/SPS/GEN/1731  
 
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  1.3  Afghanistan: Trade -related support assistance (August 2016 – extended to January 
2020  / Donor European Union)  
1.5.  This project aims to strengthen human and institutional capacities in t rade policy, strategy 
formulation and implementation, including quality management and SPS measures. The Ministry of 
Industry and Commerce (MoIC) is the main counterpart. Beneficiaries include Ministry of Agriculture, 
Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL), Minis try of Health (MoPH), National Standards Body (ANSA) and 
relevant sector associations.  
1.6.  Discussions and consideration of a creation of Food Safety Authority, has been ongoing while 
ITC has drafted a roadmap to develop a food safety control system in Afghani stan. Technical support 
for laboratories will be provided by an international expert in the month of November 2019.  
1.4  Tajikistan: Enabling market access for agricultural products through improved food 
safety system (March 2018 - February 2021 / STDF - PG-447) (Implemented by ITC in 
cooperation with FAO for output 1: Regulatory and control system for use of agri -
chemicals and veterinary medicines established and operational)  
1.7.  The goal of the project is to improve export competitiveness of Tajik SMEs and food sa fety 
through better use of agri -chemicals and veterinary medicines with focus on honey and apricot 
sectors. It enhances high value market access for Tajik agri -food producers and processors and 
increases the level of safety of Tajik domestic food by reduci ng the risk of contamination and 
improving the systems of control and monitoring of agri -chemicals and veterinary medicines.  
1.8.  Samples of the target project products (24 samples of the dried apricots and 28 of the bee 
honey) were tested in an accredited labo ratory and results were discussed and validated during 
workshop held in May. Workshops on EU food control system, EU market requirements focusing on 
SPS measures, Quality Management System and Development of the National Residue Monitoring 
Plan (NRMP) for exploring access of the Tajik honey to the European Union  were carried  out from 22 
to 28 May 2019.  
1.9.  An inter -disciplinary Task Force on development of the NRMP was established and its first 
meeting was initiated. A series of workshops on Good Hygiene Practi ce, Harvest and Postharvest 
Technologies, Food Safety Standards and relevant aspects of the regulatory control system to assure 
food safety were conducted in August -September 2019.  
1.10.   FAO conducted two missions on Control Systems capturing the following activ ities: 
• A multi -stakeholder meeting on 10 July 2019 with government officials to discuss the status 
of the current controls for apricots and honey, identifying gaps and weaknesses to be 
addressed;  
• A technical meeting on 11 July 2019 with government officials engaged in the control of 
safety of apricots and honey;  
• Meetings with the Task Force Group on establishing the National Residues Monitoring Plan, 
and provision of advice to the Task Force;  
• Two workshops in Soghd Region on 13 and 14 Au gust 2019 with apricot and honey producers 
on food safety standards and sensitization on relevant aspects of a regulatory control system 
to assure food safety ; 
• Meeting with representatives, and visit production and storage sites, of the honey and apricot 
producers in Soghd region during 10 -16 August 2019.  
1.11.   Dried apricots from Tajikistan are featured and made available for tasting at the STDF stand 
at the WTO Public Forum in October 2019.  
1.5  SYMST: Systematic Mechanism for Safer Trade (December 2018 – October 20 21 / 
Donor European Union)  
1.12.   ITC has started implementing a new project with the aim to improve food safety through 
better governance in Thailand and Lao People's Democratic Republic . The target sector of this project 
is the agro -sector, covering food produc ts of plant origin. The action focuses on compliance with 
requirements of the European Union and international markets. ITC intends to strengthen the G/SPS/GEN/1731  
 
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  regulatory framework for control of plant health and pesticides in the fruits and vegetable sector and 
other plant products (i.e. rice in the case of Lao People's Democratic Republic ) through the 
application of norms and standards and improve market access . 
1.13.   The project has started with its inception phase in Lao People's Democratic Republic , where 
a baseline collection will identify the export products (rice, fruits and vegetables), pest and diseases, 
as well as the main SPS issues to build a solid basis fo r technical assistance under the project. The 
first mission is to start mid -October and validation workshop of the results is planned for the month 
of December.  
1.6  Sri Lanka: Feasibility study for value addition in the fruit and vegetable sector 
(1 October 20 17 - extended to 31 March 2019 / STDF PPG 576)  
1.14.   The Feasibility Study, evaluating technical, economic and operational feasibility of value 
addition for five export fruit and vegetable  crops was endorsed by stakeholders in Sri Lanka. Value 
addition was ident ified for dehydrated processing (with focus on natural, organic) and an MoU was 
signed between the Sri Lanka Fruit and Vegetable Producers and Exporters Association (LFVPPEA) 
and a leading company in Italy in the sector. The two partners started the implem entation of the 
recommendations of the feasibility study. The Italian company presented dedicated lines of products 
packed in Sri  Lanka at Anuga fair in Cologne in October promoting a corporate social responsibility 
project. The products were displayed and  made available for tasting at the STDF stand at the 2019 
WTO Public Forum.  
1.7  CEFTA: Support to the facilitation of trade between CEFTA parties (3 year project 
ending in December 2019 – EU funded project implemented by ITC and GIZ)  
1.15.   ITC is implementing a proj ect in the Central European Free Trade Area (CEFTA) parties to 
address non-tariff trade barriers as a way to facilitate intra-regional  trade. The most problematic 
trade barrier in the region, particularly for fruits and vegetables, is the lengthy and compl ex border 
procedures resulting in long queue s of trucks. In order to address this issue, ITC is currently 
assessing the capacities of laboratories in the CEFTA region to make them more efficient in terms of 
the services they provide to the traders and also  developing a training curriculum on risk 
management. Customs and SPS inspectors from CEFTA parties will subsequently be trained on 
integrated risk management practices, following a study tour they conducted on the same topic to 
Latvia (jointly organized b y ITC and GIZ).  
1.8  Pakistan: Growth for rural advancement and sustainable progress (GRASP) (6 year 
EU funded project started in 2019)  
1.16.   GRASP aims to reduce poverty in Pakistan by strengthening small -scale agribusinesses in two 
provinces: Balochistan and Sindh.  GRASP will help rural SMEs in horticulture and livestock become 
more competitive by making improvements at all levels of the value chain. The project has three 
main components: (i) Improve the institutional and policy environment for small firms including  by 
improving quality infrastructure; (ii) Support small -scale farmers and producers in a holistic way; 
and (iii) Boost the competitiveness of small -scale firms including by improving quality.  
1.17.   Currently ITC is conducting a needs assessment study related to  the SPS-related legislation 
and institutional framework including those related to food safety, plant and animal health which 
would form the basis for designing future activities and initiatives under the project.  
For more information, please contact:  
 
Ludovica Ghizzoni, ITC Adviser on Export Quality Management  
Tel: +41 22 730 06 38 - Fax: +41 22 730 05 76 - E-mail: ghizzoni@intracen.org  
 
Khemraj Ramful , ITC Senior Adviser on Export Quality Management  
Tel: +41 22 730 04 87  - Fax: +41 22 730 05 76 - E-mail: ramful@intracen.org  
 
ITC Export Quality Management  
Website: http://www.intracen.org/eqm  
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ITCstandards  
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