G/SPS/GEN/1230  
 
14 March 2013  
(13-1392)  Page: 1/3  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosnitary Measures  Original: Spanish  
 
ACTIONS AIMED AT IMPLEMENTING THE WTO AGREEMENT ON THE APPLICATION 
OF SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES 
INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY TH E INTER-AMERICAN INSTITUTE 
FOR COOPERATION ON AGRICULTURE (IICA)  
The following communication, received on 12 March 2013, is being circulated at the request of 
the IICA. 
 
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 The observer organizations of the WTO Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary 
Measures (SPS Committee) are invited to submit reports on the activities they have carried out to promote the understanding and implementation of the SPS Agreement. The IICA wishes to present 
some of the actions and activities that it considers relevant to the work of this Committee. 
1  PROMOTING PARTICIPATION IN MULT ILATERAL FORUMS ASSOCIATED WITH 
THE SPS COMMITTEE 
 As part of the Codex Alimentarius-related support provided by the IICA to its member 
countries, a conference was held in Panama from 15-18 January so that delegates from 23 countries could analyse agendas and work on establishing regional positions for the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS) 
and the Committee of the Codex Commission. Th e event was funded by the United States. 
 The IICA also provided support for virtual coordination sessions for each Codex Committee 
meeting held (eight in total between Octobe r 2012 and March 2013). These sessions, led by 
the Secretariat of the Codex Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC), provided 
countries with an opportunity to discuss agenda items and identify common positions. In this way, countries unable to attend Codex meetings can share their positions with other countries in the 
region, so that they can be reflected or defe nded at Codex sessions by the CCLAC delegates 
present. Such sessions also contribute to CCLAC co ordination by allowing for the advance planning 
of regional strategies and participation. 
 Two sessions were held that were not related to Codex Committee agendas but to a specific 
technical issue and the use of an information system. The first of these sessions concerned the 
issue of cadmium in cocoa, which requires considerable regional coordination and the generation of scientific data for the Joint FAO/WHO Expert  Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). 
The second session concerned an information system that was developed to facilitate 
communication between members and the dissemination of response times to requests from the Codex Secretariat. 
 Many IICA offices actively support national Codex committees and technical subcommittees. 
This makes it possible to obtain an up-to-date and in-depth understanding of key needs, while developing specific capacity-building activities and encouraging experience-sharing between countries. In December 2012, the IICA held a workshop on Codex committee management 
in Ecuador, which examined the case of Costa Rica and Uruguay. G/SPS/GEN/1230 
 
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   At the beginning of 2013, as part of the programme to promote participation 
in Codex Alimentarius meetings, the IICA provided support for the meetings of the Committees on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (six countries), Food Additives (three countries) and Food Contaminants (four countries) and will continue to provide support 
for four more meetings in 2013. US funding has been used to finance this programme. For further 
information, please contact: Ricardo Molins ( Ricardo.molins@iica.int ) or Eric Bolaños 
(Erick.bolanos@iica.int ). 
2  SUPPORT FOR INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING 
 The IICA continued to support the State Phytosanitary Service of Costa Rica by developing 
performance indicators for its Strategic Plan. For further information, please contact: Alejandra Diaz ( Alejandra.diaz@iica.int ) or Sacha Trelles ( sacha.trelles@iica.int ). 
 The IICA Performance, Vision and Strategy (PVS) tool continues to be applied in various 
countries: in Surinam, Guyana and Nicaragua for national phytosanitary protection organizations and in the Bahamas for veterinary services. For further information, please contact: 
Ana Marisa Cordero ( marisa.cordero@iica.int ). 
 IICA support provided to Paraguay for strength ening the National Animal Quality and Health 
Service (SENACSA) recently resulted in progress as regards matters pertaining to international 
animal health standards, and a draft decree defi ning the functions of the Service. For further 
information, please contact: Carlos Franco ( carlos.franco@iica.int ). 
3  SUPPORT FOR SPS-RELATED REGIONAL OR HEMISPHERIC ORGANIZATIONS 
 In the area of animal health, the IICA conclu ded its epidemiology training programme with 
the Standing Veterinary Committee of the Sout hern Cone (CVP). The projects developed 
throughout the year were presented and explained. Four of the six CVP countries participating in the programme presented their work: 
 Sampling and control plan for classical swine fever (Uruguay); 
 Sampling plan for avian salmonellosis (Uruguay); 
 Assessment of alternative diagnostic strategies for bovine tuberculosis (Chile);  
 Sampling evaluation for Maedi-Visna disease (Argentina). 
 In the area of plant health, the IICA supported the Southern Cone Plant Health 
Committee (COSAVE) in the preparation, printing and dissemination of training materials on Huanglongbing (HLB) disease. These materials will  be distributed in citrus fruit-producing areas 
and at border crossings by the national phytosanitary protection organizations of the region. 
 The IICA, as Technical Secretariat of the Inter ‑American Group for Coordination on Plant 
Protection (GICSV), supported the resumption of work in this forum by holding a face-to-face 
meeting in Costa Rica on the 26 and 27 Nove mber 2012 and a video conference meeting 
in February 2013. The following regional plant pr otection organizations participated in these 
events: the North American Plant Protection Orga nization (NAPPO), the Regional International 
Organization for Plant and Animal Health (OIRSA) and the Southern Cone Plant Health Committee (COSAVE). A work plan was agreed for 2013. For further information, please contact: Lourdes Fonalleras ( Lourdes.fonalleras@iica.int ). 
 SPS measures in the Caribbean region: The final version of the action plan and the annual 
and total budgets for the SPS component of the project to be implemented by the IICA during 
the 2013-2016 period was approved with Caribbean Community (CARICOM) representatives. 
This component (amounting to 11.7 million euros) is part of the  "CARIFORUM Economic 
Partnership Agreement  (EPA)" between the European Union and the South Pacific 
and Caribbean countries that have concluded a free trade agreement with the European Union 
(CARIFORUM comprises the 15 CARICOM countries and the Dominican Republic). The project will 
cover numerous aspects of SPS measures and agricult ural health and food safety (AHFS), including G/SPS/GEN/1230 
 
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  the creation and strengthening of national AH FS agencies, support for the regional agency 
(CAHFSA), harmonization of animal and plant heal th and food safety legislation, modernization 
of AHFS services, participation in international SPS standardization processes, and training on good practices (e.g. GAPs, GLPs, GMPs and HACCP)  for the public, private and academic sectors. 
For further information, please contact: Ricardo Molins ( ricardo.molins@iica.int ) or Carol Thomas 
(carol.thomas@iica.int ). 
 The non-tariff measures used by countries in the region and their effects on trade 
were discussed at the third ministerial meeting of the Sub-Committee on Agricultural 
Trade Facilitation in the Caribbean. The meeting was attended by the ministers of agriculture of Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Jamaica,  and representatives of the IICA, FAO and 
the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute  (CARDI). The group hopes to find 
solutions and recommendations for the ministers. For further information, please contact: 
Carol Thomas ( carol.thomas@iica.int ). 
Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) 
Agricultural Health and Food Safety 
http://www.infoagro.net/salud  
http://www.iica.int  
 
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