G/SPS/GEN/1966  
 
26 October 2021 
(21-8125) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures   
 
 
SPS COMMITTEE  THEMATIC SESSION ON THE PROCEDURE  TO 
MONITOR THE PROCESS OF INTERNATIONAL HARMONIZATION  
TUESDAY, 2 NOVEMBER  2021 
WTO, CENTRE WILLIAM RAPPARD, GENEVA  
PROGRAMME  
The SPS Committee agreed, at its July 2021 meeting, to hold a thematic session on international 
harmonization  in November 2021, based on  proposal s submitted by New Zealand .1 
The thematic session will provide an opportunity for WTO Members to exchange views and review 
progress on international harmoni zation. The WTO SPS Agreement encourag es Members to 
harmoni ze their measures , to the maximum extent possible , with the standards, guidelines and 
recommendations established by the relevant internat ional standard -setting  bodies  (ISSBs): Codex, 
OIE and IPPC . Relevant ISSBs are interested in understanding the  extent to which their standards 
and related texts  are used . The SPS Committee has a role in monitoring the process of international 
harmoni zation in close collaboration with the relevant ISSBs . 
This thematic session will focus on three broad areas:  
1. Relevant provisions of the SPS Agreement and actions taken thus far to monitor the  process 
of international harmoni zation; 
2. The actions and initiatives that Codex, OIE and the IPPC have taken to monitor the use of 
their standards, guidelines and recommendations , and consideration of opportunities for 
coordination between the se standard -setting bodies and the SPS  Committee ; and 
3. Member s' approac hes, experiences and challenges with the use of international standards 
at the national and regional levels , and consideration of actions and initiatives to support 
uptake and use of international standards . 
The thematic session will be held in Geneva, Swi tzerland, on Tuesday, 2 November  2021, beginning 
at 10 a.m. , and continuing in the afternoon at 3 p.m. , as necessary. The thematic session can be 
attended in person or virtually through the Interprefy platform . 
 
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1 G/SPS/GEN/1851 , G/SPS/GEN/1877 , and G/SPS/GEN/1915 . G/SPS/GEN/1966  
 
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  Chairperson:  Mr Juteau Déadjufo Toussé  
1  RELEVANT PROVISIONS OF THE SPS AGREEMENT , WORK OF THE SPS COMMITTEE  AND 
RELEVANT DISPUTE SETTLEMENT REPORTS  
Speaker :  
▪ Mr Rolando Alcala , WTO Secretariat . 
Followed by Q&A session and discussion  
2  INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AND MONITORING HARMONIZATION  
International standard -setting bodie s: their priorities and interest ; their initiatives to monitor the 
implementation of international  standards, guidelines and recommendations ; and the financial, 
techni cal, and human resources required , as well as the support provided to Members to meet the 
harmonization provisions of the SPS Agreement . 
Speakers:  
▪ Mr Michael Ennis , Consultant , Codex Secretariat . Designing a monitoring framework for 
Codex standards . 
▪ Mr Gaspar Avendaño , Technical Coordinator, the OIE Observatory, OIE. The OIE 
Observatory.  
▪ Dr Adriana G. Moreira , IPPC Standard Setting Officer (FAO Agricultural Officer) , 
IPPC Secretariat . The IPPC and international harmonization of standards: An overview.  
Followed by Q&A session and discussion  
3  REGIONAL  INIT IATIVES  
Regional/cross border cooperation and regional  or economic bodies , which are currently pursuing 
harmonization of SPS measures . 
Speaker :  
▪ Mr Raúl Peralta  Girón , Regional Director for Food Safety , OIRSA.  Harmonized regional guide 
to good risk -based agricultural practices . 
Followed by Q&A session and discussion  
4  NATIONAL INIT IATIVES  
Member s will share their technical  approach es and experience s with regard to harmonizing with  
international standards and challenges  faced when harmonizing SPS measures . 
Speakers :  
▪ Dr Bill Jolly , Chief Assurance Strategy Officer , Market Access , Ministry for Primary Industries , 
New Zealand.  New Zealand 's experience with international harmoni zation. 
▪ Ms Edith Villanueva Huamán , Food Safety Expert, General Directorate of Environmental 
Health and Food Safety (DIGESA) , Peru.  Harmonization of the national regulatory framework 
with Codex standards and guidelines, and other regulations . G/SPS/GEN/1966  
 
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  ▪ Mr Sam Bishop , Head of International Plant Health Policy and Risk Co-ordination, 
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ( Defra ), United  Kingdom . Utilizing 
International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures to shape national legislation and decision -
making processes . 
▪ Ms Sarah O 'Rourke , Senior Trade Policy Analyst, Trade Agreements Division , Canadian Food 
Inspection Agency (CFIA) , Canada.  Canada 's experiences with harmonization to intern ational 
standards, guidelines and recommendations.  
Followed by Q&A session and discussion  
5  CLOSING REMARKS  
 
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