G/SPS/GEN/1584  
 
25 October 2017 
(17-5804) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
 
TECHNICAL ASS ISTANCE TO DEVELOPIN G COUNTRIES  
COMMUNICATION FROM CANADA  
The follow ing communication, received on 24 October 2017, is being circulated at the request of 
the Delegation of Canada . 
 
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1.  Canada would like to provide an update regarding the provision of technical assistance from 
January to December 20161. Technical assistance has been provided to developing and least 
developed countries in accordance with Article 9 of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary 
and Phytosanitar y Measures. The assistance was primarily aimed at facilitating the development 
and implementation of sanitary and phytosanitary measures based on sound science. The attached 
table reflects Canadian technical assistance to developing and least developed cou ntries in 2016. 
While every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in the table presents all 
relevant technical assistance projects, it may not constitute a complete compilation of technical 
assistance delivered given the number of Canad ian government departments and agencies and the 
variety of delivery programs involved.  
2.  The monetary value of the technical assistance committe d amounted to approximately 
CDN $15.83 million between January and December 2016. It should be noted that, in many  cases, 
the organizations providing the assistance also made additional in -kind contributions to projects.  
3.  Assistance was provided to more than 12 countries – in Africa, Latin America and the 
Caribbean, Central Asia and the Asia -Pacific region. Assistance was directed to both individual 
countries, groups of countries, and to international organizations.  
4.  Canada 's assistance addressed three of the four broad categories listed in G/SPS/GEN/206: 
information; training; and "soft"  infrastructure development (but not "hard" infrastructure 
development). Assistance from Canada covered most of the "typical areas of competence " listed 
under the headings of food safety, animal health and plant protection, in the Annex of 
G/SPS/GEN/206.  
5.  In all, 15 projects are listed for  the period January to December 2016. Some of the projects 
listed are multi -year projects; however, projects are only reported once and generally in the year 
in which the project is initiated unless subsequent funded project extensions occur.  
                                                
1 Canada has provided technical assistance updates for 2015 (G/SPS/GEN/1522), 2014 
(G/SPS/GEN/1426), 2013 (G/SPS/GEN/1342), 2012 (G/SPS/GEN/1318), 2011 (G/SPS/GEN/1196), 2010 
(G/SPS/GEN/1149), 2009 (G/SPS/GEN/1099), 2008 (G/SPS/GEN/1027), 2007 (G/SPS/GEN/1008), 2005 -2006 
(G/SPS/GEN/765),  2000-2004 (G/SPS/GEN/728), and for years prior to 2000 (G/SPS/GEN/143/Rev.1/Add.1) . G/SPS/GEN/1584  
 
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  TECHNICAL AS SISTANCE PROVIDED BY  CANADA  
JANUARY - DECEMBER 201 6 
Sector  Description of Particular 
Programme  Form of 
Assistance  Provided to  Contact  
Animal 
Health  National workshop provided to 
the Costa Rican government on 
the concept of One Health in 
support of the Global Health 
Security Agenda and in 
collaboration with World 
Organisation for Animal Health 
and the Public Health Agency of 
Canada.  
(March 2016)  Traini ng Costa Rica  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Animal 
Health  Meeting with the delegation from 
Ghana on the margins of the 
Codex Committee for Food 
Labelling to introduce Canada 's 
food safety systems and shared 
responsibilities for food safety.  
(May 2016)  Information  Ghana  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Animal 
Health  Capacity building training 
provided to the Directors of 
Veterinary Vaccine Laboratories 
of the African Union member 
states on issues related to 
vaccine production and 
registration on the continent.  
(August 2016)  Funding  African Union 
member 
States  vmbao@idrc.ca  
Animal 
Health  Training provided to scientists 
about Bovine Spongiform 
Encephalopathy Laboratory 
Diagnostics.  
(October – November 2016)  Training  Cuba Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Animal 
Health  Training provided to improve 
capacity for the diagnosis and 
agent characterization of rabies 
and transmissible spongiform 
encephalopathies. This training 
was also provided to improve 
knowledge and operational 
procedures in areas of biosafety/ 
biosecurity and quality assurance 
for both disease s, as part of a 
World Organisation for Animal 
Health laboratory twinning 
project between a Canadian 
laboratory and Peru.  
(2016 – 2019)  Training  Peru Rolf.Schoenert@inspecti on.gc.ca  
Food 
Safety  Training provided to a group of 
21 producers/ exporters from Sri 
Lanka and Tunisia who 
participated at the Salon 
International de l'Alimentation  
(SIAL) Food Trade Show in 
Montreal hosted by the Trade 
Facilitation Office.  
(April 2016)  Training  Sri Lanka and 
Tunisia  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Food 
Safety  Funding provided to the Codex 
Trust Fund to assist developing 
countries and countries in 
transition in increasing their 
capacity to sustainably engage in 
the Codex Alimentarius  
Commission.  
(February 2016)  Funding  Developing 
countries  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  G/SPS/GEN/1584  
 
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  Sector  Description of Particular 
Programme  Form of 
Assistance  Provided to  Contact  
Food 
Safety  Technical training provided to 
Government representatives on 
strengthening food safety and 
veterinary medicine regulatory 
systems to enhance adoption of 
Codex Alimentarius Commi ssion 
standards and guidelines.  
(February 2016)  Training and 
Information  Bahamas  Bhavik.thakkar@hc -sc.gc.ca  
Food 
Safety  Funding provided to a Global 
Food Safety Partnership project 
to support the improvement of 
food safety systems in 
developi ng and middle -income 
countries.  
(2016)  Funding  Developing 
countries  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Food 
Safety  Information sharing with the 
Ministry of Health about food 
safety testing . 
(October 2016)  Information  Bangladesh  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Food 
Safety  Training focussed on veterinary 
drug residues and undeclared 
allergens for government 
departments and industry 
organizations in Hanoi and in Ho 
Chi Minh City.  
(October – November 2016)  Training and 
Information  Viet Nam Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Food 
Safety  Technical training provided to 
Codex officers on strengthening 
the national Codex program and 
on enhancing Antigua and 
Barbuda 's ability to participate in 
and influence international food 
safety and nutrition standard 
setting processes . 
(December 2016)  Training and 
Information  Antigua and 
Barbuda  Bhavik.thakkar@hc -sc.gc.ca  
Food 
Safety  Multi-year funding for a project 
with the Ministry of Agriculture 
and Rural Development to 
develop and improve food  safety 
regulations and increase 
competitiveness to reach 
dome stic and international 
markets.  
(2017–2022)  Funding  Viet Nam Tom.Bui@international.gc.ca  
Plant 
Health  Training provided to 
horticulturists from the National 
Institute of Horticulture and 
Herbal Science on plant health.  
(September 2016)  Training  South Korea  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Plant 
Health  Training provided to a scientific 
expert on the regulatory 
processes governing genetically 
modified crops (plants with novel 
traits).  
(November  to December 2016)  Training  Ethiopia  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
 
 
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