G/TBT/W/538  
 
8 June 2018 
(18-3568) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE  
EIGHTH  TRIENNIAL REVIEW  
Submission from the Philippines  and Mauritius  
The following submission, dated 8 June 2018, is being circulated at the request of the delegation s 
of the Philippine s and Mauritius . 
 
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The Philippines and Mauritius welcome  the opportunity to participate in the Eighth Triennial Review 
of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT).  
1  BACKGROUND  
1.1.  The Sanitary and Phytosanitary area has greatly benefitted from the Standards and Trade 
Development Facility (STDF) since it began operating in 2004.  Launched with just over 
US$500,000 in seed -funding from the World Bank and WTO, the  STDF has come a long way. The 
STDF was established as a global partnership to help developing countries gain and maintain 
access to markets by tackling sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) gaps, and promoting food safety, 
and animal and plant health. The STDF has so far delivered over 180 projects that helped 
developing countries improve their SPS capacity and enhance trade in food and agricultural 
products. It also provides significant support to the most vulnerable, with around 60%  of project 
resources being dedicated to LDCs. The STDF also promot es the exchange of information and good 
practice in SPS capacity building. The success of STDF is well -recognised for its technical and 
financial mechanisms for coordination and resource mobilisation that ensures the most effective 
use of technical and fin ancial resources.  
1.2.  In a TBT thematic session on conformity assessment procedures and technical assistance and 
special and differential treatment held in 2014, the STDF was invited to provide an overview of its 
coordination and funding role in SPS -related technical assistance. As such, some Members raised 
whether TBT issues could be incorporated into STDF 's work. The STDF representative informed 
Members that while there was scope for benefitting from synergies like in the areas of laboratory 
infrastructure,  the mandate of the STDF was limited to SPS issues.  
2  PROPOSAL  
2.1.  Based on the Decisions and Recommendation adopted by the WTO Committee on Technical 
Barriers to Trade since 1 January 1995 ( G/TBT/1/Rev.13 ), technical assistance (TA) has been 
considered as an area of priority work for the Committee. It was also decided that techni cal 
assistance would remain as an item of the agenda of the Committee on a permanent basis.  
2.2.  Considering the importance of technical assistance in the implementation of the TBT 
Agreement, the TBT Committee, during its Second Triennial Review, agreed on the development of 
a demand driven technical cooperation programme ( G/TBT/W/17 8). Prior to the development of 
this programme, a survey was developed and responded to by 50 developing country Members 
(G/TBT/W/193 ) in February 2003.  G/TBT/W/538  
 
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  2.3.  Since 1995, the TBT Committee has undertaken several decisions on Technical Assistance. In 
2015, the TBT Committee agreed on furthering its work on technical assistance, among others:  
a. To reaffirm the need to review the effectiveness of technical assistance and capacity 
building activities among Members in the TBT area, and encourage Members to continue 
to exchange experiences on this area;  
b. To hold a thematic session in November 2016 on Technical Assistance, including the 
discussion of:  
i. the feasibility and desirability of establishing a coordination facility for TBT -related 
technical assistance and capacity building.  
2.4.  It may be recalled that Mauritius issued a communication in 2015  on the establishment of a 
TBT facility with adequate resources to provide technical assistance and address capacity building 
needs of the Members in a timely and effective manner ( JOB/TBT/143 ). 
2.5.  Uganda supported Mauritius ' views and strongly believes that there is a need to establish a 
TBT-related technical assistance and capaci ty building funding facility like the STDF. Furthermore, 
such a facility would go a long way in coordinating the mobilisation of resources to support the 
developing and least developed WTO Members in building their capacity to implement and comply 
with the  provisions of the TBT Agreement as well as to gain and maintain access to international 
markets. (JOB/TBT/150 ). 
2.6.  Thus, during the thematic session on Technical Assistance in November 2016, the Philippines 
indicated its interest in exploring a discussion on the establishment of a similar STDF mechanism 
in TBT ( G/TBT/GEN/204 ). The Philippines further reiterated its suggestion in its presentation in th e 
TBT thematic session held in March 2017 ( G/TBT/GEN/214 ). However, ther e was no concrete 
follow -up.  
2.7.  Finally, during the TBT Side Event on International Regulatory Co -operation, WTO Deputy 
Director General Alan Wm. Wolf f posed some ideas for reflection of M embers. In particular, he 
asked whether there is benefit in incorporat ing quality or other standards in STDF or creating a 
parallel TBT mechanism .1 
2.8.  In view of the foregoing, the Philippines  and Mauritius  believe  that there is merit for Members 
to revisit this important aspect of the Agreement.  
2.9.  To facilitate discussion of Me mbers, the Philippines and Mauritius suggest  inviting the 
Secretariat to provide a presentation on the feasibility, including challenges and options, of 
expanding the present STDF to encompass measures covered by the TBT Agreement, or setting up 
a separate and dedicated TBT development facility.  
 
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1 https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news18_e/ddgra_19mar18_e.htm .