G/SPS/GEN/1568/Rev.2  
 
25 October  2017 
(17-5797) Page: 1/4 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures    
 
 
WORKSHOP ON TRANSPARENCY  
MONDAY, 30 OCTOBER – TUESDAY, 31  OCTOBER 201 7 
PROGRAMME  
Note by the Secretariat1 
Revision  
1.  The Secretariat of the World Trade Organization is organizing a workshop on the transparency 
provisions of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures 
(SPS Agreement), to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 30-31 October 201 7. The w orkshop will 
be followed by informal and formal meetings of the SPS Co mmittee, lasting until Friday, 
3 November  2017. Representatives of Members, Observers and Observer Organizations are all 
invited to participate in the transparency workshop as well as th e subsequent meeting s of the 
SPS Committee.  
2.  Document G/SPS/GEN/997/Rev. 7 provide s information on the workshop . The WTO, with the 
financial assistance of the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF), is sponsor ing 
the participation of approximately 4 0 government officials from developing country Members and 
Observers  in the workshop . The Secretariat has select ed participants to be sponsored among 
applications from government officials in charge of the implementation of the transparency 
provisions of the SPS  Agreement.  
3.  The workshop is intend ed to be a highly interactive, hands -on event , including training  on the 
use of the improved  SPS Information Management System (SPS  IMS) and on -line submission  
system of SPS notifications (SPS  NSS), as well as on the ePing SPS/TBT notification alert system. 
Delegates planning to attend the hands -on training sessions are invited to bring their laptops.   
4.  The workshop will also provid e a forum  for discussion and experience  sharing on developments , 
challenges  and practices in the area of SPS transparency . In addition , it will be an occasion to 
continue the discussions on transparency started as part of the Fourth Review of the 
implementation of the SPS Agreement . 
5.  This revised  version of the draft pro gramme takes into account Members' comments received 
after the July 2017 Committee meeting.   
                                                
1 This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own responsibility and is without prejudice 
to the positions of Members or to their rights and obligations under the WTO.  G/SPS/GEN/1568/Rev.2  
 
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  MONDAY, 30  OCTOBER 2017  
10:00–10:15  
Opening remarks by Mr Marcial Espí nola Ramirez , Chair man of the SPS Committee  
Overview of t he workshop and its objectives  
10:15–10:45  
Session 1: Introduction  
Speaker:  Mr Rolando Alcala , WTO Secretariat  
 Overview of the transparency provisions in the SPS Agreement and of relevant 
Committee/Ministerial Decisions  
10:45–11:15 
Session 2: WTO sources of SPS information  
Speaker s: 
 Mr Tim Corrigan , WTO Secretariat   
Documents Online; ePing; I -TIP; improved version of the SPS IMS  
 Ms Serra Ayral , WTO Secretariat   
ePing SPS/TBT notification alert system  
11:30-13:30 
Participants will break into three groups : (i) English speakers ; (ii) French speakers ; and (iii) Spanish 
speakers.  
Session 3: Practical session on the use of the improved  SPS IMS   
 SPS IMS hands -on exercise  
Session 4 : Practical session on the use of ePing  
 ePing hands -on exercise  
13:30–15:00  Lunch break  
15:00–15:30 
Session 5 : New trade f acilitation obligations in the SPS area  
Speaker:  Ms Sun Hydén Biney , Senior Trade Policy Adviser for SPS issues at the Swedish National 
Board of Trade , Sweden  
15:30–16:00 
Session 6 : Implementation of the transparency provisions  
Speaker:  Mr Rolando Alcala , WTO Secretariat  
 Presentation  of Members' level of implementation of transparency provisions and 
recommendations  (G/SPS/GEN /804/Rev.10 ) 
16:00–16:20 
Session 7 : Overview of the improved SPS NSS  
Speaker:  Mr Tim Corrigan , WTO Secretariat  
 Presentation of the improved SPS NSS platform: what has changed?  How does the on -line 
submission facility work?  G/SPS/GEN/1568/Rev.2  
 
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  16:30–18:00 
Session 8: Practical session on the use of the improved SPS NSS  
Participants will break into three groups : (i) English  speakers ; (ii) French speakers ; and (iii) Spanish 
speakers.  
 SPS NSS hands -on exercise  
 
TUESDAY, 31 OCTOBER 2017  
10:00–10:15  
Opening remarks  
10:15–13:00 
Session 9: Sharing of national experiences and best practices in public consultations  
Part 1: Models and mechanisms for public consultation in SPS rulemaking  
This session  will focus on  relevant international work in the area of public consultation in the 
regulatory development  process.  
Speakers:  
 OECD: Ms Mariana Karttunen , Policy Analyst, Regulatory Policy Division, Publ ic Governance 
Directorate, OECD  
Stakeholder Engagement in Regulatory Policy  
 World Bank : Mr Alfredo Gonzalez Briseno , Regulatory Governance Specialist , Regulatory 
Policy and Management , Governance Global Practice, World Bank  
Online Public Consultation: From Concept to Implementation with Results that Matter 
 
 Malaysia (APEC) : Ms Roziana Othman , Senior Manager, Smart Regulation, Malaysia 
Productivity Corporation  
Malaysia's experiences in establishing a mechanism for public consultation in the rule-making 
process  
Part 2:  Domestic  experiences in public consultation  
In a round table setting, s peakers in this session will share their experience s in conducting public 
consultation s when  developing SPS regulations  
Speakers:  
 Ms Zhang Rong , Senior Agronomist, Research Center for International Inspection and 
Quarantine Standard and Technical Regulation, General Administration of Quality 
Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) acting as WTO/SPS National Notification and 
Enquiry Center,  China  
 Mr Edgar Osmar Gomez Garavito , Negotiating Advisor on Sanitary and Phytosanitary 
Measures , Ministry of Economy, Guatemala  
 Ms Tugba Adiguzel Kargin , European Union Expert, General Directorate of EU and Foreign 
Affairs, Ministry of Food Agriculture an d Livestock , Turkey  
 Dr Nurten Aksu , Engineer, General Directorate of Food and Control, Ministry of  Food 
Agriculture and Livestock, Turkey  
 Ms Kristen Hendricks , Food Safety and Inspection Service  (FSIS), US Department of 
Agriculture, United States  
 Mr Jay Mitchell , Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service  (APHIS), US Department of 
Agriculture, United States  
13:00–14:30  Lunch break  G/SPS/GEN/1568/Rev.2  
 
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  14:30–16:15 (14:30 -15:00 plenary, 15:00 -16:15 groups)  
Session 10 : What actions could improve the implementation and benefits  of SPS 
transparency provisions?  
A brief introduction of the topics below will be presented in plenary. Participants will then break into 
groups to further discuss one or several of these topics:  
Speakers:  
 Ms Sally Je nnings , Senior Policy Analyst , Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand  
Decision  criteria: what to notify and when  
 Ms Roxana Inés Vera  Muñoz , Sub-departmental Chief, International Agreements, 
Department of International Negotiations, Division of International Affairs, Agricultural  and 
Livestock Service, Chile   
How to manage the volume of notifications on which to comment  
 Ms Kristina Hartling , Deputy Director, Trade Agreements Division , Canadian Food 
Inspection Agency, Canada  
Consultations with government and non -government stakeholders on foreign SPS notifications  
Approximately 1  hour will be allocated for g roup discussions.  
16:30–17:30 - Reporting to the plenary  
Rapporteurs of each group will report back to the plenary (5 minutes  each). The floor will then be 
opened for questions and comments.  
17:45–18:00  
Session 1 1: Conclusion  
 
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