G/SPS/GEN/1542  
10 March  2017 
(17-1416) Page: 1/4 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original:  Spanish  
 
  ACTIONS FOR THE IMPL EMENTATION OF THE WTO AGREEMENT  
ON SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES  
INFORMATION PRESENTED BY THE INTER -AMERICAN INSTITUTE  
FOR COOPERATION ON AGRICULTURE (IICA)  
The following communication, received on 1 0 March  2017, is being circulat ed 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 Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and 
Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) . The IICA would like to present some of the actions and 
activities that it considers relevant to the work of this Committee . 
1  EFFORTS TO MAKE GREATER U SE OF MULTILATERAL AND REGIONAL FORUMS  
1.1  Codex Alimentarius  
1.1.  Participation in Codex meetings : The IICA provided support for participation in the following 
Codex Committees through its Programme to Support the Participation of Countries in Codex 
Alimentarius M eetings : 
a. 23rd Session of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs  in Foods : Support 
was provided for the participation of Paraguay, Trinidad and  Tobago, Peru and  Ecuador  
(16-20 October  2016, United States ); 
b. Physical Working Group on Codex Alimen tarius Work on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): 
Support was provided for the participation of  Chile, Costa Rica and  Ecuador  
(29 November -2 December  2016, United Kingdom ); 
c. 48th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene : Support was provided for the 
participation of Chile, Uruguay, Ecuador and  Jamaica  (5-9 November  2016, 
United  States ); 
d. 20th Session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Latin America and the 
Caribbean : Support was provided for the participation of  13 Latin American and 
Caribbean  count ries (21-25 November  2016, Chile);  
e. 38th Session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses : 
Support was provided for the participation of  Chile, Costa Rica , Panama and  Paraguay 
(5-9 December  2016, Germany ). 
1.2.  During the first six months of 2017 , funding will also be provided to support the participation 
of at least four countries in the Codex Committees on Food Additives and Contaminants  and Food 
Import and Export Inspection and Certification  Systems . Fostering  participation in Cod ex meetings 
seeks to promote the active participation of the funded countries and increase the influence  of the 
CCLAC region at each meeting . These activities receive funding from the US Department of 
Agriculture . G/SPS/GEN/1542  
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  1.3.  Workshop on maximum residue levels and Cod ex: A workshop on pesticides in the Americas 
and related trade and regulatory issues was held in Quito, Ecuador, on 6 March  2017. It was 
attended by 51 delegates from 18 countries, two international organizations, the SPS Committee, 
and the IICA . Participa nts discuss ed the challenges and opportunities relating to  maximum 
pesticide residue limits (MRLs) for food products  in international trade, as well as matters 
pertaining to the next meeting of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues  (CCPR) , which is  to 
be held in  China.  
1.4.  The workshop was an opportunity for  regulatory and trade experts to discuss the following 
issues : 
a. international trade regulations concerning MRLs for pesticides ; 
b. best regulatory practices in certain countries ; 
c. MRL alignment projects in th e region ; 
d. challenges relating to the establishment of MRLs for minor use crops ; and 
e. other emerging issues in the CCPR, such as crop grouping . 
The Canadian Ministry of Agriculture and Food sponsored and actively participated in this event . 
1.5.  Codex Colloquium : A Codex Colloquium was held in Quito, Ecuador, from 6 to 9 March  2017. 
This event was attended by some 75 participants from 23 Latin American and Caribbean countries, 
and India . The Colloquium sought to promote the analysis of agenda items from three upcoming 
Codex meetings (on contaminants, food additives and pest icide residues ) and to identify issues of 
common interest to participants . The US Department of Agriculture  and the Canadian Ministry of 
Agriculture and Food sponsored and actively participated i n the event . 
1.6.  Twinning programme : This much -needed programme provides an opportunity to benefit from 
the cap acities and experience  already acquired in other  countries of the Americas , and helps build 
beneficiary countries ' capacity  in terms of Codex Aliment arius matters . In 2016, the IICA  funded 
five projects under this programme in Antigua and  Barbuda, Bolivia, Chile, Dominica, Peru, 
St. Kitts and Nevis, St . Vincent and the Grenadines , St. Lucia, and  Grenada . New projects are 
currently being selected for fu nding in 2017 . The programme is funded by the US Department of 
Agriculture . 
2  SUPPORT FOR STRENGTHENING THE INSTITUTIONAL, TECHNICAL AND REGULATORY 
FRAMEWORK  
2.1.  Supp ort to CARIFORUM States in the i mplementation of the commitments 
undertaken under the CARIFORUM -European Union (EU) Economic Partnership 
Agreement (EPA) : Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures : This project, to be 
concluded at the end of March  2017, has been implemented by the  IICA with funding from the 
European Union . Models of laws, protocols, m easures and guidelines on plant and animal health, 
food safety and fisheries were prepared with a view to updating and harmonizing the region's 
existing legislative framework . The models (plant health, animal health and food safety ) have been 
sent to the C ARICOM Secretariat and made available to countries in order to facilitate the updating 
process, which has gone some way to helping harmonize the sanitary and phytosanitary legislative 
framework throughout the region . Support was provided to five countries to help them update 
their existing legislation (Bahamas, Barbados, Haiti, Dominican Republic , and Trinidad 
and Tobago ). 
2.2.  National coordination mechanisms have been developed for ten countries, while a regional 
mechanism has been created  to improve coordinat ion between regional agricultural health and 
food safety (AHFS) groups and agencies . Such mechanisms allow for a more integrated and 
comprehensive approach to coordination and will ultimately help to ensure the effective and 
coherent coordination of AHFS s ystems at national and regional level . To support the 
implementation of the regional coordination mechanism, assistance was provided to strengthen 
regional AHFS bodies . G/SPS/GEN/1542  
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  2.3.  In this light , support was provided to CARIFORUM nationals so that they could attend 
international SPS meetings (CODEX, IPPC, OIE, SPS Committee ). Thanks to the support received, 
Caribbean representation at these meetings has increased by 60 %. This has, in turn, increased 
awareness in the region of new issues relating to international trade in food products, as well as 
countries' understanding of their rights and obligations under the various international sanitary 
agreements, conventions and protocols . Opportunities for Caribbean citizens to serve in 
international committees and working grou ps have also increased . 
2.4.  Training  was provided to more than  2,000 regulatory staff members and private sector 
officials in important SPS-related areas, such as diagnostics, surveillance, inspection, HACCP, 
traceability , risk analysis, and antimicrobial resi stance . In addition, 27 private -sector entities 
received direct technical assistance in respect of  management and traceability in the area of food 
safety . More than 50 knowledge products (videos, manuals, factsheets and posters) have been 
developed on key AHFS  issues . 
2.5.  Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA ): On 10 January , in San Salvador, the IICA gave a 
Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) training course for lead instructors and 
preventive controls qualified individuals . The aim of the course wa s to train representatives from 
the public and private sectors and academic institutions to be lead instructors and preventive 
controls qualified individuals . Training was provided to 27 participants in total . The same course 
took place  in Guatemala on 2 1 February  and in the Dominican Republic on 7 March , following 
which  40 professionals from these countries became certified instructors . These recently certified 
instructors have already begun to teach training workshops in their countries of origin . 
2.6.  Good Ag ricultural Practices (GAP) : The IICA office in Peru held a GAP training workshop 
for public and privat e sector representatives from 13 to 1 7 March  in Lima. The course, attended by 
25 specialists  from both sectors, was organized with a view to improving the  safety of fresh 
products and providing guidance on the proper implementation of standards for exports to the 
United States.  
2.7.  Virtual forum for regional international agricultural health organizations  on risk 
analysis in the Americas : Pursuant to Resolution  No. 502 of the Inter -American Board of 
Agriculture  (JIA), a virtual forum for  regional international agricultural health organizations on risk 
analysis in the Americas took place on 1 2 December  2016. 
2.8.  The first meeting was attended by representatives from COSAVE/CAS, CVP/CAS, OIRSA/CAC, 
CAHFSA/CARICOM, NAPPO, Argentina, Brazil, Canada , Chile, the United States  and Mexico . The 
Secretariat  of the WTO SPS Committee, the OIE, the IPPC and the IICA moderated the various 
sessions on the  agenda . The aim of the vir tual forum was to establish a baseline regarding the 
current situation in respect of risk analysis, challenges and constraints, and improvement 
strategies . 
2.9.  The main observations made during the virtual forum were the following : 
a. All the regional organizatio ns that participated in the event are aware of and work in a 
manner consistent with the WTO SPS Agreement, particularly as regards  risk assessment 
based on available scientific data ; 
b. All the regional organizations are actively involved in risk assessment a ctivities ; despite 
different capacity levels, each organization  has made the commitment to its member 
countries to address  priority issues and build capacity ; 
c. International bodies are actively involved in initiatives to build capacity to ensure the 
effecti ve implementation of animal and plant health standards, including risk 
assessment ; 
d. Despite high levels of technical capacity in some parts of the Americas, considerable 
needs and shortcomings still exist . A lack of training and material resources was 
repea tedly cited as a deficiency that needs to be addressed . G/SPS/GEN/1542  
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  2.10.   Common vision sessions and implementation of the Performance, Vision and 
Strategy (PVS) instrument on the prevention of and response to plant protection 
emergencies : On 12 December , a common vision se ssion was held by the IICA office in Santiago 
de Chile . At the same time the technical team presented the results achieved during the 
implementation of the PVS instrument . The event was attended by the various sectors linked 
directly or indirectly to the a ctivities of the Agricultural and Forestry Protection Division of the 
Agriculture and Livestock Service  (SAG) . This allowed for fluid discussion , moderated by the IICA, 
on the required characteristics of the phytosanitary emergency response capacity , the recognized 
limitations, and possible strategies and actions needed  to enhance this capacity . 
Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)  
Agricultural Health and Food Safety  
http://www.iica.int  
 
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