G/SPS/GEN/1522  
 
17 October 2016 
(16-5599) Page: 1/4 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
TECHNICAL ASS ISTANCE TO DEVELOPIN G COUNTRIES  
COMMUNICATION FROM CANADA  
The follow ing communication, received on 7 October 2016, is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of Canada . 
 
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1.  Canada would like to provide an update regard ing the provision of technical assistance from 
January to December 2015.1 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 Phytosanitary (SPS ) 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 
countries in 2015. 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 $3.87 million between January and December 2015. 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 19 countries  – in Africa, Latin America and the 
Caribbean, Central Asia and the Asia -Pacific region. Assistance w as 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 n ot "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, 20 projects are listed for the period January to December 2015.  
                                                
1 Canada has provided technical assistance updates for 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/1522  
 
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  TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE  PROVIDED BY CANADA  
JANUARY 201 5 - DECEMBER 201 5 
Sector  Description of Particular 
Programme  Form of 
Assistance  Provided to  Contact  
Animal 
Health  The Kazakh Committee of 
Veterinary Surveillance sent  
laboratory veterinarians for 
comparative studies on 
diagnostic tests for 
paratuberculosis at CFIA 's 
Ottawa Animal Health laboratory . 
(24-27 March  2015)  Training  Kazakhstan  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Animal 
Health  Contribution to the World 
Organisati on for Animal Health 
(OIE) to support the 
implementation of, and 
attendance at, the OIE Seminar 
on New Diagnostic Technologies 
and International Standard 
Setting, held in conjunction with 
the meeting of the World 
Association of Veterinary 
Laboratory Diagno sticians in 
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.  
(17 June 2015)  Funding  All eligible 
developing 
countries  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Animal 
Health  Technical presentations & 
information provided to 
representatives from the 
National Centre for Animal and 
Plant He alth (CENSA) during a 
site visit and site audit as part of 
an OIE laboratory twinning 
project.  
(20-24 July 2015)  Training  Cuba Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Animal 
Health  Technical presentations provided 
to representatives from Saudi 
Arabia on animal di sease control.  
(13 October 2015)  Information  Saudi Arabia, 
Kingdom of  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Animal 
Health  Capacity building training 
provided to expand technical 
expertise for the Diagnosis and 
Control of Bovine Spongiform 
Encephalopathy (BSE) as part of 
an OIE laboratory twinning 
project to Cuba and the 
Caribbean region.  
(22 October – 17 December 
2015)  Training  Cuba Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Animal 
Health  Contribution to the World 
Organisation for Animal 
Health/World Health 
Organization' s "Global 
Conference on the Elimination of 
Dog-mediated Rabies" in Geneva 
Switzerland on 10-11 December 
2015.  
(October 2015)  Funding  All eligible 
developing 
countries  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Animal 
Health  The National Agricultural 
Products Quality  Management 
Service (NAQS) in Korea met 
with the CFIA Traceability Unit as 
part of a study tour program to 
Canada on livestock (pig) 
traceability.  
(22 October 2015)  Information  Korea, 
Republic of  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  G/SPS/GEN/1522  
 
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  Sector  Description of Particular 
Programme  Form of 
Assistance  Provided to  Contact  
Animal 
Health  Technical pre sentations provided 
to representatives from the 
Taiwan Food  and Drug 
Administration (TFDA) on Bovine 
Spongiform Encephalopathy  
(BSE) and animal disease  
control.  
(26 November 2015)  Information  Chinese 
Taipei  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Animal 
Health  Technical presentations provided 
to representatives from Korea on 
animal disease control.  
(22 December 2015)  Information  Korea, 
Republic of  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Plant 
Health  Study tour to Canada by Ministry 
of Livestock, Agriculture and Fish 
to review laboratory testing 
procedures for viruses in seed 
potatoes and phytosanitary 
certification program.  
(16-20 February 2015)  Training  Uruguay  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Plant 
Health  Funding provided to the Centre 
national de recherche 
agronomique and Université 
Nangui Abrogoua to develop a 
greater awareness of a coconut 
crop disease – "Côte d'Ivoire 
Lethal Yellowing Disease " and 
provide solutions and strategies 
to allow its control by 
authorities, policy makers, 
stakeholders and farmers.  
(August  2014 to February  2017)  Funding  Côte d'Ivoire  ibutare@idrc.ca  
Plant 
Health  Study tour by delegation from 
National Agricultural Products 
Quality Management Service 
(NAQS) in Korea on plant 
breeder 's rights. ( 21 September 
2015)  Information  Korea, 
Republic of  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Food 
Safety  Study tour to Canada led by 
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural 
Development, Republic of 
Vietnam to gain current 
information on Canada 's food 
safety system.  
(8-13 April 2015)  Information  Viet Nam Rolf.Schoenert@in spection.gc.ca  
Food 
Safety  Video conference and 
information sharing with a 
delegation of Moroccan industry 
representatives on import 
requirements in specific 
commodity areas within CFIA 's 
responsibilities.  
(3 June 2015)  Information  Morocco  Rolf.Schoenert @inspection.gc.ca  
Food 
Safety  Teleconference with Jamaican 
food industry representatives to 
share information on potential 
and future impacts on food 
exports from Jamaica to Canada 
under the new food safety 
regulations.  
(28 July 2015)  Information  Jamaic a Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  G/SPS/GEN/1522  
 
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  Sector  Description of Particular 
Programme  Form of 
Assistance  Provided to  Contact  
Food 
Safety  Seminar on Export Readiness, 
Safe Food for Canadians Act and 
potential impacts on exporters in 
Latin America and the Caribbean.  
(28 September 2015)  Information  Argentina, 
Brazil, 
Colombia, 
Dominican 
Republic,  
Guatemala, 
Honduras and 
Mexico  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Food 
Safety  Video conference on import 
requirements for agri -food 
products from Honduras.  
(14 September 2015)  Information  Honduras  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Food 
Safety  Funding to the  National Institute 
of Nutrition under Ministry of 
Health Vietnam to scale up 
successful initiatives that use 
locally grown crops for ready -to-
use therapeutic foods and 
fortified complementary foods.  
(November 2015 to March  2018)  Funding  Viet Nam AWesley@i drc.ca  
Plant 
Health 
and 
Food 
Safety  Training provided to African 
Regulators and their scientific 
experts to actively participate in 
regulatory processes governing 
genetically modified crops 
(Plants with novel traits), and to 
learn the role of administrato rs, 
regulators, risk assessors and 
inspectors in how to effectively 
implement GMO regulations.  
(23 November  – 23 December 
2015)  Training  Burkina Faso  Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  
Animal 
Health, 
Plant 
Health 
and 
Food 
Safety  Information exchange on 
Canad a's notification process as 
part of Bolivia 's process of 
reviewing their international 
trade program including 
strengthening their SPS Enquiry 
Point and regulation process.  
(16 November 2015)  Information  Bolivia, 
Plurinational 
State of  Rolf.Schoenert@inspe ction.gc.ca  
 
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