G/SPS/GEN/1249  
12 June 2013  
(13-3056)  Page: 1/3  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: Spanish  
 
  ACTIONS AIMED AT IMPLEMENTING THE WTO AGREEMENT ON THE APPLICATION 
OF SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES 
INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY TH E INTER-AMERICAN INSTITUTE 
FOR COOPERATION ON AGRICULTURE (IICA) 
The following communication, received on 12 June 2013, is being circulated at the request 
of the IICA. 
 
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1.  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 implemen tation of the SPS Agreement. The IICA 
wishes to present some of the actions and activities that it considers relevant to the work 
of this Committee. 
1  PROMOTING PARTICIPATION IN MULTIL ATERAL FORUMS ASSOCIATED WITH 
THE SPS COMMITTEE 
2.  As part of the Programme to Promote Participation in the Codex Alimentarius in the Americas, 
support was given for participation in meetings on the Codex of Pesticide Residues (seven countries) held in China in May, Food Labelling (ten countries), held in Canada in May, 
and shortly the Codex Commission (four count ries), to be held in Italy in July. 
3.  The Programme was broadened this year to include two more meetings, increasing support 
from seven to nine meetings, thanks to contributions from the Government of Canada. 
This Programme had originally been financed by the United States and by the IICA itself. 
In the remainder of the year, support will be given to the committees on residues of veterinary medicines, nutrition and food for special diets, and food hygiene. 
4.  A coordinating meeting in the context of the Codex Committee for Latin America 
and the Caribbean (CCLAC) is held before each of these meetings to encourage discussion of the items on the agenda and to try to identify issues of common interest in order to adopt a joint position at the regional level. Please contact Eric Bolaños ( erick.bolanos@iica.int ) 
or Ricardo Molins ( ricardo.molins@iica.int ). 
5.  The IICA met in Bolivia with officials of the National Plant Health Unit of the 
National Agricultural, Livestock and Food Safety Service (SENASAG) to coordinate training courses 
on the Agreement on the Application of Sani tary and Phytosanitary Measures and Good 
Agricultural Practices (GAPs) for the year 2013. The IICA has been holding courses in Bolivia for six years. It was agreed to give training courses for producers in rural areas in Bolivia's nine 
departments. Please contact Marco Jordan ( marco.jordan@iica.int ). 
2  SUPPORT FOR INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING 
6.  From 22 to 24 May in Venezuela, the IICA implemented the Performance, Vision 
and Strategy (PVS) tool for National Food Safety Services at the Socialist Institute of Fisheries 
and Aquaculture (INSOPESCA). Seventy technicians t ook part in this activity including government 
officials and users of the services. As a result of the Common Vision workshop, an action plan was G/SPS/GEN/1249 
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  prepared for the four basic medium, short and long-term components of INSOPESCA's work 
on quality control and safety of fisheries and aquaculture products. Please contact Yanira Vásquez (yanira.vasquez@iica.int ) or Jaime Flores ( jaime.flores@iica.int ). 
7.  In Bolivia, the IICA coordinated with SE NASAG on execution of the PVS for plant 
health with a view to implementation in the second half of this year. Please contact 
Marco Jordan ( marco.jordan@iica.int ). 
8.   In May, the IICA initiated support for Ecuador's National Food Control System through 
an activity directed to analysis and understanding of what an up-to-date monitoring system should 
be. Please contact Paola Ramon ( paola.ramon@iica.int ). 
9.  In April and May, the IICA conducted two activities for the dissemination and analysis 
of the proposed rule of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Preventive 
Controls of Human Food and Produce Safety Standards for Growing and Harvesting Fruit 
and Vegetables on Farms (FSMA). The objective of  the former activity, at the Americas level, 
is to make government officials and the private se ctor aware of the entry into force of these new 
safety standards. The latter was an activity at the Central American level, organized jointly with 
the Federation of Exporters' Chambers and Associations in Central America, Panama and the Caribbean (FECAEXCA). One of the re sults of this event was the establishment 
of a standing regional forum to analyse the impact of the law and its regulations. Please contact 
Ana Cordero ( ana.cordero@iica.int ), Marcos Sanchez ( marcos.sanchez@iica.int ), Alejandra Diaz 
(alejandra.diaz@iica.int ) or Gerardo Escudero ( gerardo.escudero@iica.int ). 
3  SUPPORT FOR SPS-RELATED REGIONAL OR HEMISPHERIC ORGANIZATIONS 
10.  In connection with the Inter-American Group for Coordination on Plant Protection (GICSV), 
a workshop was held in IICA premises on " Introduction to Electronic Phytosanitary Certification 
in the IPPC ", known as " eFito". This event was held from 10 to 12 June and was attended 
by 48 technicians from 20 countries and delegates from three regional plant protection 
organizations (OPRFs), NAPPO, OIRSA and COSAVE. Th e workshop was an effort on the part of the 
OPRFs to promote capacity building and to develop joint action at the hemispheric level. 
Please contact Lourdes Fonalleras ( lourdes.fonalleras@iica.int ). 
11.  The IICA continues to support the work of regional forums such as the Southern Cone Plant 
Health Committee (COSAVE), the Standing  Veterinary Committee (CVP), SECAC. 
4  ONGOING PROJECTS 
12.  IICA-Canada Project – Canada Americas Trade Related Technical Assistance 
(CATRTA): The IICA is implementing a project in Peru and Colombia with the objective 
of identifying products with potential for export to the Canadian market and to support compliance 
with sanitary and phytosanitary measures that represent barriers to market access. The second 
mission to the countries in question under the project is under way in order to identify the products. Please contact Jaime Flores ( jaime.flores@iica.int ). 
13.  Early warning and climate change project: In Paraguay and Peru, the IICA is currently 
implementing a project that links early warning for SPS measures and climate change. Two environmentally vulnerable areas in each country have been selected in order to develop the system. Please contact Ericka Soto ( erika.soto@iica.int ). 
14.  School for phytosanitary inspectors : The project started to be implemented through 
a workshop held from 19 to 26 April. It was attended by the technical committee for the project, composed of the authorities responsible for conducting phytosanitary inspection in Argentina, 
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru an d Uruguay. Work is going on to develop a study 
plan and the diagnostic of the context in the ONPFs of these countries with a view 
to implementation. Please contact Lourdes Fonalleras ( lourdes.fonalleras@iica.int ). G/SPS/GEN/1249 
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  15.  School for food safety inspectors in the Central American region and the Dominican 
Republic: The IICA is currently working to adapt teaching materials and to improve the virtual 
platform for the course. Agreements with academia are being finalized. Please contact Ana Cordero (ana.cordero@iica.int ). 
16.   EU-CARIFORUM SPS: The IICA is holding consultations with countries and regional 
organizations in order to identify the types of needs that could be met under the CARIFORUM SPS 
project. This project includes, inter alia, harmonization of animal and plant health and food safety 
legislation, modernization of AHFS services, participation in international SPS standardization 
processes, and a strong component on training in good practices (GAPs, GLPs, GMPs, and HACCP) for the public, private and academic sectors. Please contact ( carol.thomas@iica.int ). 
Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) 
Agricultural Health and Food Safety 
http://www.infoagro.net/salud 
http://www.iica.int  
 
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