G/SPS/GEN/1276  
8 October 2013  
(13-5443)  Page: 1/4  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: Spanish  
 
  ACTIONS AIMED AT IMPLEMENTING THE WTO AGREEMENT ON SANITARY 
AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES 
INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY TH E INTER-AMERICAN INSTITUTE 
FOR COOPERATION ON AGRICULTURE (IICA) 
The following communication, received on 4 October 2013, is being distributed at the request 
of the IICA. 
 
_______________ 
  
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 implementation of the SP S Agreement. The IICA wishes to present some 
of the actions and activities that it considers relevant to the work of this Committee. 
1  SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES (CAPACITY BUILDING AND 
RELATIONSHIP WITH MU LTILATERAL FORUMS) 
2.  As part of the Programme to Promote Particip ation in the Codex Alimentarius in the Americas, 
support was given during the last months of the year for participation in three Codex meetings: (i) Residues of veterinary drugs; (ii) Nutrition and foods for special dietary uses; (iii) Food hygiene. 
3.  In 2013, support was provided for nine Codex Committees, and 55 officials from 18 countries 
received financial support for participation. This year, the programme financed 35% to 60% of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean present at the meetings (Graph 1), 
contributing to a significant boost in the numbe r of countries from the region participating. 
Data for the meetings on hygiene and special dietary uses are not yet available, since the 
meetings have not yet taken place. 
4.  At the end of this year, the programme w ill have supported in total 28 Codex meetings 
and 12 committees. Four countries have ten or more contributions, a group of ten countries have received between nine and five contributions, and 14 countries have received between four and one contributions (Graph 2). 
5.  In addition to the support for participation component, the IICA is conducting the following 
capacity building or standardization activities: G/SPS/GEN/1276 
- 2 - 
  
 
 
 
0369 1 2 1 5 1 8 2 1 2 4 2 7Total MeetingsCosta RicaPeruUruguayNicaraguaBoliviaJamaicaColombiaTrinidad & TobagoDominican  RepublicPanamaDominicaHondurasParaguayGuatemalaEcuadorEl SalvadorSanta LuciaChileAntigua BarbudaGrenadaSaint VincentMexicoArgentinaBelizeHaitiSaint Kitts and NevisSurinameBarbadosGraph 2: Number of meetings  supported  by country, 2009‐2013
 
 G/SPS/GEN/1276 
- 3 - 
  (i) Support for the drafting of a proposed re gional standard for quinoa: in view of the 
importance of this crop for certain countries in Latin America added to the fact that the FAO has designated this year "International Year of Qunioa", it seemed appropriate to launch a support programme for the development of this standard; 
(ii) Support to Peru for the launching of its Codex Strategic Plan and celebration of 
the Codex's 50
th birthday: September saw the organization of a high-level event, well 
attended at the national level, with a view to raising the national community's awareness 
of the Codex; 
(iii) A 50th birthday celebration for the Codex is scheduled to take place in Costa Rica 
in November; 
(iv) In October, the IICA will be supporting a Codex event in El Salvador with a view to raising 
the national community's awareness of the Codex. 
 6.  The "IPPC Workshops for the analysis of draft international standards for phytosanitary 
measures for the Caribbean and Latin American regions" were conducted as part of the letter 
of understanding between the IICA and the IPPC  Secretariat. These workshops have a number 
of objectives: firstly, to promote dialogue between the contracting parties and to encourage their 
active participation in the preparation of the ISPMs, and secondly, to assist the contracting parties 
in familiarizing themselves with the organization and functioning of the IPPC Secretariat and its subsidiary bodies. 
7.  Both events took place in Septembe r. The Caribbean region event took place 
in Trinidad and Tobago for English-speaking countries, and was attended by 13 countries 
and 18 delegates. The second one took place at IICA headquarters in Costa Rica for Spanish speaking countries, and was attended by 22 delegates from 16 countries. 
8.  The regional phytosanitary protection organizations (COSAVE, OIRSA) as well as 
the IPPC Secretariat and the IICA participated in the events and provided financial support. 
9.  These workshops examined the five phytosanitary standards currently under consultation, 
as well as the various IPPC Secretariat projects and other related matters: 
(i) management of phytosanitary risks in the international movement of wood; 
(ii) movement of growing media in association with plants for planting in international trade; (iii) phytosanitary procedures for fruit-fly management; 
(iv) amendment to ISPM 5; 
(v) preliminary draft standard: Minimizing pest movement by sea containers. 
 
10.  On 27 August 2013, a meeting of the Inte r-American Group for Coordination on Plant 
Protection (GICSV), an organization which brin gs together the regional plant protection 
organizations (RPPOs) of the Americas, was held in Uruguay to review the results of the workshop 
on "Introduction to electronic phytosanitary certification under the IPPC (ePhyto)" and 
the 2012-2013 work plan. It was agreed that th e annual meeting of the GICSV would be held 
on 21 or 22 November 2013 at IICA headquarters in Costa Rica. 
11.  From 26 to 30 August 2013, the IICA took part in the 25
th IPPC Technical Consultation among 
RPPOs with the participation of the IPPC/FAO Secretariat and Bureau and the RPPOs of Asia 
and the Pacific, the Southern Cone, Europe and the Mediterranean, North America, Central America and the Dominican Republic, and the Pacific. The consultation focused, inter alia , 
on the main pests that are currently of concern and the emerging pests in each of the different 
regions, matters relating to national information requirements, electronic certification, and the establishment of the RPPO for the Caribbean. 
12.  From 27 to 29 of August 2013, the IICA conducted a workshop entitled "Managing 
International Trade Agreements". The event wa s designed for officials from the regional 
headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture and O fficial Services, and addressed subjects relating 
to trade negotiations, agriculture, and the WTO SPS Agreement. 
13.  June 2012 saw the inauguration of a WTO Reference Centre at the IICA. Since then, 
the Centre has been working to promote and di sseminate products and services and has been G/SPS/GEN/1276 
- 4 - 
  engaged in technical assistance activities for the 34 IICA member States, including government, 
business and academic circles and the general public. 
14.  In the year following its entry into operation,  it was the technical consultation service that was 
in highest demand. From June 2012 to June 2013, the WTO-IICA Reference Centre 
handled 352 technical consultations  on general WTO-related matters, specific trade dispute 
issues, trade databases, trade and tariff profiles, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, agriculture notifications, agricultural subsidies, etc. It also organized 54 dissemination and promotion 
sessions for different sectors on the services o ffered by the WTO-IICA Reference Centre. 
During its first year, the Centre received a total of 56 visitors  from a variety of sectors 
in different countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. Finally, the Reference Centre published seven technical bulletins  on subjects such as WTO technical training resources, 
FAQs concerning the Reference Centre, WTO international trade glossary, etc. 
2  SUPPORT FOR THE STRENGTHENING OF THE INSTITUTIONAL AND REGULATORY 
FRAMEWORK 
15.  The IICA organized a training event in the Dominican Republic entitled "Introductory 
risk-based food inspection workshop for food inspectors". The event was held from 27 to 30 August 2013 at the Agricultural an d Forestry Development Centre (CEDAF), and was 
attended by 27 inspectors from the official agricultural food inspection service of 
the Dominican Republic. 
16.  The 3
rd Regional workshop on phytosanitary inspecti on and quarantine took place in Trinidad 
and Tobago from 5 to 16 August 2013, on the campus  of the University of the West Indies. It was 
organized jointly by the University, USDA /APHIS and the FAO, and was attended 
by 23 participants from 16 countries in the region. 
17.  In August, the IICA organized two work sessions entitled "Microbiological criteria proposal for 
unprocessed foods" and "Proposed rules for Central American Technical Regulation (RTCA) 
of microbiological criteria for unprocessed foods" in support of the Central American Customs Union process. Both sessions were organized by the Secretariat of the Central American 
Agricultural Council. 
Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) 
Agricultural Health and Food Safety 
http://www.infoagro.net/salud 
http://www.iica.int 
 
__________