G/SPS/GEN/1613  
 
8 May 2018  
(18-2812) Page: 1/5 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures    
 
SPS COMMITTEE THEMAT IC WORKSHOP  ON CONTROL, INSPECTION AND APPROVAL 
PROCEDURES (ANNEX C)   
MONDAY , 9 JULY – TUESDAY, 10 JULY  2018  
WTO, CENTRE WILLIAM RAPPARD, GENEVA  
PROGRAMME  
Note by the Secretariat1 
1.  The Secretariat of the World Trade Organization is organizing a workshop on control, inspection 
and approval procedures  to be held in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday, 9 July and Tuesday, 
10 July 2018. The workshop will be followed by informa l and formal meetings of the SPS 
Committee during the same week. Representatives of Members, Observers and Observer 
Organizations are all invited to participate in the workshop, as well as the subsequent meetings of 
the Committee from 11 to 13 July 2018. 
2.  Document s G/SPS/GEN/997/Rev. 8 and G/SPS/GEN/997/Rev. 8/Add.1  provide information on 
the workshop. The WTO, with the financial assistance of the Doha Development Agenda Global 
Trust Fund (DDAGTF), is sponsoring the participation of approximately 40 government  officials 
from developing country Members and Observers in the workshop. The Secretariat has selected 
participants to be sponsored among applications from government officials in char ge of the 
implementation of the  SPS Agreement.  
3.  The w orkshop will provide a forum for discussion and experience sharing on developments, 
challenges and practices in implementing Article 8 and Annex C  of the SPS Agreement on control, 
inspection and approval procedures.2 Through presentations, practical cas e stories and 
discussions, the w orkshop will aim to expand Members' understanding of the relevant provisions, 
jurisprudence, guidance from the internationa l standard -setting bodies , as well as regional and 
national experiences.  
4.  Members are invited to comment on the follow ing first draft of the  programme for the 
workshop by 21 May 2018 . The Secretariat will circulate the final programme after taking into 
consideration comments received.  
 
                                                
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.  
2 The workshop will present an opportunity to bu ild on the discussions held on  control, inspection and 
approval procedures in the context of the Third Re view of the SPS Agreement as included in the adopted report 
G/SPS/53 of 3 May 2010.  G/SPS/GEN/1613  
 
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  DRAFT PROGRAMME  
MONDAY, 9 JULY 2018 (10:00–18:00) 
Workshop Overview and O bjectives  
Speaker:  WTO Secretariat (TBC)  
Session 1: WHAT? – Overview of the International Framework  
Part I: Overview of Annex C  provisions and related jurisprudence  
Speaker:  WTO Secretariat (TBC)  
Part II: Overview of relevant work  in the 3 Sisters  
Speakers:  (TBC)  
 Codex  
 OIE 
 IPPC 
Part III : Relationship between Annex C and the Trade Facilitation Agreement  
Speaker:  WTO Secretariat (TBC)  
Session 2: WHY? – The Rationale behind Annex C  
 Economic r ationale behind Annex C provisions  
 Impact  on trade  
This session will include various studies, surveys and other tools that have been developed to highlight 
obstacles faced by traders, such as Doing Business,  Enabling Business of Agriculture,  Logistics 
Performance Index , etc. 
Speaker (s): (TBC)  
Session 3: HOW?  – Implementation of Annex  C 
Part I: Case Study on international trade transactions , showing cross -border movement of a sample 
product and applicable Annex C procedures  
Speaker (s): (TBC)  
Part II: Sharing  of Members' experiences  
Speakers:  
 Mr Fred Gorrell , Assistant Deputy Minister, International Affairs Branch, Canadian Food 
Inspection Agency: Canada’s risk based approach to inspections  
 Ms Delilah  Cabb Ayala, Coordinator, SPS Enquiry Point, Belize Agricultural Health Authority : 
Third party certification: Experiences from Belize  (title TBC)  G/SPS/GEN/1613  
 
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   Mr John Mc Evoy, Head of Unit, Directorate General for Health and Food Safety, European 
Commission, European Union: The EU approach to systems -based audits  
 Turkey (TBC)  
 United States (TBC)  
Other speakers (TBC)  
Closing remarks and wrap -up of day 1  
Speaker:  TBC  G/SPS/GEN/1613  
 
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  TUESDAY, 10 JULY 2018  (10:00 –18:00)  
Opening remarks  
Session 4 : Annex  C in the digital world  
Part I : E-certification  
Speaker(s): (TBC)  
 Codex (CCFICS)  
 OIE 
 IPPC (E -phyto ; e-commerce ) 
Part II: Members' experiences  
Speaker (s):  
 Mr Philippe Loopuyt, Head of Unit, Directorate General for Health and Food Safety, European 
Commission, European Union: E-certification in the EU  
 Other  (TBC)  
Session 5:  Challenges and solutions  
Part I: S pecific trade concerns (S TCs) related to Annex C  
Speaker (s): (TBC)  
Part II: Safe Trade Solutions  
Speaker:  STDF  
Part II I: Panel discussion on major challenges and possible solutions to effectively implement 
Annex  C provisions  
Panellists:  CODEX, OIE , IPPC, other  (TBC)  
Moderator:  STDF  
Session 6: Development Cooperation – Approaches and Good Practice s 
National  and regional initiatives  
Speakers:  (TBC)  
 Trade Facilitation Programme (International Trade Centre)  
 Trade  Facilitation Agreement Facility (WTO)  
 Trade Facilitation Support Program ( World Bank ) 
 Other  G/SPS/GEN/1613  
 
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  Session 7: Conclusions  
Speakers will identify a few key conclusions  of the sessions . This session will also include a question 
and answer period.  
Speakers: (TBC)  
 
 
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