G/SPS/GEN/1754  
 
17 December 2019  
(19-8780) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures    
 
SPS COMMITTEE THEMAT IC SESSION ON VOLUNTARY THIRD -PART Y ASSURANCE  
AS PART OF NATIONAL SPS CONTROL SYSTEMS  
 
TUESDAY, 17 MARCH  2020 
WTO, CENTRE WILLIAM RAPPARD, GENEVA  
PROGRAMME  
In the context of the Fifth Review of the Operation and Implementation of the Agreement on the 
Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  (SPS Agreement), Belize submitted a proposal 
for the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Co mmittee) to consider holding a 
thematic session on voluntary third -party assurance programmes .1 At the July 2019 meeting, the 
SPS Committee agreed to the proposal  and to hold the thematic session in March 2020 . 
The session will cover voluntary third -party a ssurance as part of national SPS control systems, with 
the main objectives to: receive updates from the international standard -setting bodies on their work 
in the area; facilitate an exchange of information among Members on their use of voluntary third -
party assurance as part of national SPS control systems ; obtain the perspectives and experiences of 
the private sector; and learn about capacity -building initiatives in this area.  
Further to Belize's proposal, Members were invited to submit any inputs on the  programme and 
speakers by 29 November 2019. This draft programme is based on the structure suggested by 
Belize.2 Members are further  invited to submit written comments on this draft programme , including 
suggest ions of  additional speakers , to the Secretari at (spscommittee@wto.org ) by Friday, 
24 January 2020 .  
The thematic session will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday, 17 March  2020, starting  at 
10:00, and continu ing in the afternoon at 15:00 , as necessary.  
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Chairperson : Mr Daniel Arboleda  
1  RELEVANT INTERNATION AL STANDARDS  
Update from the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems 
(CCFICS) on the "Draft Principles and  Guidelines for the Assessment and Use of Voluntary Third -
Party Assurance" and presentations on the development of relevant standards from IPPC . 
Speakers:  
▪ Codex Alimentarius  
▪ IPPC  
Followed by Q&A session and discussion  
                                                
1 G/SPS/W/316 . This original proposal referred to "a thematic session or works hop", however in the 
July 2019 SPS Committee meeting, Belize informed the Committee that the four areas indicated in its proposal 
would be best covered in a one -day thematic session, as opposed to a two -day workshop.  
2 G/SPS/W/3 20. G/SPS/GEN/1754  
 
- 2 - 
 
  2  MEMBERS' EXPERIENCE S WITH VOLUNTARY THIRD -PART Y ASSURANCE PROGRAMM ES 
AS PART OF NATIONAL SPS CONTROL SYSTEMS  
Experiences of both exporting and importing Members with the use  or application  of these 
programmes as part of national SPS control systems to facilitate trade. (Some of the  questions 
speakers may address are: What changes, if any, had to be made at the national level to enable the 
use of these programmes? Are there any cost savings which enable extra resources to be channelled 
to other needed areas? If yes, what are some of the other benefits? What are the challenges faced? ) 
Speakers:  
▪ Canada  
Followed by Q&A session and discussion  
3  PRIVATE SECTOR EXPER IENCES REGARDING VOL UNTARY THIRD -PARTY A SSURANCE 
PROGRAMMES USED AS P ART OF NATIONAL SPS CONTROL SYSTEMS  
Private sector experi ences with government use of voluntary third -party assurance schemes as a 
means to facilitate safe trade – benefits and challenges.  
Speakers:   
▪ Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) - Benchmarking (TBC) 
Followed by Q&A session and discussion  
4  CAPACITY -BUILDING EFFORTS  
Presentations on capacity -building efforts regarding use of voluntary third -party assurance 
programmes as part of national SPS control systems.  
Speakers:   
▪ Belize  
▪ Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF):  STDF Pilot projects and other 
relevant work  
▪ Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) – Global Markets Programme (TBC) 
Followed by Q&A session and discussion  
5  CLOSING  
Roundtable moderated by Belize  
Discussion on some overarching themes such as:  
▪ Based on the di scussions throughout the thematic session, in Member's views, what are 
aspects of voluntary third -party assurance programmes that enable the facilitation of 
international trade?  
▪ What are the key challenges of third-party assurance programmes faced by industry and by 
importing and exporting countries that Members should seek to address?  
▪ As a next step, how can capacity -building efforts better address the challenges faced in this 
area?  
Speakers:  TBC 
 
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