G/SPS/GEN/1339  
27 June 2014  
(14-3726)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: Spanish  
 
  ACTIONS AIMED AT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF 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 26 June 2014, is being circulated at the request 
of the IICA. 
 
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1. The observer organizations of the WTO Comm ittee 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 Participation in the Codex Alimentarius 
in the Americas, the IICA will, in the first half of this year, conclude its support for three Codex Committees: (i) Contaminants in Foods; (ii) Pesticide Residues; and (iii) the Codex Alimentarius Commission. Some 28 technicians from around 20 countries will have benefited from these 
three meetings. 
3. The IICA will continue to support coordination videoconferences for Latin American 
and Caribbean countries within the Codex Alimentarius framework. These sessions make 
it possible to virtually coordinate the various agenda items of Codex meetings and to find issues 
or positions of common interest to the region. The coordination sessions are conducted in English and Spanish. Six sessions were held in the first half of the year. 
4. As part of the Capacity-Building and Codex Alimentarius Promotion Programme, 
three workshops were held in May and June at  national level, in Paraguay, El Salvador 
and Honduras, for political actors involved in national Codex management. The workshops sought to promote the development of institutional capacity among the Codex community and the 
understanding and importance of the Codex Alimentarius among the politicians 
and decision-makers who directly influence Codex Alimentarius management. 
5 .  A s  p a r t  o f  t h e  a c t i o n  p l a n  w i t h  t h e  I P P C  Secretariat, and through the support provided 
by the Secretariat, the IICA participated as an  observer member of the Capacity Development 
Committee (CDC) and helped to update the Handbook of Good Practices for Participation in Meetings of the IPPC. It also helped to develo p an online tool that provides guidance on how 
to prepare for the meeting of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CMF) and on the 
technical and logistical aspects that facilitate participation. The IICA actively participated in the training session prior to the start of the CMF meet ing and officially presented the online tool that 
is available on the IPPC's phytosanitary resources web page ( http://www.phytosanitary.info/inform
ation/participation-commission-phytosanitary-measures-cpm ). G/SPS/GEN/1339 
- 2 - 
  2 SUPPORT FOR INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING 
6. Performance, Vision and Strategy (PVS) for National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs): 
the IICA, keen to contribute to strengthenin g NPPOs, and taking into account the changes 
in recent years at international level and the need to adapt to the current context, began to revise 
and update the PVS tool, the 2014 version of which is  now available. The IICA hopes that this will 
help NPPOs rate their performance level and establis h priorities and that it will facilitate their 
strategic planning. It can also help them to shar e a vision with the private sector, with a view 
to meeting their obligations and benefiting from  new opportunities. The implementation process 
has also begun in two South American countries. 
7. In May, the IICA implemented its PVS tool for the Bolivian phytosanitary service (SENASAG). 
Participants included public sector officials from various institutions, private sector representatives, 
and academics. The tool was implemented to lay the groundwork for promoting the development 
and modernization of SENASAG. 
8. In Peru, the IICA continues to support the formulation of a food safety policy through 
the Standing Multispectral Commission on Food Safety (COMPIAL). The progress made 
in the formulation process conducted by COMPIAL and the IICA was examined at a workshop held at the end of March. This workshop, entitled "Natio nal Food Safety Policy", was attended by public 
sector representatives and private-sector associations involved in food safety 
policy implementation. 
9. As part of the project "Capacity building for micro and small enterprises for compliance 
with sanitary and phytosanitary measures in the Canadian market", two workshops were held 
in Colombia and Peru to provide training on SPS requirements to agricultural producers with export 
potential. The workshops were aimed at quinoa, co coa, tilapia, aromatic plant and unrefined cane 
sugar (panela) production chains. A trade mission to Canada was also organized with producers 
from these chains to meet potential buyers and learn more about the Canadian institutional 
framework and its rules. This project is funded using CATRTA - Canada resources. 
10. As part of the STDF 436 project "Strengthe ning regional capacity to meet pesticide 
export requirements based on international standards", a Steering Committee meeting was held 
inJune in Costa Rica. Participants included delegates from six countries and representatives of the IICA, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the IR-4 (USDA project on specialty crops). Also in attendance was an expert from the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on 
Pesticide Residues (JMPR), who gave a detailed explanation of aspects pertaining to the 
establishment and approval of maximum residue le vels (MRLs) for pesticides within the Codex 
Alimentarius framework. 
11. As part of the "Sanitary Early Warning in Te rritories Susceptible to Climate Change" project, 
in March and April the IICA held six workshops for Paraguayan and Peruvian technicians and producers (in Nueva Italia and Caacupé in Pa raguay, and in San Martín and Piura in Peru), 
the purpose of which was to strengthen the participants' technical skills in relation to good 
agricultural practices, pest identification and sample-taking for the timely detection of pests. 
12. In Venezuela, the IICA held a workshop on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and hazard 
analysis and critical control points (HACCP) on 2 and 3 April. This activity was conducted 
with a view to strengthening the institutional capacity of public officials from the People's Ministry 
of Health (MPS) in relation to the implementation  and monitoring of programmes to ensure quality 
and safety in the food sector. The workshop wa s attended by officials from the Autonomous 
Sanitary Control Service of the MPS. A workshop was also held on risk management to present 
the current situation regarding food safety management and risk analysis at regional and international levels and to strengthen the basic concepts and tools relating to modern safety 
management and the new risk inspection approach. 
Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) 
Agricultural Health and Food Safety 
http://www.iica.int 
 
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