WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/SPS/GEN/1149 
26 March 2012  
 
(12-1575) 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES  
 
Communication from Canada 
  
 The following communication received on 23 Marc h 2012, is being circulated at the request 
of the Delegation of Canada. 
 
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1. Canada would like to provide an update regarding the provision of technical assistance from 
January to December 2010.1  Technical assistance has been pr ovided to developing countries in 
accordance with Article 9 of the Agreement on the A pplication of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) 
Measures.  The assistance was primarily aimed at facilitating the development and implementation of 
sanitary and phytosanitary measures based on sound science.  The attached table reflects Canadian 
technical assistance in 2010.  While every effort has been made to ensure that information contained 
in the table presents all relevant technical assi stance projects, it may not constitute a complete 
compilation of technical assistance delivered give n the number of Canadian government departments 
and agencies and the variety of delivery programs involved. 
2. The monetary value of the technical assistance committed amounted to approximately 
Can$10 million between January and December 2010.  It should be noted that, in many cases, the 
organizations providing the assistance also made additional in-kind contributions to projects. 
3. Assistance was provided to more than 13 countri es, in Central America, South America, the 
Caribbean, the Asia-Pacific region, and Africa.  As sistance was directed to both individual countries 
and groups of countries or  regional organizations. 
4. Canada's assistance addressed three of the four broad categories listed in G/SPS/GEN/206:  
information;  training;  and "soft" infrastruct ure development (but not "hard" infrastructure 
development).  Assistance from Canada covered mo st of the "typical areas of competence" listed 
under the headings of food safety, animal hea lth and plant protection, in the Annex of 
G/SPS/GEN/206. 
5. In all, nine projects are listed for the period January to December 2010.  Some of the projects 
listed are multi-year projects;  however, projects are only reported once and generally in the year in which the project is initiated unless subseque nt funded project extensions occur.  
                                                      
1 One table is attached identifying technical assi stance committed to developing countries in 2010. 
Canada has provided technical assist ance updates for 2009 (G/SPS/GEN/1 099), 2008 (G/SPS/ GEN/1027), 2007 
(G/SPS/GEN/1008), 200 5-2006 (G/SPS/GEN/765), 2000 -2004 (G/SPS/GEN/728), and for years prior to 2000 
(G/SPS/GEN/143/Rev.1/Add.1). G/SPS/GEN/1149 
Page 2  
 
  TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY CANADA 
 
January 2010- December 2010 
 
 
Sector Description of Particular 
Programme Form of 
Assistance Provided to Contact 
Animal 
Health Provided recommendations to the 
Belize Agricultural Health Authority 
(BAHA) on developing preparedness 
and response plans for an outbreak of a serious avian disease. 
(18-31 October 2009) Training  Belize Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca 
Plant 
Health Hosted a workshop for 12 African 
officials from five countries to explain the regulatory process post 
field trial stage focussing on 
Canadian environmental safety assessments and food and feed safety 
assessments that inform Canadian 
field trial approvals. 
(10 September 2010) Training Kenya, 
Uganda, Tanzania, 
South Africa, 
Mozambique Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca 
Food 
Safety Two workshops for government 
seafood inspectors and Thai canned 
seafood exporters focussed on canned sardine sensory evaluation. 
(19-26 June 2010) Training Thailand Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca 
 Food 
Safety Information-sharing with the 
Division of Agricultural Commodity 
and Food Standards Policy, National 
Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards (ACFS), Royal 
Thai Government on areas of interest 
related to food safety policy and measures. 
(18 March 2010) Capacity 
Building Thailand Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca 
Plant 
Health & Food 
Safety Response to a Food and Agriculture 
Organization (FAO) request to prepare and host a week-long study 
tour for two delegates from each of 
St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Areas of interest 
included procedures and treatment for 
consignment in transit, mechanisms to deal with re-exported 
commodities, procedures related to 
inspection, methods of destruction, 
and specific topics related to plant 
health and quarantine. 
(14-18 June 2010) Capacity 
Building Saint Lucia, 
Saint Vincent & the 
Grenadines 
 Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca  G/SPS/GEN/1149 
 Page 3 
 
 
  Sector Description of Particular 
Programme Form of 
Assistance Provided to Contact 
Animal 
Health, Plant 
Health & 
Food 
Safety Information sharing to assist in the 
formulation of a national strategy on standardisation and related 
accreditation and management 
systems for animal health, plant 
health and food safety in Thailand. 
(25 May 2010) Capacity 
Building Thailand Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca 
Animal 
Health, 
Plant 
Health & Food 
Safety One week study tour to Canada on 
inspection and quarantine by a four 
member delegation from the Bureau 
of Animal and Plant Health Inspection & Quarantine (BAPHIQ) 
to inform authorities on Canada's 
federal inspection and quarantine systems. 
(27 November – 4 December 2010) Capacity 
Building Chinese 
Taipei Rolf.Schoenert@inspection.gc.ca 
Animal 
Health, Plant 
Health & 
Food Safety Canada-Americas Trade-Related 
Technical Assistance (CATRTA) Program. 
CIDA funded multi-year program to 
provide trade-related technical assistance to CIDA partner countries 
in the Americas that have negotiated 
or are currently negotiating a free trade agreement with Canada.  SPS is 
one of six project thematics for the 
program.  Projects in animal health, 
plant health and food safety capacity 
building to enhance trade are supported under this thematic.  
(2010-2016) Capacity 
Building Columbia, 
Honduras, Peru  Dean.Moser@acdi-cida.gc.ca 
Animal 
Health, Plant 
Health & 
Food Safety Inter-American Development 
Bank(IDB) – Aid for Trade Strategic Fund 
A multi-million dollar contribution to 
the IDB fund dir ected to trade 
facilitation and implementation of 
SPS standards to enable countries in 
the Americas to benefit from liberalised trade and increased market 
access.  Funds are directed to 
initiatives that facilitate overcoming supply-side constraints in meeting 
importing country SPS requirements.  
(March 2010) Funding Latin America 
and the Caribbean Yvon.Marsolais@acdi-cida.gc.ca 
 
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