WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/1009 
30 March 2010 
 (10-1704) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures  
  
 
AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE INFORMATION  
AND COOPERATION (AITIC) 
 
Note by the Secretariat
 
 
 The WTO Secretariat has received a communication from AITIC.  In the context of the SPS 
Committee's discussions on technical assistance and c ooperation, the text of their communication is 
reproduced in this document for the in formation of Members and Observers. 
 
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 G/SPS/GEN/1009 
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  AITIC SPS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES 
 
 
1. AITIC was established in Geneva in 1998 as an association and transformed into an 
intergovernmental organisation in 2004.  AITIC’s ob jective is to assist the less-advantaged countries 
(i.e. resource-constrained developi ng countries and economies in transition, with a priority to the 
least-developed countries and countries without perman ent representation in Geneva) to effectively 
participate in the WTO negotiations and in the mu ltilateral trading system (MTS).  AITIC currently 
has 61 Participating Members who are provided trade-related technical assistance, for a better 
understanding of trade policy issues and the MTS.  
2. AITIC has been receiving requests from its me mbers for specific assistance programmes on 
the SPS Agreement and the notification requirements.   AITIC started providing rigorous tailor-made 
assistance on SPS issues since 2008.  In July 2009, AITI C and DFID entered into formal agreement to 
collaborate on projects aimed at providing technical  assistance to LDCs and non-resident countries 
(without permanent representation in Geneva).  One of the purposes of this two year (2009 and 2010) 
project is to strengthen the capacity of these count ries to implement the Sanitary and Phytosanitary 
(SPS) agreement.  It is likely that the DFID woul d continue to provide funding to AITIC for these 
activities.   
3. AITIC has so far conducted four national work shops on SPS related issues – twice in the 
Gambia, Nepal and Togo.  In 2010, AITIC is schedul ed to conduct two more in Africa, one a follow-
up in Togo and another in a country yet to be conf irmed.  In addition, documents on SPS have also 
been published.  
4. In the national workshops mentioned above, AI TIC collaborated with SPS experts and local 
authorities to deliver tailor-made sessions.  The wo rkshops lasted two days in the capital.  The nodal 
ministries of Agriculture and/or Trade, had been requ ested to ensure the participation of officials from 
other ministries and departments such as health, animal  welfare, trade,  chemicals and fertilizers, food 
safety, small-scale industries dealing with p ackage, business houses, chambers of commerce, 
standards, fisheries, plant protection, customs, Committees on Codex, packaging companies, etc. and 
also the private sector for proper dissemination of in formation to the different SPS stakeholders.  The 
workshops also informed the participants of  the role of the STDF and its activities.  
The Gambia 
 
5. AITIC’s SPS activities began in The Gambia in 2008, with a request for a tailored 
programme.  In consultation with the Gambian au thorities, the workshop was designed not only to 
explain the different issues in the SPS Agreements  but also to give a hands-on training on the 
notification process.  The exercise was done on how to notify their “Food Safety Act”, which was 
then being enacted.  The importance of setting up enquiry points was also adequately emphasised.  
6. In the Gambia, Mrs. Fatim Njie, Director of  Trade, Ministry of Trade, Industry and 
Employment, informed that following AITIC workshop held in August 2008, the Ministry had, in consultations with stakeholders, established Enqui ry Points for both SPS and TBT in the Gambia.  
AITIC has also been now inform ed that on 4 March 2010, the Gambia notified to the WTO its new 
Food Safety and Quality Bill.  In this specific ca se AITIC’s technical assistance efforts have helped 
The Gambia to fulfil its notification obligation to the WTO.  
7. The activity was followed up in 2009 with a nother workshop that focused the detailed 
understanding of the SPS Agreement and training on the process of notifications.  The workshop 
highlighted the following recommendations:  G/SPS/GEN/1009 
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  (i) The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Employment needs to immediately 
inform the WTO of the existence of the Enquiry Points. 
(ii) To promote the use of standard methods and certification to increase 
Gambia’s ability to have access to certain niche markets.  
(iii) To explore the possibilities of establishing a Permanent Mission in Geneva to 
effectively follow up and participate in all WTO Committee meetings, 
including SPS and TBT.  AITIC has informed the authorities on the availability of its Non-Resident Unit to assist them establish a mission in Geneva. 
(iv) The need to increase and maintain its sh are in the international markets by 
addressing non-trade measures affecting its exports, and to fully maximize 
the preferential access to its current main overseas markets. 
Nepal 
 
8. The workshop in Nepal was organised on their sp ecific request to brief the officials on the 
SPS Agreement and in particular to clarify the process of notification.  Forty government officials and 
specialists participated in the workshop.  Th e main topics covered included: Transparency, 
Harmonisation, Equivalence, S&D, Traceability, Cer tification, Emergency Preparedness and Early 
Warning Systems for Prevention of Pests, Risk Anal ysis and Management and Regional Cooperation.  
The participants emphasised the need for similar workshops and the assistance that the AITIC could 
provide to Nepal as well as other LDCs, with rega rd to the WTO SPS Agreement.  This was later 
confirmed by the Permanent Mission in Geneva in a re quest to consider additional training to rectify 
problems with notifications. 
Togo 
 
9. The National Workshop in Togo was organised in collaboration with the Ministry for Trade 
and Promotion of Private Sector.  The Minister, H.E. Mr. Guy Madjé Lorenzo, opened the event 
which drew close to 60 participants from differe nt ministries, private sector, civil society and 
international organisations.  The format of the workshop was the same, with  practical exercises on 
case studies and notification process.  Officials requ ested for further capacity building activities on the 
SPS Agreement. 
10. During the workshop it emerged that the nationa l concern was that the implementation of the 
SPS Agreement was very low, or non-existent, due to  structural, institutional and human constraints.  
The consequence was lack of access to European and American markets.  
11. It also became apparent that there was lack  of information amongst the different government 
departments on the existence of the necessary re gulatory provisions at the national level.  
12. The workshop closed with th e following recommendations, which will be followed up in the 
upcoming workshop: 
• The designation of a national authority responsible for all notifications; 
• The establishment of a national standards body; 
• The establishment of a national SPS Committee; 
• The addition in the general budget of a sp ecific line item for the implementation of 
SPS measures; G/SPS/GEN/1009 
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  • The creation of a focal point for the management of information pertaining to SPS 
measures;  and 
• The review and distribution of texts rela ted to the application of SPS measures.  
 
2010 
 
13. AITIC’s 2010 SPS activities are being finalised .  Activities similar to those in 2009 are 
foreseen in Lao PDR, Cambodia, Rwanda or Togo, wh ich have all expressed an interest in continuing 
with tailored technical assistance from AITIC.  It  is the Agency’s aim to provide consistent SPS 
technical assistance, with repeat workshops in  capital to ensure that the knowledge base is 
strengthened over time.  AITIC consults the WTO S ecretariat to remain informed of important and 
ongoing developments in the SPS Committee and to ensure inter-agency coordination. 
14. AITIC is also planning on organising mi ni-courses on the SPS Agreement for the Geneva-
based delegates, to give them a basic understanding of the Agreement and its relationship with other 
areas of negotiations at the WTO. 
15. For the reasons listed above, an observer st atus for AITIC in the SPS Committee would 
greatly facilitate AITIC to follow the developments  in the Committee and thereby constantly update 
the Agency’s technical assistan ce activities and programmes.   G/SPS/GEN/1009 
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  TABLE ON 2009 SPS ACTIVITIES 
 
 
AITIC NATIONAL WORKSHOPS  
Title Venue Date 
Notifications under the WTO SPS Agreemen t Kathmandu, Nepal 27 – 28 April 2009 
The SPS Agreement and Notification Training Banjul, The Gambia 23 – 24 September 2009 
The SPS Agreement  and Notification Tr aining Lomé, Togo 1 – 2 October 2009  
AITIC RESOURCE DOCUMENTS ON SPS 
Title Date 
Trade and Development Brief - The WTO Agreement on Sanitary and 
Phytosanitary Measures: SPS Part 1 of 3 
 
http://www.acici.org/aitic/documents/T&DBriefs/T&DSPS1_eng.htm  
 May 2009 
Trade and Development Brief - The Implementation Record of the SPS 
Agreement – the Third Review: SPS Part 2 of 3 
 
http://www.acici.org/aitic/documents/T&DBriefs/T&DSPS2_eng.htm  
 May 2009  
Trade and Development Brief - Dispute settlement under the SPS 
Agreement: SPS Part 3 of 3 
 
http://www.acici.org/aitic/documents/T&DBriefs/T&DSPS3_eng.htm  
 May 2009  
 
 
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