G/SPS/GEN/1832  
 
12 October 20 20 
(20-6978) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
ACTIONS AIMED AT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WTO AGREEMENT  
ON SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES  
INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY THE INTER -AMERICAN INSTITUTE  
FOR COOPERATION ON AGRICULTURE (IICA)  
The following communication, received on 8 October 20 20, is being circulated at the request of  IICA. 
 
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The observer organizations of the WTO Committee 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 Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and 
Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement). IICA would like to present some of the actions and 
activities that it considers  relevant to the work of this Committee.  
1  SUPPORT FOR MULTILATERAL FOR A ASSOCIATED WITH SANITARY AND 
PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES  
1.1  Codex Alimentarius Colloqui a 
1.1.  The support that IICA provides to countries of the Codex Coordinating Committee for Latin 
America and the Caribbean (CCLAC) in the area of communication and coordination includes, prior 
to each Codex meeting, the provision of a virtual communication platform to enable coordination 
between the countries. Last August, in collaboration with the United States Department of 
Agriculture (USDA), IICA hosted an Interregional Virtual Colloquium for Countries of the Codex 
Coordinating Committees for Africa (CCAFRICA) and the CCLAC. This event provided an opportunity 
for delegates from these two regions to analyse iss ues of common interest and develop regional 
participation strategies prior to the 43rd Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC43).  
2  INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AND REGULATIONS IN REGARD TO SPS MEASURES  
2.1  Strategy Session on OIE Guidelines  
2.1.  Aiming at impr oving coordination and promoting the development of harmonized comments on 
the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code chapters, IICA hosted the 5th edition of its Strategy Session 
organized in partnership and sponsored by the USDA. Twenty -four IICA member countries were 
represented in the four sessions held virtually, between 2-11 June 2020. Regional positions on 
Animal Welfare and Laying Hens Production Systems, Avian Influenza (Chapter 10.4), Classical 
Swine Fever (Chapter 15.2), Foot and Mouth Disease and Sa fe Commodities (Chapter 8.8), and 
Zoning and Compartmentalization (Chapters 4.4.6 and 4.4.7) were discussed.  
2.2  Project - Harmonization of Pesticide Registration Procedures and Maximum Residue 
Limits for the Central and Andean Regions  
2.2.  IICA and the USDA are im plementing a project aimed at harmonizing pesticide registration 
procedures (for agricultural use and bio -pesticides) and harmonizing maximum residue limits. 
The project includes eleven countries from the Central American, the Caribbean and the Andean 
regions. It has a long -term profile , with its completion expected for 2024 , and four fundamental G/SPS/GEN/1832  
 
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  components: harmonization of pesticide registration procedures (for agricultural use and bio -
pesticides); harmonization of maximum residue limits (MRLs); standards  (MRLs); and research.  
3  OTHER ACTIVITIES  
3.1  Support for Member Countries Response against COVID -19 
3.1.1   Virtual Course and Electronic Manual – "Preventive Measures in the Agriculture 
Sector to Guarantee a Continuous Food Supply for the Population During COVID -19" 
3.1.  Aiming at ensuring the continuous provision of food to the population through 
recommendations for the protection of the health of workers in the agricultural sector and the 
prevention of the spread of COVID -19, last April, IICA elaborated these capacity -building resources. 
With a series of recommendations on preventive measures for farm owners and managers, food 
establishments, as well as collection centres and markets, the purpose is to bolster and complement 
national efforts to efficiently manage preventi ve measures during the COVID -19 pandemic, and, in 
turn, protect the health of employees, prevent the spread of the disease, and guarantee a continuous 
food supply.  
3.2.  Information available at the following link:  
Electronic manual: http://opac.biblioteca.iica.int/cgi -bin/koha/opac -detail.pl?biblionumber=139985  
Virtual course: https://elearning.iica. int/mod/page/view.php?id=8840  
3.1.2   Virtual Technical Forum - "Main Challenges and Opportunities of Agricultural Health 
and Food Safety Services in the Face of COVID -19" 
3.3.  Aiming at promoting knowledge management, the exchange of experiences and opportunities 
for collaboration between the agricultural health and food safety services of IICA member  countries 
in the face of the pandemic, the Virtual Forum hosted by IICA last July was attended by 27 countries 
of the continent, represented by 280 delegates of the Natio nal Control Agencies.  
3.1.3   International Seminar - "Food Safety in Global Trade in the Context of Increasing 
Non-Tariff Barriers " 
3.4.  The Virtual Event was organized by IICA and the Group of Producing Countries from the 
Southern Cone (GPS). The Virtual Event was he ld last July and participants voiced the concerns of 
Latin American countries regarding access of their products to major global markets in the wake of 
COVID -19. Ranging from those in the export sector to representatives of different public agencies, 
participants in the event discussed major ag -trade topics in four different panels: production and 
border logistic implications for countries in the region; new non -tariff measures in the context of the 
pandemic; consumers ' food safety demands and the impositio n of new sanitary conditions to access 
markets; and s anitary and food safety strategies to address the new challenge of exporting "safe 
food". Identifying the common interests within the region, the participants agreed on the need for 
countries to coordina te their efforts as a region.  
3.2  Support for the Implementation of the US Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)  
3.5.  IICA, in conjunction with the FDA Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, 
continues to strengthen the capacities of professionals in th e Hemisphere in the FSMA regulations 
on the safety of fresh agricultural products. To date, more than 50 Lead Trainers in the FSMA 
Standard on the safety of fresh agricultural products and more than 4,000 producers have been 
trained on the subject.  
For fur ther information, please contact Ana Marisa Cordero ( ana.cordero@iica.int ). 
Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)  
Agricultural Health and Food Safety  
http://www.iica.int  
 
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