WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/785 
22 June 2007 
 (07-2637) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English/ 
 Spanish 
 
 
 
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND COOPERATION INITIATIVE  
FOR THE AMERICAS IN SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES 
 
Information Submitted by the Inter-American Institute  
for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA ) 
 
 
I. INTRODUCTION 
1. Article 10.4 of the Agreement on the Applica tion of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures 
(SPS Agreement), which deals with special and diffe rential treatment, states that "Members should 
encourage and facilitate the active participation of developing country Members in the relevant 
international organizations."  The effective particip ation of developing countries in the international 
organizations has also been a topic of discu ssion both in the Review of the Operation and 
Implementation of the Agreement on the Applicati on of SPS Measures and in the Doha Ministerial. 
(G/SPS/36 and WT/MIN(01)/17). 
2. The insistence on this point by the countries, added to the importance of the international 
organizations for agrifood trade, contributed in la rge part to the development of the Initiative for the 
Americas in SPS (Initiative), which was launched in October 2002. The main purpose of the Initiative 
is to promote the active participation  of the countries of the Ameri cas in the SPS Committee of the 
WTO. 
3. To date, 34 countries have participated. At present, six countries provide support for the 
Initiative and 28 are direct beneficiaries. Also , 214 capital-based specialists from ministries or 
institutions responsible for food safety, animal and pl ant health and foreign trade have participated in 
meetings of the SPS Committee of the WTO. 
4. The Initiative has supported their participa tion in 15 consecutive meetings of the SPS 
Committee of the WTO over a period of five years.  
II. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INITIATI VE:  FACILITATING MORE THAN 
THEIR PHYSICAL PRESENCE 
5. To implement a program intended to foster active participation in international forums, in this 
case the SPS Committee of the WTO, it was necessary: 
(a) To focus the program on strengthening nationa l institutions and not only on ensuring 
their physical presence at meetings. 
(b) To foster intersectoral and interinstitutional dialogue by setting up national forums to 
analyze and articulate the agendas of the SPS Committee of the WTO and of the Three Sisters. G/SPS/GEN/785 
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  (c) To establish criteria for participation while respecting the right of the countries to 
designate their delegates. 
(d) To establish mechanisms for monitoring th e actions carried out in the countries. 
(e) To tap experience existing in the region to  foster cooperation among the countries.  
(f) To reduce the financial benefits over time  and set responsibilities for the countries. 
6. As part of their participation in the Initiative, the countries are expected to report on all 
actions taken internally to strengthen their in stitutional capabilities in the area of SPS measures, 
following a format established by those administering the program. 
7. On the basis of the information compiled in th e reports, and the comments shared with the 
developing countries which participated actively in the SPS Committee, five fundamental variables 
were identified that facilitate and promote active participation at the international level.  These 
fundamental variables were presented to the SPS Committee for the first time in document 
G/SPS/GEN/497 in June 2004. 
8. The five fundamental variables are: 
(a) Coordinating mechanisms: Describes the national mech anism through which the 
different public sector ministries are brought together along with the private sector in 
order to address topics that arise from the SPS Committee of the WTO. 
(b) Human resources dedicated to the topic: Defines the priority and attention given 
by personnel to provide follow-up to the SPS Committee of the WTO.  
(c) Coordination between the capital and the Geneva mission: Indicates the level of 
interaction between the Capital and the Geneva mission.   
(d) Priority of the topic: Indicates the level of support that the national authorities give 
to developing national SPS capacity. 
(e) Financial and technical resources: Indicates the financial capacity to develop 
functions (e.g. to operate enquiry and notif ication points), important actions, and to 
actively participate in the SPS Committee of the WTO. 
III. RESULTS OBTAINED ON KEY VARIABLES 
9. Based on the information reported by the count ries, using a methodology of variables that 
represent different levels of development,  the following information was obtained: 
(a) Coordinating mechanisms  
 
10. Coordinating mechanisms make it possible for the different actors involved in negotiating, 
administering and implementing SPS measures to m onitor them, assess their impact and take 
advantage of opportunities that come up in internat ional fora dealing with SPS measures, especially 
the Committee on SPS Measures of the WTO. 
  G/SPS/GEN/785 
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11. Coordination mechanisms enable 
the country to monitor the work of the international organizations, and even to participate in their technical deliberations without the capital-based experts being 
physically present. 
12. The Initiative for the Americas 
has focused on promoting these coordination mechanisms, in the belief that they are essential for active 
participation and help solve the financial 
problems of the countries. 
13. Of the 28 countries benefiting from the Initia tive, 100 per cent claim to have some 
institutional mechanism in place for discussing and anal yzing topics related to the working agendas of 
the international organizations.  This is without a dou bt one of the most important results achieved by 
the Initiative and of the countries themselves. 
14. Fourteen per cent (4 countries) state that they  have a coordinating mechanism based on ad hoc 
meetings, involving mostly public institutions, wh ile in 18 per cent (5 countries) the mechanism 
involves mostly the private sector. 
15. Forty-three per cent (12 countries) state that th ey have a coordinating mechanism in place, but 
that they need to meet more regularly. Twenty-five  per cent (7 countries) state that they have a 
standing body that defines national positions. Seve n countries (25 per cent) stated that their 
mechanism had even been legally constituted. 
V1: No established coordinating mechanism exists to discuss topics of interest from the SPS 
Committee of the WTO. 
V2: No established coordinating mechanism exists  to discuss topics of interest from the SPS 
Committee of the WTO, but there are ad-hoc  meetings between the public sector ministries. 
V3: No established coordinating mechanism exists to discuss topics of interest from the SPS 
Committee of the WTO, but there are ad-hoc  meetings between the public sector ministries and the 
private sector. 
V4: An established coordinating mechanism exists to define the country position, but does not 
meet in a consistent manner in order to coordina te with the meetings of the SPS Committee of the 
WTO. 
V5: An established coordinating mechanism exists a nd operates in a consistent manner to discuss 
topics of interest from the SPS Committee of the WTO. 
 
16. Conclusions and future challenges:   IICA and the countries of the hemisphere must 
continue to strengthen these coordinating mechanis ms, which make it possible for the countries to 
continue to participate in  the international fora. 
17. The exchange of successful experiences is an e ffective mechanism for increasing interest in 
strengthening these coordinating mechanisms, and also  a tool for the members to provide technical 
assistance to one another. 
18. The countries which do not have a mission at the WTO can develop a strategy based on 
regional collaboration and internal strengthening (c oordinating mechanisms), to make up for the fact 
that they are not permanently represented at the WTO. G/SPS/GEN/785 
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(b) Human resources dedicated to the topic  
19. One of the most important constraints for tho se countries that find it difficult to participate 
actively at the international level is their human  resources, specifically as regards their number and 
the responsibility and authority assigned to them. 
20. In recent years, the institutions 
have undergone changes and restructuring 
processes that, to a large extent, have focused on reducing the size of their payroll and not on taking on new areas of work.  Therefore, it is common to find 
staff with multiple responsibilities, 
including that of representing the institution at the international level.  There are also cases in which countries have split up responsibilities among 
different institutions, mostly in the areas 
of negotiation, representation and implementation of SPS measures.  Given the lack sufficient full-time personnel with clearly defined 
responsibilities, in some cases, the countries are lim ited to responding to emergency situations or 
meeting obligations, and cannot take advantage of opportunities offered by the international 
organizations.  According to the last report from th e countries, 61 per cent (17 countries) have at least 
one staff member whose primary responsibility is to  monitor the SPS Agreement of the WTO.  Three 
countries (11 per cent) have no staff member w ith such responsibilities, and in 29 per cent 
(8 countries) this responsibility is only one of many. 
V1: There is not a person designated by the country  to provide follow-up to the SPS Committee of 
the WTO. 
V2: There is at least one person designated by the country to provid e follow-up to the SPS 
Committee of the WTO, but it is not their primary responsibility. 
V3: There is at least one person designated by th e country, whose primary responsibility is to 
provide follow-up to the SPS Committee of the WTO, but this person does not have the authority to 
coordinate the country position between the different sectors. 
V4: There is at least one person designated by th e country whose primary responsibility is to 
provide follow-up to the SPS Committee of the WTO, and this person has the authority to coordinate 
the country position between the different sectors. 
V5: There is at least one person designated by th e country whose primary responsibility is to 
provide follow-up to the SPS Committee of the WTO, with the authority to coordinate the country 
position between the different sectors and represent the country position in international forums. 
 
21. Conclusions and future challenges:   Two of the principal challenges IICA and the member 
countries face is to continually strengthen the cap abilities of the staff responsible for international 
aspects of SPS measures, especially those that have held their positions and had the same 
responsibilities for some time, and to support those ac tions that can make decision makers more aware 
of the importance of those international aspects  on the competitiveness and development of the 
agrifood sector. 
(c) Coordination between the capital and Geneva mission  
22. Coordination between the capital and Geneva  is a fundamental variable for active 
international participation since it constitutes th e link between experts based in the capital and the  G/SPS/GEN/785 
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missions of their countries at the WTO.  Also, it is  very helpful when capital-based experts are not 
present in the deliberations of the SPS Committee of the WTO. 
23. Some of the missions of the countries at the WTO have a limited number of technical 
personnel and a considerable number of forums and meetings to attend. Therefore, 
the attention they can pay to the SPS 
Committee does not necessarily reflect the needs of the country. As a result, the capital-based experts become true allies in monitoring the agendas of the SPS 
Committee. 
24. Four countries (14 per cent) state 
that the SPS Committee is not a priority among their authorities with responsibility for matters related to WTO. This figure must be analyzed with some degree of caution and optimism 
since nine countries have no mission at the WTO. Th e use of regional resources has proven to be, to 
some extent, the solution to this problem.  Fo rty-three per cent of the countries (12 countries - 
variables 2 and 3) report that the capital-based e xperts coordinate with their mission at the WTO on 
particular situations, and 43 per cen t (12 countries, variables 4 and 5) coordinate on a regular basis. 
V1: The Geneva mission does not have within its priorities to provide follow-up to the SPS 
Committee of the WTO. 
V2: There is ad-hoc  coordination between the capital and the Geneva mission on emergencies or 
special situations that arise in re lation to the SPS Committee of the WTO. 
V3: The capital and Geneva mission communicate on technical subjects and special activities 
related to the SPS Committee of the WTO. 
V4: The capital and Geneva mission maintain conti nuous interactions in relation to the SPS 
Committee of the WTO 
V5: The capital and Geneva mission maintain conti nuous interactions. The representatives from 
capital are considered part of the Geneva mission “virtual team” in regard s to the SPS Committee of 
the WTO and information received is distributed as n eeded to the other stakeholders in the capital. 
 
25. Conclusions and future challenges:   The strengthening of ties between the capital-based 
experts and their missions at the WTO must be a permanent objective for the countries benefiting 
from the technical assistance and for those facilitating it.   The partnerships that can be developed in 
Geneva and the support that can come from the capital will go a long way in improving the performance of the missions. 
(d) Priority of the topic  
26. The priority of the topic refers to the import ance political leaders or technical decision makers 
attach to the topic of SPS measures. As thos e who make the decisions and allocate budgetary 
resources, they have the power to support, to a greater or lesser extent, the actions linked to 
international forums dealing with SPS measures.  G/SPS/GEN/785 
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27. According to the reports from 
the countries, 25 per cent (7) of the countries state that the country does not have an agenda for SPS measures. 
28. Thirty-six per cent have an 
agenda on major topics, and follow up 
on them to some degree. 
29. Twenty-nine per cent have 
prioritized issues based on the interests of the country and have analyzed them 
to some degree. 
30. Lastly, only three countries have indicated th at their SPS agenda has the support of political 
leaders and decision makers. 
V1: The country does not have an established agenda  of important issues associated with the SPS 
Committee of the WTO. 
V2: The country has an established agenda of im portant issues associated with the SPS Committee 
of the WTO. 
V3: The country has an established agenda of im portant issues associated with the SPS Committee 
of the WTO and from this agenda, has identified at least two or three high-priority issues. 
V4: The politicians and technical personnel with d ecision-making powers to initiate actions and 
give specific help to implement actions on at least  the two or three high-priority issues identified. 
 
31. Conclusions and future challenges: Given the high turnover rate among those who occupy 
political and technical decision posts, it is necessary to establish an ongoing training program for such 
officials on the importance of interna tional issues related to SPS measures. 
(e) Financial and technical resources  
32. The developing countries or the least developed c ountries most often cite the lack of financial 
resources as the cause of their limited participation in  international forums.  However, this variable, 
far from being the most important is, in many cases,  the result of a number of institutional actions and 
policies that culminate with the allocation of financ ial resources.  Also, some countries that have had 
access to the resources needed to  participate are not in a position to take advantage of those 
opportunities. 
33. The results presented in the reports 
indicate that financial resources continue to be the weakest among the five fundamental variables for active international participation.  Only one country stated 
expressly that it did not have the financial 
resources needed to monitor the SPS Committee of the WTO and the activities related to transparency.  Nonetheless, it has a national coordinator and the necessary human resources, which might enable it to 
offset to some extent the lack of financial 
resources. Fifteen countries (54 per cent) state that few resources are available for monitoring the SPS 
Committee, and even for the actions related to tr ansparency, because there is competition for funds.  G/SPS/GEN/785 
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  No country stated that it has the resources requi red for ongoing participation, and 32 per cent (9 
countries) stated they had the resources required for transparency activities, but only for monitoring of 
the SPS Committee on a part-time basis. 
V1: There are no resources which allow for follo w-up to the SPS Committee of the WTO nor to 
operate the enquiry and notification points. 
V2: There are resources that allow for follow- up to the SPS Committee of the WTO and to 
operate the enquiry and notifica tion points, but budget and resources are not specifically designated 
and these actions must compete with other functions and actions in other areas. 
V3: There are designated resources that allow fo r follow-up to the SPS Committee of the WTO 
and to operate the enquiry and notification points. 
V4: There are designated resources that allow for follow-up to the SPS Committee of the WTO, 
the presence of official "capital" representativ es with the SPS Committee of the WTO on special 
occasions, and to operate the enquiry and notification points. 
V5: There are designated resources that allow for follow-up to the SPS Committee of the WTO, 
coordination of country positions, carrying out speci fic actions, and maintaining continuous official 
representation and the efficient operation of  the enquiry and notification points. 
 
34. Conclusions and future challenges :  To encourage and facilitate international participation 
through the provision of financial resources (as estab lished in Article 10.4 on Special and Differential 
Treatment) should not be an ongoing strategy or the only one for achieving this objective. Therefore, 
inasmuch as the Initiative for the Am ericas in SPS is about to come to an end, it is necessary to 
strengthen those variables that can lead to the allo cation of more financial resources and ensure their 
more effective use. 
35. Lastly, it is important to understand how the five  fundamental variables are interrelated in the 
active participation in international fora, and the opp ortunity cost of not participating actively.  The 
successful experience of the Latin American countries in participating in international fora is a good 
guide for identifying actions that must be taken wi thin the context and situation of each country or 
region. 
36. IICA wishes to share with the internati onal community the lessons learned during 
implementation of the Initiative, and applauds all actions aimed at developing the capabilities the 
countries need to benefit fully from the relevant international organizations. 
 
Inter-American Institute for Coop eration on Agriculture (IICA) 
Agricultural Health and Food Safety 
http://agrihealth.ws  
http://www.iica.int  
Erick.bolanos@iica.int  
 
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