WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/SPS/GEN/1105 
29 June 2011 
 (11-3213) 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
INFORMATION ON SPS-RELATED RECENT AND FORTHCOMING  
ASSISTANCE AND OTHER ACTIVITIES  
(PERIOD COVERED:  APRIL-JUNE 2011) 
 
Statement by the International Trade Center (IT C) at the Meeting of 30 June-1 July 2011 
 
  The following communication, received on 27 June 2011, is being circulated at the request of 
ITC. 
 
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 A. P
ROJECTS  
Central Asia (Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan) 
 
1. The projects in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, f unded by Swiss State Secretariat for Economic 
Affairs (SECO), are in their third phase.  The overall  objective of this project is to contribute to the 
sustainable expansion and diversification of smal l and medium enterprises' (SMEs) exports in 
Tajikistan through increasing the competitiveness of th e textile and clothing industry and improving 
the quality management infrastructure of the country. 
2. The specific objective in the areas of TBT a nd SPS, is to improve the capacity of SQAM1, 
TBT and SPS bodies and the regulatory infrastructure.  
Tajikistan 
 
3. Information has been provided to WTO on the contact details for the National Enquiry Points 
for TBT and SPS. 
4. A study tour to two laboratories was organized, inter alia, for staff from the two accredited 
laboratories of Tajikstandart for testing food an d agricultural products in Hungary in March. 
5. Work has been completed on filling the ma trix for the current activities of the 
ministries/agencies in food safety control and initial validation of the matrix was carried out. 
Kyrgyzstan 
 
6.  Work was ongoing in preparation for the pre-peer evaluation of the Kyrgyz Accreditation 
Centre by the International Laborat ory Accreditation Cooperation in July. 
                                                      
 1 SQAM:  Standards, Quality Assura nce, Metrology and Accreditation. G/SPS/GEN/1105 
Page 2  
 
  7. Work has been completed on filling the ma trix for the current activities of the 
ministries/agencies in food safety control and initial validation of the matrix was carried out. 
STDF/PG/172:  "Expanding Nigeria's export of sesame seeds and sheanut/butter through 
improved SPS capacity building for private and public sector"  
8. The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) is the implementing agency of the project 
with ITC as supervisory agency.  The project started in October 2010 and it is due to end in 
October 2012.  The six-month progress report (Octob er 2010 – March 2011) has been submitted and 
cleared by WTO/STDF.  A request to WTO to rel ease the second tranche of funds has been submitted 
officially by NEPC. 
9. The International Consultant on Quality Control has been recruited.  During his first one-
week mission in May 2011, a meeting with all the st akeholders was conducted to review the status of 
progress of the project components.  A technical sub-committee has been set up to look at the issues pertaining to fabrication of machines (such as for sh eanut/butter:  digester, roaster, milling machine, 
oven, cracker/shell separator, bed drier, fermentati on/parboiling tank;  for sesame seed:  mobile 
thresher, rotary drier, storage container).  An investigation for appropriate equipment in countries 
such as Benin and Ghana has been initiated. 
Empowering the African Private Sector Network to strengthen the international 
competitiveness of SMEs – Component 2  
 
10. This programme, funded by the European Commission and implemented by ITC (May-
September 2012), is designed to reinforce the capac ities of intermediary organizations in Africa in 
their ability to increase their contribution to, and im pact of the Aid for Trade agenda, by means of 
creating strong networks of enterprise level expe rts available and used by the intermediary 
organizations (IOs) in Africa for building capacity of African exporting SMEs.  Component 2 of the 
project aims at " Maximizing export performance through implem entation of food safety and quality 
management in the agro-business sector " with the following objectives: 
 To build the capacities of 15 experts, able to train and advise exporting SMEs in the field of 
food safety; 
 To build the capacity of 15 SMEs in food safet y in order to increase their compliance with 
food hygiene and safety requirements, their productivity, and improve their competitiveness 
in export markets; 
 To create and mobilize the network of Trainers-cum-counsellors (TcCs) to activate the 
delivery and reach of the ITC Food Safety programme. 
 11. The component is being implemented from Ma y to September 2011 in Ghana, Kenya and 
Uganda.  The counterpart institutions are the three National Standards Bodies. 
12. The component delivers capacity building of Tc Cs on food safety pre-requisites, HACCP, and 
coaching on quality audit techniques for enterprises from the agro-pro cessed sector through trainings 
and coaching at the enterprise level. 
B. O
THER ITC  PROJECTS OF INTEREST  
Non-Tariff Measures project 
 13. ITC continues the successful implementation of the non-tariff measures (NTM) survey in 
several developing and least developed countries (L DCs) this year.  During the period March- G/SPS/GEN/1105 
 Page 3 
 
 
  June 2011, the NTM survey was launched in two co untries, namely Madagascar and Egypt.  Reports 
of surveys which were completed last year (e.g. Sr i Lanka and Burkina Faso) will be shortly released 
to the public.  Following some of the recommenda tions of the NTM survey, a mission was conducted 
in Burkina Faso in May 2011 to obtain information about some of the priority actions identified by 
stakeholders in November 2010 to enable proposals to be submitted for follow-up.  Meanwhile the 
surveys are drawing to an end in other countries su ch as Rwanda, Malawi and Kenya.  In parallel to 
the NTM surveys, ITC continues al so the collection of official NTM data in several countries, 
including some of those where the surveys are taking place. 
For more information about NTM project, please contact: 
Ms Poonam Mohun, ITC, NTM Market Analyst, Market Analysis and Research 
Tel:  +(41) 22 730 0277 - Fax:  +(41)  22 730 0577 - E-mail:  mohun@intracen.org  
 
Trade for Sustainable Development (T4SD) 
 
14. ITC's new market analysis tool, Standards Map,  allows users to compare private standards 
with regards to, for example, their governance stru cture, social, environmental and economic criteria, 
and requirements for implementation.  Compliance to these standards is not legally required by 
governments or regulations, but it could lead to more sustainable environmental practices or 
potentially open up new markets. 
15. As of June 2011, the Standards Map covers  41 private standards developed by non-
governmental organizations and private entities.  Add itional standards will be continually added to the 
website, with approximately 62 sta ndards available by October 2011.  
16. A capacity building programme for producers and exporters in developing countries has been 
launched, with initial training being carried out in Costa Rica, Peru, Viet Nam, and South Africa.  
Participants benefit from a bette r understanding of standards and th e opportunities and challenges they 
entail. 
17. The Standards Map is also available in Spanis h and French.  Should you be interested in a 
live demonstration of the website or in a we binar, please contact Joseph Wozniak, Programme 
Manager (wozniak@intracen.org). 
ACCESS! Programme 
 18. The ACCESS! Programme, initiated under the Canadian-funded Programme for building 
African Capacities for Trade (PACT), is a gender-fo cused, regional trade support programme aimed at 
improving the trade support services offered to Afri can businesswomen in international trade, with a 
view to promoting their economic empowerment.  
19. The ACCESS! programme's Business Counselling co mponent was started in partnership with 
UWEAL
2 and CAWEE3, the ACCESS! Focal Point (AFP) institu tions in Uganda and Ethiopia, to 
provide post-training assistance, coaching and bus iness counselling services to participating women 
entrepreneurs, and will run over the course of the year 2011.  
20. Nineteen (19) AFPs (including UWEAL and CAWEE) are starting their ACCESS! Export 
national pilot training in June and July 2011. 
                                                      
 2 Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association Limited ( http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/uweal.html ). 
 3 Center for African Women Economic Empowerment. G/SPS/GEN/1105 
Page 4  
 
  ITC website 
 
21. On 11 April 2011, ITC launched its new website ( http://www.intracen.org ) with audience 
focused information architecture.  The website usab ility for ITC clients (e.g. exporters, trade support 
institutions and policy makers) has improved.  
Joint ITC-ISO Workshop on "Linking Trade Pr omotion Organizations and National Standards 
Bodies for Export Success" 
 
22. ITC and ISO organized in partnership a re gional three-day workshop on "Linking TPOs and 
NSBs for Export Success", hosted by the Tanzania Bu reau of Standards (TBS) and co-hosted by the 
Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TanTrade)  in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania from 21 to 23 June 
2011. 
23. Some 50 senior officials from national standards bodies (NSBs) and trade promotion 
organizations (TPOs) representi ng 22 Anglophone countries in Africa explored how linkages between 
TPOs and NSBs could be strengthe ned to improve the international competitiveness of enterprises, 
and developed joint action plans.  
For more information: 
Shyam K. Gujadhur, ITC Senior Adviser on Standards and Quality Management 
Tel:  +41 22 730 03 96 - Fax:  +41 22 7 30 05 76 - E-mail:  gujadhur@intracen.org 
Ludovica Ghizzoni, ITC Adviser on Export Quality Management  
Tel:  +(41) 22 730 06 38 - Fax:  +(41) 22  730 05 76  - E-mail:  ghizzoni@intracen.org 
Web address:  http://www.intracen.org/exporters/quality-management/  
E-mail:  quality@intracen.org 
 
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