WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/753 
21 February 2007 
 
 (07-0706) 
Committee on Sanitary and 
Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
 
 
 
ACTIONS AIMED AT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WTO AGREEMENT 
ON THE APPLICATION OF SANITARY AND 
PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES 
 
Information Submitted by the Inter-American Institute for  
Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)  
   The following communication, received on 19 Fe bruary 2007, is being circulated at the 
request of the IICA. 
 
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  1. The observer organizations of the WTO Comm ittee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures 
(SPS Committee) are invited to submit reports on the activities they have carried out to further the 
understanding and implementation of the SPS Agreemen t.  The IICA wishes to present some of the 
actions and activities that it considers rele vant to the work of this Committee. 
SPS INITIATIVE FOR THE COUNTRIES OF THE AMERICAS 
 2. In conjunction with the United States Depart ment of Agriculture (USDA) and with the 
collaboration of six countries that act as a steer ing committee (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, 
Mexico and the United States), the IICA continues to implement the SPS Initiative for the Americas 
(the Initiative). 
3. The Initiative, which came into  force in October 2002, has now contributed to 14 consecutive 
SPS Committee meetings, supporting the active participation of the countries of the Americas and 
helping them build their SPS capacity.  For this particular meeting, the Initiative arranged for 
28 capital-based experts from 28 countries of the Ameri cas to participate, and 25 of them actually did 
so.  With the Committee's last meeting included, the Initiative has benefited a total of 209 capital-
based experts, 63 per cent specializing in agriculture , 31 per cent in trade and 6 per cent in health. 
4. All of the 28 countries benefiting from the In itiative for the Americas report having an 
institutional mechanism for discussing or analysin g issues relating to the work programmes of 
international organizations.  This is undoubtedly one  of the most important results achieved by the 
Initiative and the countries themselves.  The IICA and the countries of the hemisphere must continue 
to strengthen these coordination mechanisms, as they can  serve to ensure the sustained participation of 
these countries in international forums. 
5. Sixty-one per cent of the 28 countries employ at least one official whose chief responsibility 
is to ensure follow-up of the SPS Agreement.  C onsequently, the main challenge facing the IICA and 
its member countries is to build, on a permanent basis, the capacity of officials responsible for G/SPS/GEN/753 
Page 2  
 
  international SPS-related issues, while promoting th e advantages and merits of investing in this 
resource in countries that have not yet done so. 
6. Fifteen countries (54 per cent) have indicated that available resources compete to be assigned 
to other activities and that limited resources are available for ongoing SPS Committee follow-up, 
including transparency-related activities.  None of th e countries have said that they have the resources 
necessary for participation on a continuous basis a nd 32 per cent (nine countries) say they have 
resources for transparency-related activities, but with only partial SPS Committee follow-up. 
7. Thirty-six per cent of the countries have an established agenda on key SPS Committee issues 
and follow it up to a certain extent.  Twenty-nine per cent have prioritized issues in accordance with 
national interests and have carried out a certa in amount of analysis in this respect. 
8. With the Initiative soon drawing to a close, the countries face the challenge of maintaining the 
progress they have made over the last four years, w ithout turning to external financial resources.  
9. For further information on the Initiative, contact:  erick.bolanos@iica.int
 (Eric Bolaños), 
maureen.obando@iica.int  (Maureen Obando) or henry.schmick@usda.gov  (Henry Schmick). 
SUPPORT FOR THE DISSEMINA TION OF INFORMATION 
 
10. The IICA has various bulletins and channels of  communication to promote the exchange of 
information on SPS matters and the work of the WTO,  the relevant international organizations, and 
regional organizations. 
11. The electronic bulletin CODEX-MSF Opinion Forum  specializes in events taking place in 
the Codex Alimentarius and the SPS Committee.  The bulletin reports and analyses standards and 
activities and aims to enhance the dissemination and st udy of these matters.  Its readership comprises 
first and foremost the countries of South Amer ica, but it is available to all members at 
www.iica.org.ar .  For further information, contact mlfonalleras@iica.org.ar  (Lourdes Fonalleras). 
12. The information system AGROSALUD  is dedicated to the distribution of information on 
agricultural health and food safety, and the areas it c overs include the standards set and actions carried 
out within the WTO and relevant internati onal organizations.  It is available at 
www.infoagro.net/salud  in Spanish, and www.agrihealth.ws  in English.  For further information, 
contact ericka.calderon@iica.int  (Ericka Calderón). 
SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES 
 
13. The IICA Office in Argentina continues to le nd technical support to the Secretariat for 
Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of Arge ntina (SAGPyA), specifically to the Chair of the 
Codex Committee for Latin America and the Cari bbean (CCLAC), and the SPS Enquiry Point in 
Argentina.  For more information, contact mlfonalleras@iica.org.ar  (Lourdes Fonalleras). 
14. From 30 October to 2 November, the IICA, in conjunction with the OIE, the IPPC and the 
FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission, supported a regional workshop organized by the WTO 
in Colombia.  The workshop was attended by ten South American countries.  The European Union 
also contributed to this event.  For fu rther details, contact erick.bolanos@iica.int  (Eric Bolaños). 
15. In December 2006, the IICA lent its support to  the Agricultural and Livestock Services of 
Chile at a training session for experts and decisi on-makers involved with the Codex Committee at 
national level.  For further deta ils, contact erick.bolanos@iica.int  (Eric Bolaños) or 
mlfonalleras@iica.org.ar  (Lourdes Fonalleras).  G/SPS/GEN/753 
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  16. From 20 to 23 November, the IICA supported an international workshop in Colombia for the 
exchange of successful SPS experiences, its purpose being to establish modernization policies in the 
various institutions concerned with agricultural heal th and food safety.  For further details, contact 
jaime.flores@iica.int.ve  (Jaime Flores). 
17. In Paraguay, the IICA supported the institutional st rengthening of official services in various 
fields, such as the new organizational structure, th e training plan and international relations.  Support 
proposals were based inter alia  on the results obtained from the application of the Performance, 
Vision and Strategy (PVS) tool for phytosanitary protection organizations. 
18. At present, the IICA also supports the im plementation of a traceability system, the 
improvement of laboratories and the development of  the organic sector.  For further details, contact 
carlos.franco@iica.int  (Carlos Franco). 
19. In Jamaica, the IICA, in conjunction with the FAO, the USDA and the Jamaican Ministry of 
Agriculture, lent its support to a simulation exercise on the entry of Avian Influenza.  An evaluation 
of veterinary services was also carried out jointl y with the OIE, using the Performance, Vision and 
Strategy tool developed in c onjunction with that organization.   For further details, contact 
carol.thomas@iica.int  (Carol Thomas). 
 
Inter-American Institute for C ooperation on Agriculture (IICA) 
Agricultural Health and Food Safety 
http://www.infoagro.net/salud  
http://www.iica.int  
 
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