WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/992 
18 February 2010 
 (10-0909) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
OVERVIEW OF SPS-R ELATED ACTIVITIES 
 
Communication by the World Bank
 
  
 The following communication, received on 10 Fe bruary 2010, is being circulated at the 
request of the World Bank
. 
 
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1. The World Bank has undertaken a number of activ ities in order to broaden and deepen the 
operational agenda related to food safety and ag riculture health management (sanitary and 
phytosanitary (SPS) issues), including analytical work, training/e-learning for stakeholders, direct 
technical assistance and investment.  The i nvolved parties have included the World Bank – 
Agriculture and Rural Development Department (ARD), the World Bank's International Trade 
Department (PRMTR), and the regions, with a consid erable amount of this work done in conjunction 
with other organizations.  Some of the most prom inent activities undertaken by the World Bank in the 
SPS field during FY 2008/2009 covered the following: 
(a) Mainstreaming SPS into World Bank's operations 
2. In recent years, the World Bank has undertaken Country Assessments of food safety and 
agriculture health capacities in sev eral countries.  Actions Plans to  strengthen those capacities, based 
on the assessment and prioritization of constraints an d opportunities, have also been prepared.  To see 
the list of action plans and assessments http://web.worldbank.org/
.  The most recent work in this area 
includes the report:  Lao People’s Democratic Republic- Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures:  
Enhancing Trade, Food Safety, and Agricultural Health  (http://www-wds.worldbank.org/ ) published 
in 2009. 
3. Similarly, the World Bank has been supporting the design and implementation of projects 
with significant components (or sub-components) rela ted to food safety and quality, and agriculture 
health issues.  During the period 1998-2007, about 41 projects with food safety and agriculture health components were approved, covering 35 countries.  Agriculture commercialization projects currently 
in implementation in Zambia, Senegal, Mauritani a, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mozambique and other 
countries, include important subcomponents relate d to strengthening SPS capacities.  Some of the 
most recent projects either approved or under prep aration with important components/subcomponents 
on SPS capacities include:  The Agriculture Commercializ ation and Trade Project (PACT) in Nepal, 
approved in 2009; the Jilin Agricultural Product Safety and Quality Project  in China, with 
investments in food safety capacity expected to reach nearly US$100 million, to be approved in 
March 2010;  The Agricultural Competitiveness and Community Development Project  in Armenia 
with a component on institutional strengthening for food safety and agricultural competitiveness, to be 
approved in 2010 .  The description of these projects and relate d documents can be found in the World 
Bank operational portal ( http://web.worldbank.org/
). G/SPS/GEN/992 
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  4. Likewise, in response to a request from the Government of Turkey, the World Bank is 
implementing programmatic Food Safety Technical Assistance to support the modernization and 
compliance of food enterprises in the pr ocess of accession to the European Union.
1  Also, initial 
discussions are ongoing regarding a possible food safety EU harmonization project in Bulgaria. 
5. In-country activities have been combined with regional initiatives.  An example of a recent 
regional initiative is the programme to control fruit fl y in West Africa.  In July 2008, a regional action 
plan to control fruit fly was validated and appr oved by ECOWAS Members in Bamako.  A study 
funded by the European Commission proposed operati ons in eight West African countries but did not 
include an estimated budget, a breakdown of activities between the regional and national levels, or an 
institutional implementation mechanism.  To re medy these shortcomings, the World Bank, using 
funds available in the EU trust fund and the Sta ndard Trade and Development Facility (STDF) co-
financed a complementary study which addresses these issues and proposes a more complete and 
budgeted regional action for all ECOWAS member count ries.  The programme to control fruit fly in 
ECOWAS members will start in 2010 and the World Bank is working with the STDF in defining the 
World Bank supervisory role in the technical capacity building component of the project.   
(b) Publications/Guidelines 
6. During the last few years, the World Bank implemented, with donor support, a research 
programme on the challenges associated with standa rds, market access and smallholder farmers, and 
the efficacy of donor and other interventions that  address these challenges.  The following documents 
were published under the programme in 2008/2009.  A synthesis report and a set of other documents 
are planned to be published in 2010: 
- Linking African Smallholders to High-Va lue Markets:  Practitioner Perspectives on 
Benefits, Constraints, and Interventions  (http://econ.worldbank.org/ ), Jaffee et al . 
2008;  and 
- Not Yet Up to Standard:  The Legacy of Two Decades of Private, Governmental, and 
Donor Efforts to Promote Ugandan Horticultural Exports  
(http://siteresources.worldbank.org/ ), Diaz, L. Jaffee, S. Henson, S. Mugisha, J. 2009. 
7. Other ongoing SPS-related analytical work/publications include:  
- Assessing the Demand for Trade-Related F ood Safety and Quality Interventions in 
Agri-Food Chains , Henson, S. Jensen, M. Jaffee, S., and Diaz, L.  (forthcoming 
publication); 
- Guidelines for understanding harmonization in  the SPS and TBT agreements;  and 
- Assessment of the effectiveness of  SPS capacity building programmes. 
(c) Partnerships 
8. Operational work on SPS issues undertaken by th e Bank in partnership with other agencies 
includes support to the Standards and Trade Deve lopment Facility (STDF), and support to the work 
undertaken by the Trade and Sta ndards Practitioners Network (TSPN).2  The World Bank supports 
                                                      
1 On 1 December 2009, the Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty 
establishing the European Community  (done at Lisbon, 13 December 2 007) entered into force.  On 29 
November 2009, the WTO received a Verbal Note (WT/L/7 79) from the Council of th e European Union and the 
Commission of the European Communities stating that, by virtue of the Treaty of Lisbon , as of 
1 December 2009, the European Union replaces and succeeds the European Community. 
2 TSPN is a community of practitioner organizations seeking to facilitate a more effective flow of 
information and experiences among a diverse group of interested organizations and analyze the work of  G/SPS/GEN/992 
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  regular STDF work and is an active participant in STDF working groups meetings and STDF policy 
meetings.  In the case of the TSPN, the World Bank provides financial support through the Grant 
Development Facility (GDF), and it is an active member of the Steering Committee.  TSPN has undertaken a set of activities since October 2008, as presented below: 
- Research and Conference on "Governmental Use of Voluntary Standards"  - the 
International Social and Environmental Accred itation and Labelling (ISEAL) Alliance.  In 
July 2008 a research programme was initiated by  TSPN member in close consultation with 
other TSPN members.  The theme of this re search was "governmental use of voluntary 
standards".  A conceptual framework was de veloped and eight case studies were undertaken, 
representing a spectrum of countries and standards.  On 16-17 October 2008, a conference was 
organized in Geneva to discuss and initially disseminate the findings of this research and to identify follow-up activities.  In total, about 80 persons participated.  The conference report 
and the case studies are available at:   
 http://www.isealalliance.org/resources/documen t/r079-government-use-voluntary-standards-
 report  
 
- International Conference on "Assessing Costs, Benefits and Impacts of 
Compliance with Agricultural, Forestry  and Food Related Standards" - On 9-
10 December 2008, an international conferen ce took place in Berlin on "Assessing Costs, 
Benefits and Impacts of Compliance with Agricu ltural, Forestry and Food related Standards".  
This event was co-org anized by the German Organizati on for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) 
and the TSPN.  The event examined the current state-of-the-art in measuring the impacts of 
standards systems at micro (farmer/firm) level,  in supply chains,  in relation to trade.  
Different methods were reviewed and stre ngths and limitations were highlighted.  
Approximately 50 researchers and development prac titioners took part in this conference.  A 
summary note on this conference can be found at:  
 http://www.tradestandards.org/en/Article.65.aspx . 
 
- Tool development - In its efforts to improve standards-related technical assistance, 
the TSPN  is currently supporting the preparation of a framework for systematic comparison of 
standards-related technical assistance interventions  on the basis of the value chain approach.  
As part of the work, a review of donor and pr actitioner practices for monitoring and evaluating 
interventions is being prepared.  The results of  this work will be presented at a conference of 
the TSPN to be held in spring 2010.  
 
- E-Discussion - During the period 4-10 November, the TSPN  undertook an e-
dialogue on What Decision Makers in Developing Countries need to turn Voluntary Standards 
into Catalysts for Market In tegration and Development.  A second round was held on 
30 November to summarize and evaluate the findings.  
 
- TSPN Newsletter - The TSPN published a bimonthly electronic newsletter, to 
disseminate news on standards-related issues.  
 
(d) Awareness creation/raising and training 
E-learning course—  Standards and Trade:  Principles and Applications - 1-30 June 2009  
 
                                                                                                                                                                     
membership interventions to develop best or better pr actices that will enhance developing country capacity to 
implement market standards.  
 G/SPS/GEN/992 
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  9. The World Bank Institute (WBI) course aimed to increase the awareness and dialogue among 
policy makers, regulatory agencies, NGOs, privat e companies, and other stakeholders on the 
fundamental concepts and principles of standard s and how these are implemented in the market.  
About fifty participants took part in the course.  
Climate Change and Agricultural Trade:  Risks and Responses 
 10. The Development Research Group-International Trade and the STDF held a seminar on the 
topic on 22-23 September 2009.  The event highlighted  the effects of climate change on agricultural 
sustainability and safety, and agricultural trade tr ends between developed and developing countries, 
with a focus on standards and regulatory systems as th ey relate to animal, plant, and human safety.  
The seminar was attended by over 100 representa tives from international organizations, regulatory 
and development agencies, research, academia and th e private sector.  Discussions on the first day 
focused on the connections between climate change, agricultural trade and food security.  Predictions 
show that temperature changes and extreme weat her events will negatively impact agricultural 
production in many regions, and that parts of Afri ca and South Asia are likely to suffer most.  The 
second day of the seminar focused on SPS ri sks and responses to climate change.  
East Asia and Pacific (EAP) Regional Ag ribusiness Trade and Investment Conference  
 
11. The World Bank together with the Internationa l Finance Corporation organized the first EAP 
Regional Agribusiness Trade and Investment Conference " Agroenterprise without Borders ", in 
Singapore on 30-31 July 2009.  The objective w as to initiate a multi-country, public-private, long-
term effort to stimulate increased intra-regional tr ade and investment in the agrifood sector of East 
Asia, consistent with best practices in critical are as such as land-extensive agroenterprise, cluster and 
value chain development, and assured compliance with food safety, environmental and social 
standards.  A total of 171 partic ipants attended, representing a mix of  public trade, development and 
regulatory agencies, private companies involved in  agribusiness or supporting it, and civil society 
organizations that represent producers or proces sors or that focus on key themes such as 
sustainability.  In addition to two days of presen tations and discussion, the event included a working 
dinner jointly organized with the APEC Food Safe ty Cooperation Forum to discuss public-private 
collaboration for food safety. 
(e) Other standard-related activities (not specifically related to SPS issues) 
12. In response to growing concerns over climat e change, consumers and firms in developed 
countries are considering their carbon footprint.  Carbon labeling is being explored as a mechanism 
for greenhouse gas emission reduction primarily by private actors.  The World Bank has  supported 
some research initiatives aimed at discussing the carbon accounting activities and carbon labelling schemes that are being developed to address these concerns with a view to their impact on small stakeholders.  The work has led to the preparation of the following documents: 
• Carbon Footprints and Food Systems:  Do Current Accounting Methodologies Disadvantage 
Developing Countries? Brenton, P., G. Edwards-Jones, M.F. Jensen, K. Plassmann, A. 
Norton, and N. Attarzadeh. Draft Paper. 
• May Carbon Labeling Be Development-Friendl y? - Recommendations on How to Improve 
Emerging Schemes . Forthcoming. 
 
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