WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/972 
23 October 2009 
 
 (09-5271) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
  
 
ACTIONS AIMED AT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WTO AGREEMENT 
ON SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES 
 
Information Presented by the Inter-American Institute for
 
Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA ) 
 
  The following communication, received on 22 October 2009, is being circulated at the request of the Inter-American Institu te for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA
). 
 
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 1. The observer organizations of the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) 
of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are invited to submit reports on the activities they have carried out to further understanding and implementation of the SPS Agreement.  IICA wishes to 
present some of the actions or activities that it c onsiders to be of interest to this Committee. 
I. IICA-STDF-108 PROJECT 
2. IICA continues to implement the IICA-STDF- 108 Project;  some of the project's most 
significant recent actions include: 
• Training on Risk Evaluation in Food Safety:  ten countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, 
Uruguay, Paraguay, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecua dor, Venezuela and Colombia) benefited 
from courses on Evaluation of Microbiological and Chemical Hazards in Foods.  
These courses were of a high technical level and were imparted in the months of July and August, in collaboration with the University of Nebraska. 
 
• Technical Forum on Private Standards:  held in October with the participation of 
12 countries.  The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the views of buyers and 
sellers on private standards and to launch a hemispheric proposal on this issue. 
 
• Manuals on Good Participation Practices we re prepared for meetings of the 
WTO-SPS Committee, OIE, Codex Alimentari us and IPPC.  The manuals provide 
input for delegates who lack experience in participating in these organizations.  In 
addition to the manuals, a training CD based  on the manuals is being prepared and a 
training workshop will take place in Novemb er for countries of the IICA Andean and 
Central Regions. 
 
• Coordinated case studies on: 
 
(i) Transparency procedures:  the object ive is to complement the manuals 
prepared by the WTO and New Zealand.  The focus of this manual is to G/SPS/GEN/972 
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  identify good practices that should be implemented by the various 
stakeholders to ensure that notifica tion procedures are properly carried out. 
(ii) Audits of transparency procedures:  the objective is to identify practices 
leading to the establishment of aud it processes to verify the correct 
implementation of notification procedures.  This study will complement the 
manuals prepared by the WTO and New Zealand.  These two manuals are 
complementary and cover two leve ls of development as regards 
implementation of notification procedur es.  The manuals will be published in 
English and Spanish. 
(iii) Cost-Benefit Study - the Chilean Case:  a study to develop a methodology to 
evaluate, in financial terms, the advantag es of whether or not to participate in 
specific international SPS forums. 
(iv) Successful case study on sustainable ma nagement of diseases that currently 
pose a threat as re-emerging diseases:  the case of brucellosis and tuberculosis in Panama. 
(v) Successful case study on fruit fly control in Belize. 
3. IICA has taken steps to coordinate the im plementation of an SPS-Codex Alimentarius 
information and communication system for countries of the Andean Region. 
4. IICA has also begun an assessment of the current status of risk communication and crisis 
management for the implementation of specific actions, based on the needs of countries in the 
Andean Region. 
5. Courses on Phytosanitary Hazard Profiles will be implemented in the Southern and Andean 
Regions (November 2009 and January 2010, respec tively).  These workshops are directed at 
decision-makers and trainers at border posts.  The aim is to provide methodological tools for 
decision-making in situations where there is little time and few resources, and to strike a balance 
between trade and plant protection.  The proj ect will prepare a training manual, organize 
two workshops for ten countries and produce a vide o on the training process.  A workshop is being 
planned in the Southern Region, in collabora tion with COSAVE, the regional plant protection 
organization. 
 For further information contact:  ricardo.molins@iica.int
 (Ricardo Molins), 
erick.bolanos@iica.int  (Eric Bolaños). 
 II. PROJECT TO SUPPORT PARTICIPATION IN CODEX ALIMENTARIUS 
MEETINGS 
6. In collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), IICA is 
implementing a capacity-building project in the va rious countries with the aim of promoting and 
increasing their effective participation in, and the benefits derived from, the Codex Alimentarius 
committees. 
7. The project began with a pilot phase that involved the creation of a competitive fund, with 
countries competing for limited spaces.  Th e project has the following characteristics: 
(a) It is a competitive fund in which 32 countries compete to be selected.  G/SPS/GEN/972 
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  (b) The selection process is based on appropriate justification and identification of the 
importance or benefits of the Code x Committee meeting for each country. 
(c) The beneficiary countries - four to six countries are selected per meeting - must 
participate actively in the meeti ng for which they were selected. 
(d) This phase of the project concerns four C odex Committee meetings (Fresh Fruits and 
Vegetables, Food Hygiene, Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses and Food 
Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems). 
(e) The project aims to identify areas for technical cooperation with National Codex 
Committees. 
(f) Funding for the implementation of this project was provided by the United States 
Department of Agriculture (USDA). 
 For further information contact:  ricardo.molins@iica.int  (Ricardo Molins), 
erick.bolanos@iica.int  (Eric Bolaños). 
 
III. LEADERSHIP IN FOOD SAFETY SERIES 
8. The Agricultural Health and Food Safety Area a nd the Center for Leadership in Agriculture 
of IICA, in collaboration with the Global Initiative fo r Food Systems Leadership of the University of 
Minnesota and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), have implemented the first training module of the Second Series of the Executive Leadership in Food Safety (ELFS) Program, on the topic of Globalization and P ublic/Private Partnerships. 
9. This first training module took place in Quito, Ec uador.  It was attended by 33 participants 
from 20 countries and ten mentors from five countries of the Americas. 
10. The three remaining modules are:  Laws, Regulations and Ethics;  Food Safety Systems, 
Public Health and the Agrifood Chain;  and Multi ple Roles of Agricultural Health and Food Safety. 
 For further information contact:  ricardo.molins@iica.int
 (Ricardo Molins), 
ana.cordero@iica.int  (Ana Cordero). 
 
IV. SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES BY COUNTRY OR BY REGION 
11. Bahamas:  the Performance, Vision and Strategy (PVS) tool for Plant Protection Services  
was applied and a manual on Good Agri cultural Practices (GAP) was produced. 
12. The Caribbean:  a workshop on the identifica tion of Coleoptera pests was organized in 
collaboration with USDA-APHIS, FAVACA (Florida Association for Volunteer Action in the 
Caribbean), St  George University and the Mini stry of Agriculture of Grenada.  A total of 
21 participants from 13 Caribbean countries benefite d from the workshop.  The training was provided 
by experts recruited through FAVA. 
13. Uruguay:  the Performance, Vision and Strategy  (PVS) tools for Food Safety Services  and 
Plant Protection Services were applied in Uruguay.  These as sessments took place in Montevideo 
during the weeks of 21 and 28 September, respectivel y, with the participation of a large group of 
delegates from all the agencies involved, as well as re presentatives of the private sector, users of the 
services involved, and academics. G/SPS/GEN/972 
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  14. Paraguay:  the Performance, Vision and Strategy  (PVS) tool for Veterinary Services  was 
applied, as a follow-up to a previous process. 
15. Colombia:  in the context of the CONPES (Na tional Council for Economic and Social Policy) 
documents, which establish guidelines for strengthe ning the national agricultural health and food 
safety (AHFS) system, the IICA office in Colombia  is supporting the formation and establishment of 
the Unit for Risk Evaluation in Food Safety (UERIA) and the design of a propo sal to be presented to 
the STDF with the aim of consolidating and strengt hening this Unit.  It is hoped that this new 
institutional structure will assume the responsibility fo r these issues and advise the Ministry of Social 
Protection on decisions related to the definition and protection of the country's food safety status. 
16. Ecuador:  the Integrated National System for Agricultural Health, Food Quality and 
Safety (SISCAL) has been consolidated t hough actions such as the establishment of its 
inter-institutional committee, the appointment of a t echnical manager, strategic planning, the drafting 
of rules of procedure and the provision of specific funds for the System's effective operation.  Similarly, Ecuador's Agricultural Quality Assurance Agency, AGROCALIDAD, has been 
strengthened with the implementation of 80 per cent  of its administrative, financial and technical 
processes.  The agency's human resources have al so been upgraded with 85 technicians recruited 
through prequalification processes, in order to ensure  the transparency and excellence of its personnel. 
17. Southern Region:  a study is under way to dete rmine the impact of private standards on the 
meat industry and how these relate to the WTO's le gal competencies.  Another study on the role of 
governments and private standards was implemented in the context of the regional plant protection 
organization, COSAVE. 
18. A workshop for the Southern Region will take  place from 11-13 November to strengthen 
capacities in the area of risk analysis in animal health.   This activity will involve the Permanent 
Veterinary Committee of the Southern Cone (CVP),  IICA, the OIE Collaborating Center for Training 
Official Veterinary Services (Buenos Aires Traini ng Center for Veterinary Services - CEBASEV) and 
the University of Berkeley, United States. 
V. SUPPORT FOR THE DISSEMINA TION OF INFORMATION 
19. IICA has several newsletters and communication systems to promote information-sharing on 
SPS and the work carried out in the context of the WTO, the international reference organizations and 
the regional organizations. 
20. The electronic newsletter CODEX-SPS  Opinion Forum  specializes in the topics discussed at 
Codex Alimentarius and WTO SPS Committee meetings .  This newsletter disseminates and analyses 
the standards and actions defined at these events with the aim of increasing information and 
promoting the study of these issues.  The newsle tter is available to all member countries at 
www.iica.org.ar
.  For further information contact mlfonalleras@iica.int  (Lourdes Fonalleras). 
21. The AGROSALUD information system distributes in formation relating to agricultural health 
and food safety, including the standards and the ac tions undertaken in the WTO and the international 
reference organizations ( www.infoagro.net/salud  for the Spanish version and www.agrihealth.ws  for 
the English version).  For further information contact ericka.calderon@iica.int  (Ericka Calderon).  G/SPS/GEN/972 
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  22. In Paraguay, an electronic newsletter is di stributed periodically with information on the 
activities carried out by the National SPS Technical Committee and latest SPS news.  For further information contact carlos.franco@iica.int
 (Carlos Franco). 
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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