WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/W/253 
6 October 2010 
 (10-5095) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
WORK OF THE COMMITTEE ARISIN G FROM THE THIRD REVIEW – 
PROPOSED PRIORITIES 
 
Cooperation between the SPS Committee and th e International Standards-Setting Bodies
 
 
Communication by Canada 
 
  The following communication, received on 4 October 2010, is being circulated at the request of the Delegation of Canada
. 
 
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I. BACKGROUND 
1. The SPS-related standards, guidelines and reco mmendations set by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission (Codex), the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), and the World 
Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (the three Si sters) are defined within the SPS Agreement as the 
international standards, guidelines and recomme ndations upon which WTO Members shall base their 
sanitary or phytosanitary measures. 
2. In the 2005 Review of the Operation and Implementation of the SPS Agreement, the 
Committee noted that the relationship between the SPS Committee and the Codex, OIE and IPPC 
should be clarified.  To address this observation,  the WTO Secretariat organized a special workshop 
on 26 October 2009 between the SPS Committee and the Secretariats of the three Sisters.  The 
workshop, open to all Members, Observer Government s and organizations with observer status in the 
SPS Committee, also provided an opportunity to review  the standard-setting procedures of each of the 
three Sisters, with a focus on how to enhance the participation of developing countries.  The 
workshop resulted in the identification of areas of future collaboration between the four bodies, as 
well as 11 specific recommendations intended to im prove coordination and collaboration between the 
SPS Committee and the three Sisters. 
3. During the Third Review of the Operation and Implementation of the SPS Committee, it was 
recommended that the Committee follow-up on th e recommendations that resulted from this 
workshop1, with a view to strengthening the relationshi p between the Committee and the three Sisters. 
II. OBSERVATIONS 
4. Canada notes that certain recommendations from the Secretariat's paper (G/SPS/R/57) have 
already been acted upon or fulfilled in some manner.   As per Recommendation 1, the three Sisters are 
now delivering their reports earlier in the SPS Co mmittee's agenda items.  Recommendation 4 speaks 
to coordination meetings among the three Sisters and the WTO Secretariat.  Th ere is already a certain 
                                                      
1 Recommendations can be found in G/SPS/R/57. G/SPS/W/253 
Page 2  
 
  level of coordination in this regard;  the IPPC secret ariat, for instance, invites the WTO Secretariat, as 
well as the secretariats of the OIE and Codex, to its annual meetings, and the WTO Secretariat and the 
OIE have attended Codex meetings .  Increasing representation of the relevant secretariats in this 
manner so that all four organizations attend the ot hers' meetings would fulfil this recommendation.  
Canada would propose having the SPS Committee invite the secretariats of the three Sisters to 
consider including the secretariats of these Committees in their meetings.  Canada would also 
encourage Members to discuss this recommendation w ith their OIE, IPPC, and Codex colleagues to 
ensure support at Member's level in these meetings. 
5. It is important that the SPS Committee focus its  resources and efforts on actions and issues 
that are within its mandate. 
III. PROPOSALS 
6. Based on the above observations, Canada  would support action on the following 
recommendations resulting from the October 2009 workshop: 
 Workshop Recommendation 3:   The SPS Committee should encourage
 joint work by two or 
all three Sisters on cross-cutting issu es such as certification, inspection, approval procedures 
and/or risk analysis 
 
 Cooperation between the three Sisters should be  encouraged when cross-cutting issues exist, 
and the results of any cooperation should be re ported upon in the regular Sisters reports to the 
SPS Committee.  Additional cross-cutting issues include translation and language issues, publication of standards, use of electronic and on-line tools to collect comments on standards, 
and electronic certification.  Further, the issue of the development of jo int standards by Codex 
and OIE is currently under discussion by the Codex Committee on General Principles.  Recognizing that differences in mandates between the three Sisters may limit joint work in 
this capacity, movement on these issues shoul d be driven by the Sisters themselves.  
  Workshop Recommendation 6:   Soliciting more information at the strategic planning phase 
of the three Sisters work 
 
 The OIE, IPPC, and Codex have been gran ted observer status at WTO SPS Committee 
meetings.  Further, these organizations attend so me of each other's general council meetings.  
As such, the organizations should be aware of each other's work.  For example, the WTO has 
official observer status in the Codex and has av ailable to it pertinent information related to 
the Codex strategic plan.  Nevertheless, Ca nada would support work being undertaken to 
ensure more fulsome and targeted reporting by  the representatives of Codex, the OIE and the 
IPPC on their strategic planning phases.  Canada notes that the type of information the WTO SPS Committee is requesting is not clear and the SPS Committee would need to identify the 
additional information for such reporting, in or der to solicit the appropriate information from 
the three Sisters. 
  G/SPS/W/253 
 Page 3 
 
 
   Workshop Recommendation 7:   The SPS Committee transmitting information relating to 
trade issues linked to non-use of standards, ab sence of standards, or inappropriate standards 
to the relevant Sister organization  
 
 It is Canada's view that the intended results  of this recommendation can be achieved through 
the standing agenda item, "Monitoring the Use of  International Standards", and its associated 
procedure.2  Members are encouraged to make use of  this agenda item and relevant procedure 
where applicable to highlight issues linked w ith the non-use of international standards, 
inappropriate standards and, in particular, the absence of standards.  Increased use of the 
existing provision will allow more fulsome inform ation to be shared with the three Sisters. 
 
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2 G/SPS/11/Rev.1.