WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/R/41 
26 June 2006 
 (06-3110) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures  
  
 
WORKSHOP ON THE IMPLEMENTA TION OF THE SPS AGREEMENT  
HELD ON 31 MARCH 2006 
 
Note by the Secretariat
1 
 
 
I. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 
1. At the meeting of the SPS Committee held in June 2005, in the context of the Committee's 
discussions of special and differential treatment, the Chairman proposed th at a workshop on the 
implementation of the SPS Agreement would be usef ul.  The Secretariat organized a Workshop on the 
Implementation of the SPS Agreement on 31 March 2006.  Mr Gregg Young (United States) chaired 
the workshop. 
2. The purpose of the workshop was to assist WTO Members to identify practical ways in which 
they could more effectively make use of thei r rights under the SPS Agreement and fulfil their 
obligations.  Following an introduction on the t ools available for the implementation of the 
SPS Agreement, the workshop focussed in particular on: 
(i) how to manage notifications to ensure th at producers and exporters are informed of 
SPS requirements of their trading partners;   
(ii) how to coordinate SPS-related activities at the national level, including the effective 
involvement of stakeholders;  and 
(iii) how to effectively identify needs and request technical assistance. 
The programme for the workshop is contained in Anne x 1 to this report.  The presentations made at 
the workshop are available from the WTO website at: http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/sps _e/wkshop_march06_e/w kshop_march06_e.htm. 
3. The Global Trust Fund made it possible to sponsor the participation in the workshop of close 
to 40 officials from least-developed and developing countries.  Participants were asked to provide 
information on their experiences with the implem entation of the SPS Agreement, and to respond to a 
number of questions related to the issues address in the Workshop.  37 Members provided information 
in writing;  a list of documents circulated is contained in Annex 2 to this report. 
4. This report summarizes both the main points rai sed at the Workshop as we ll as in the written 
responses provided by the participants.  Section II covers tools for implementation; section III deals 
with transparency and national coordination; secti on IV covers technical assistance and section V 
contains a few conclusions. 
                                                     
 
1 This document has been prepared under the Secret ariat's own responsibility and is without prejudice 
to the positions of Members or to their rights or obligations under the WTO.  G/SPS/R/41 
Page 2  
 
  II. TOOLS FOR IMPLEMENTATION 
5. The Secretariat (Ms Gretchen H. Stanton) ga ve an overview of existing tools to improve 
implementation of the SPS Agreement at the national level.  Ms Stanton described mechanisms that 
Members could use to receive SPS-related documents and information on SPS measures, to detect and 
resolve trade problems and to identify needs and re quest technical assistance.  She stressed that a 
number of instruments and practical approaches we re available for Members to use, reminding 
Members that the Secretariat also c ould help delegates identify solutions. 
A. SPS
 IMPLEMENTATION  
6. Members identified the following prerequis ites for effective implementation of the 
Agreement:  updated legislation;  an appropriate  institutional framework, including clearly defined 
responsibilities and coordination mechanisms;  particip ation in the SPS Committee;  participation in 
international standard-setting bodies;  identifyi ng SPS contact points in all relevant government 
departments and ensuring cooperation among them;  cooperation between capital-based officials and 
local missions;  bilateral discussions with trading pa rtners;  technical and scientific capacity, including 
physical infrastructure and knowledge;  human a nd financial resources;  and private sector 
participation.  Some participants indicated that political commitment and attention from the media and 
from senior public and private sector representa tives were key to ensure participation and 
commitment. 
7. Most Members providing information reported that there had been no formal national 
planning on how to implement the SPS Agreement.   A few countries reported that a national SPS 
policy had been (or was being) established or that the relevant legislation had been updated.  Some 
Members in Latin America indicated that they had an institutional strengthening plan, often with IICA 
support.  In many Members, each agency involve d in SPS implementation formulated its own policy 
and planned independently; in some cases a national committee served as a forum for coordination and exchange.  A few Members indicated that  regional bodies were becoming involved in 
coordination with respect to SPS issues. 
8. One Member reported that it had taken several  steps to implement the SPS Agreement and 
apply SPS measures.  These steps included upgrading of  existing rules and regulations, formulation of 
new regulations where necessary, up-grading of existing laboratory facilities, formation of a 
laboratory accreditation board, formation of a high  supervisory audit and verification team, and 
development of methodology of traceability of agri culture and aquaculture products.  Next, steps 
would be taken to implement the risk assessment requirement.  One national advisory committee and 
five working groups were working on implem entation of the SPS Agreement; each ministry 
responsible for SPS issues was involved.  In addition, each Ministry had an individual strategy for specific issues related to implementation of the SPS Agreement.   This Member indicated that there 
had been remarkable changes in the application of  SPS measures, and that especially food safety and 
hygiene had improved, benefiting both do mestic and interna tional consumers. 
B. P
ARTICIPATION IN MEETINGS  
9. A few representatives of African Members indi cated that their countries had never before 
been represented in the SPS Committee; others had participated sporadically.  They appreciated 
especially that being sponsored for participation in the workshop had enabled them to attend the 
preceding meeting of the SPS Committee.  In contrast, many representatives of Latin American countries reported that they had been able to par ticipate in the meetings of the SPS Committee quite  G/SPS/R/41 
 Page 3 
 
 
  regularly thanks to funding r eceived through the SPS of the Americas Initiative organized by IICA.2  
These Members had found that continuity in par ticipation in meetings contributed to capacity 
building.  They stressed the value of having  both capital-based officials and Geneva-based 
representatives attend the meetings, which facilitate d coordination and information exchange.   
10. Members benefiting from the SPS of the Americas  Initiative tended to have mechanisms in 
place that enabled them to receive SPS-related info rmation and documents in a timely manner, while 
many other Members which were not able to pa rticipate in SPS Committee meetings on a regular 
basis rarely received the relevant information, or received it only in an ad hoc manner through 
technical assistance workshops and other events.  Few Members indicated that although they seldom 
participated in SPS Committee meetings, they received documents and information from the 
Secretariat (either electronically or as paper copies), from the WTO website or from their permanent 
missions to the WTO.  
III. TRANSPARENCY AND NATIONAL COORDINATION 
11. One session of the workshop focused on effectiv e strategies for handling SPS notifications at 
the national level.  The Enquiry Points of China and Mexico gave presentations on their experiences 
and explained the systems they had put in place for stakeholder consultation and involvement.  Both 
had put in place databases and relied extensively on electronic communications to manage information flows.   
12. A third presentation covered the experiences of a project on model arrangements for SPS 
stakeholder involvement at the national level; this  project was financed by the Standards and Trade 
Development Facility (STDF).  In particular, the project was assisting Sri Lanka and Paraguay in 
setting up an internet reference portal and creating a web-based network for information management. 
This presentation provided input to the break-out sessions, where participants discussed problems and 
strategies of coordination between different agenci es and stakeholders at the national level.   
A. I
DENTIFYING STAKEHOLDERS  
13. Several Members indicated that their regulatory agencies worked with private sector and civil 
society associations which permitted them to reach  individual stakeholders effectively.  One 
participant noted that some sectors in her country  were better organized than others, making it 
difficult to ensure that all interested actors were involved.  
14. Some Members published relevant information on websites, leaving it up to the initiative of 
potential stakeholders to find the information they  required.  Several Members noted that simply 
providing the information was not sufficient; on e first had to create awareness among potential 
stakeholders to capture their interest and attention a nd provide training to enable them to participate in 
commenting on notifications.  A number of Member s recommended holding information meetings for 
interested stakeholders and recording their contact  details in a database, possibly also including 
information on products or subjects of interest.  In some Members, field-level ministry officials 
interacted regularly with stakehol ders and could help identify them. 
B. EXCHANGING INFORMATION  
15. In response to a question regarding how exporters currently found out about SPS 
requirements in their export markets, several Member s replied that exporters either found out directly 
from their customers or from the media.  Sometim es, an importing Members' diplomatic service 
                                                      
2 More information about this initiative can be found, inter alia,  in documents G/SPS/GEN/427 and 
497. G/SPS/R/41 
Page 4  
 
  provided information on planned changes in SPS measures, allowing the exporting Member's 
regulatory agencies to inform exporters who might be affected.  Many (especially least-developed) 
Members reported that they did not have a mechan ism in place to systematically screen and analyze 
other Members' SPS notifications to identify those that  might have an impact on exporting enterprises.  
A few developing country Members reported that they  did screen notifications and informed exporters 
either directly, or through websites or newsletters cr eated for this purpose.  The Secretariat noted that 
an information management system was currently being developed that would make it easier for 
Members to search and process the information provided in notifications. 
16. Members considered that, depending on the size of the country and on the number of 
exporters, a more or less formalized system for disseminating information about changes in SPS 
regulations by trading partners was required.  Many Members emphasized the usefulness of electronic 
communications, especially of websites and of e-ma il newsletters, for disseminating information to 
stakeholders, including those located outside the capital. A number of Members indicated that although a WTO reference centre was available, its resources were not sufficient to cover all WTO-
related work areas.  In addition to providing information electronically, a number of Members 
indicated that they held periodic meetings with st akeholders, either separately or in conjunction with 
meetings of a national SPS Committee, to discuss particul ar notifications or other subjects of interest.  
A few Members thought that it would be desirable to establish a national SPS committee involving all relevant stakeholders to f acilitate information exchange. 
17. Several Members stressed that to be able to al ert stakeholders to upcoming regulatory changes 
in their export markets, their enquiry points n eeded strengthening, incl uding internet access and 
trained staff.  In this context, a couple of Members raised difficulties many Members faced when 
notified regulations were not available in a WTO la nguage, making it difficult to assess their content.  
One speaker proposed establishing a website where di fferent Members' enquiry points could exchange 
information, for example on where to find translati ons of documents.  Another participant indicated 
that it would be useful if more Members provi ded information on the existence of informal 
translations of draft regulations through supplements to notifications. 
18. One cross-cutting concern raised was related to the sustainability of efforts to liaise with 
stakeholders and exchange information.  Even  where initial efforts succeeded in setting up a 
mechanism such as a website, database or a committee, a high level of commitment was required from all stakeholders to maintain information up-to-d ate, regularly participate in meetings and provide 
comments and inputs. 
C. N
ATIONAL COORDINATION MECHANISMS  
19. During the three break-out sessions participants had the opportunity to discuss coordination in 
some detail.  One group, addressing SPS coordination mechanisms at th e national level, identified two 
possibilities:  one option was to create a national Committee including different ministries, departments and sectors involved in SPS implementa tion; in this case the chairmanship might be 
disputed among several ministries and/or departme nts.  A second option was to reinforce an existing 
committee that already brought together most of th e relevant actors (for ex ample a national Codex, 
OIE or IPPC committee), thus limiting the prolifer ation of non-operational committees observed in 
some countries. 
20. Another group discussed identification of needs and interaction with domestic stakeholders.  
After identifying constraints related to screening notifications and handli ng comments, coordination 
among public agencies, reaching rural stakeholders, l ack of engagement of stakeholders and limited 
resources, the group identified solutions to these constraints.  G/SPS/R/41 
 Page 5 
 
 
  21. The third group exchanged experiences and formulated recommendations regarding 
coordination strategies, including with Geneva-bas ed missions and the international standard-setting 
organizations.  The group's conclusi ons were related to institutional strengthening, reinforcing human 
and financial resources of the agencies involved,  promoting private sector participation, and 
establishing medium- and long-term policies. 
22. The presentations made by the rapporteurs of the three groups have been included in Annex 3 
to this report. 
23. Of the Members that provided information on their implementation of the SPS Agreement, 
most did not have a formal national SPS coordina ting committee.  Among the few Members that had 
established formal national SPS committees, expe riences were mixed.  A number of Members 
reported that a sub-body of their national WTO comm ittee was in charge of SPS matters (among other 
subjects), but very few of these sub-bodies seemed to  be successfully coordinating implementation of 
the SPS Agreement.  In some cases, funding diffi culties or inadequately defined structures and 
functions led to poor functi oning of the committees.   
24. A few Members indicated that they had establis hed informal working groups or committees, 
usually at the technical level, that consisted of th e various institutions deali ng with implementation of 
the SPS Agreement.  The functions of these in formal working groups included screening of 
notifications, coordination of nati onal positions, support for the Me mber's representatives to the SPS 
Committee, information exchange and liaison with th e private sector.  Some of these informal groups 
or committees functioned quite well;  a couple of Me mbers were in the process of formalizing their 
role.  Several Latin American Members reporte d receiving assistance from IICA in setting up their 
national coordination mechanisms. 
IV. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND CAPACITY BUILDING 
25. The workshop session on technical assistance addressed three main themes:  identifying 
technical assistance needs;  making effective techni cal assistance requests;  and best practices for SPS 
technical assistance.  Two speakers presented experiences from a beneficiary's point of view, 
describing experiences from Panama and Tanz ania, while one speaker (from the Swedish 
International Development Agency ) gave a donor's perspective. 
A. IDENTIFYING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE NEEDS  
26. Depending on their level of de velopment and progress made with implementation of the SPS 
Agreement, Members' views on how to identify technical assistance needs varied.  Some Members, especially least-developed ones, indicated that they  needed assistance to id entify their needs, for 
example through a diagnostic evaluation of the existin g national SPS system.  In this regard, a number 
of Members mentioned the diagnostic tools de veloped by the international standard-setting 
organizations, and in particular the Performance, Vision and Strategy (PVS) tool developed by IICA 
and by the OIE.  Some Members had successfully applied these tools, often with the help of 
international, regional or bilateral donor agencies. 
27. Other Members, usually somewhat more a dvanced in their implementation of the SPS 
Agreement, were of the view that national g overnments should identify and prioritize their own 
technical assistance needs.  Some Members re commended discussing technical assistance needs in 
national SPS committees; a few were of the view that in addition, the private sector should be 
consulted.  One Member emphasized that a count ry should first establish medium- and long-term 
plans for SPS implementation and then define t echnical assistance needs in that context.   G/SPS/R/41 
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  B. M
AKING EFFECTIVE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE REQUESTS  
28. Once technical assistance needs have been iden tified, Members have different options to 
request the required assistance.  Some Members indicat ed that the different national agencies involved 
in the SPS area each prioritized their needs and re quested technical assistance independently.  Other 
Members had established national committees or othe r bodies to coordinate and prioritize technical 
and financial assistance requests.  One Member emphasized the usefulness of establishing contacts 
and dialogue with different donor agencies and hol ding consultations to discuss technical assistance 
needs.  A number of Members indicated that th ey had requested technical assistance in the SPS 
Committee;  some Members preferred approaching donor s directly;  others inicated that they had to 
date never requested SPS-related technical assistance.   Several speakers noted that the Standards and 
Trade Development Facility was very useful not only because it funded capacity-building projects in 
the SPS area, but especially because it was able to support the development of project ideas through 
its project preparation grants. 
C. BEST PRACTICES FOR SPS  TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE  
29. Virtually all Members providing information in writing addressed the need for coordination to 
avoid duplication in technical assistance activities of  different donors.  Many Members thought that 
coordinating technical assistance was the task of the recipient country; some had established one 
agency or ministry as a clearing house for assist ance.  Several Members noted that a roundtable 
including different national agencies and donors, possibly chaired by a lead donor, could serve as a coordination mechanism.  Other Members proposed  that the WTO or one of the multilateral donor 
agencies should receive technical assistance requests a nd channel them to the appropriate providers of 
technical assistance.  One Member suggested th at donors should clearly publish their technical 
assistance offers and terms of reference for access to  the funds.  Another Member proposed that a 
database be established to register projects carried  out by multilateral, regi onal and bilateral donors. 
30. Members debated whether technical assistance  should be entirely demand-driven.  While 
some thought that it was up to recipients to estab lish priorities and request what was needed, some 
developing countries thought they  could benefit from donor's experiences in identifying needs and 
formulating requests.  One donor Member indicated  that its technical assistance programme was 
demand-driven, but that very few developing c ountries requested SPS-related technical assistance 
when identifying priority areas for cooperation.  Fi nding the right balance between a demand-driven 
approach and donor guidance was a challenge.  Many participants agreed that technical assistance had 
to be tailored to the specific circumstances of each  country.  One Member emphasized that technical 
assistance given in a context of good governance was more likely to be effective and sustainable. 
31. A number of Members stressed that cooperation had to go beyond technical assistance to 
include investments in infrastructure and equipmen t, including laboratories.  A couple of Members 
made a distinction between two different types of assistance.  One type of assistance was needed to 
resolve specific short-term difficulties, e.g. to enable a country to comply with a trading partner's new 
or changed SPS requirements to maintain market ac cess.  The second type of assistance was intended 
to overcome structural weaknesses, enabling a count ry to implement the SPS Agreement effectively 
in the medium and long term.  Sometimes a specific trade problem led to the discovery of structural 
problems that needed to be addressed  to allow trade to resume.  In some participants' view, the second 
type of technical assistance had to be part of medium- and long-term plans drawn up in collaboration 
with various SPS-related actors in a country.   
32. A couple of Members addressed the issue of sust ainability.  While the SPS of the Americas 
Initiative had allowed many Latin American and Cari bbean Members to participate regularly in the 
SPS Committee, they would have to find alternative funding sources to ensure continued participation 
once the Initiative ended.  Another Member highlight ed the need for continuous training and capacity  G/SPS/R/41 
 Page 7 
 
 
  building given the high turnover of qualified staff.  A third Member highlighted the difficulty of 
obtaining specialized, targeted training that we nt beyond general introduc tions.  Several Latin 
American and Caribbean Members mentioned that th ey had exchanged technical assistance within the 
region, which could help to improve sustainability.  A couple of participants stressed the importance 
of involving local experts in technical assistan ce activities where possible; human resources in 
developing countries should not be underestimated.  One Member was of the view that over time, a 
country would move from receiving technical assistance to engaging in technical cooperation and finally to providing technical assistance to other countries. 
V. CONCLUSION 
33. The workshop on implementation of the SPS Agreement provided an opportunity for 
Members to exchange experiences w ith transparency, internal coordi nation and technical assistance.  
Several participants indicated that they appreciat ed these kinds of Geneva-b ased activities since they 
provided many developing and least-developed Memb ers with the opportunity to participate in SPS 
Committee meetings.  This not only helped improve  their understanding of the SPS Agreement and its 
implementation, but also contributed to expanding the variety of views represented in the Committee 
and thus enriched the debates. 
 G/SPS/R/41 
Page 8  
 
  ANNEX 1 
 
WORKSHOP ON THE IMPLEMENTATION  
OF THE SPS AGREEMENT
 
 
Programme 
 
A. Opening statement - Mr Gregg Young , Chair of  SPS Committee 
 
• Objectives of the Workshop 
 
B. Overview - Rights and Obligations - Ms Gretchen H. Stanton, Secretary, SPS Committee 
 
• Using existing tools to improve implementation of the SPS Agreement at the 
national level – (Practical Approaches)  
 
C. Transparency 
 
• Effective strategies for handling SPS no tifications at the national level 
 Good Regulatory Practice and the Notification Obligations – national experience and lessons 
learned in Mexico  
 Strategies for handling notifications at national level – the experience of China 
 Difficulties faced by developing country Membe rs and possible strategies to overcome these 
constraints – preliminary results from one STDF project   
 Open discussion 
 
 
D. Break-out Sessions on Co-ord ination (group discussions in En glish, French and Spanish, 
no interpretation available)  
• Identifying and interacting  with domestic stakeholders  
 
• Useful strategies for coordination, including with Geneva-based missions and the 
International Standard-Setting Organizations (Codex, OIE and IPPC) 
 
 E.  
Technical assistance and capacity building 
 
• Identifying technical assistance needs 
 
• Making effective technical assistance requests 
 
• Best practices for SPS technical assistance 
   G/SPS/R/41 
 Page 9 
 
 
  Using Capacity Evaluation tools as a mechanism to identify needs and prioritize requests for 
assistance – the experience of Panama  
 Technical Assistance related to food safety - Tanzania's experience in the fisheries sector 
 
 Matching the supply of technical assistance with  recipient needs and ensuring best practices – 
a donor's experience  
 
 Open discussion 
 
 
F.  Plenary Discussion on Coordination / Report from Break-out Sessions 
G. 
 Concluding Remarks   
 
H. End of Session  
 G/SPS/R/41 
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  ANNEX 2 
 
Members' contributions to the Workshop on Implementation 
of the SPS Agreement – 31 March 2006 
1. Bangladesh G/SPS/GEN/ 676 
2. Benin G/SPS/GEN/ 670 
3. Burkina Faso G/SPS/GEN/ 662 
4. Burundi G/SPS/GEN/ 674 
5. Cameroon G/SPS/GEN/ 671 
6. Central African Rep. – Technical assistance G/SPS/GEN/ 644 
7. Chad G/SPS/GEN/ 667 
8. Colombia G/SPS/GEN/ 652 
9. Congo G/SPS/GEN/ 659 
10. Costa Rica G/SPS/GEN/ 679 
11. Cuba G/SPS/GEN/ 655 
12. Dominican Republic G/SPS/GEN/ 691 
13. Egypt G/SPS/GEN/ 647 
14. Egypt – Responses Dr. Soliman G/SPS/GEN/ 649 
15. Egypt – Experience of the Egyptian Plant Quarantine G/SPS/GEN/ 651 
16. Guatemala G/SPS/GEN/ 682 
17. Haiti G/SPS/GEN/ 677 
18. Honduras G/SPS/GEN/ 683 
19. Jamaica G/SPS/GEN/ 645 
20. Kenya G/SPS/GEN/ 660 
21. Madagascar G/SPS/GEN/ 672 
22. Mauritania G/SPS/GEN/ 684 
23. Mauritius G/SPS/GEN/ 657 
24. Mongolia G/SPS/GEN/ 675 
25. Nepal G/SPS/GEN/ 656 
26. Niger G/SPS/GEN/ 678 
27. Nigeria  G/SPS/GEN/ 686 
28. Pakistan G/SPS/GEN/ 661 
29. Paraguay G/SPS/GEN/ 692 
30. Peru G/SPS/GEN/ 668 
31. South Africa G/SPS/GEN/ 690 
32. Tanzania – Technical assistan ce related to fishery sector G/SPS/GEN/ 687 
33. The Gambia G/SPS/GEN/ 664 
34. Togo G/SPS/GEN/ 665 
35. Trinidad and Tobago G/SPS/GEN/ 680 
36. Uganda G/SPS/GEN/ 673 
37. Zimbabwe G/SPS/GEN/ 663  G/SPS/R/41 
 Page 11 
 
 
  ANNEX 3 
 
 
 
  
Francophone Group 
  
Topic 1: 
SPS coordination mechanisms at 
national level    
 
World Trade Organization 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures   
Institutional and legal level 
 
Two tendencies: 
 
• Create a SPS Committee including the different 
sectors/departments/ministries involved in the area of SPS 
measures; problem of chairmanship 
• Reinforce, for SPS coordinati on purposes, a committee that 
already exists (e.g. Codex, OIE, IPPC) and that includes most of the sectors involved; this limits the proliferation of non-
operational committees 
 
 
  
   
 
World Trade Organization 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures 
 
Human resource capacity-building 
 
 
• Training workshops for members of the national SPS 
Committee 
• Meetings to promote awareness among stakeholders – 
private sector, producers, processing firms, economic operators 
• Information management 
 
   
World Trade Organization 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures 
 
Material and equipment 
 
 
 
• Internet 
• Information technology tools 
• Computers etc  
 
 
 
     
 
World Trade Organization 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures 
 
Coordination and collaboration at regional level 
 
• CAEMC 
• WAEMU 
• ECOWAS 
• IICA 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 G/SPS/R/41 
Page 12  
 
   
 
 
Identifying needs and interacting 
with domestic stakeholders
Group 2
   
 
Constraints 
 
• Handling comments 
 -  Comment period relatively short 
 -  Completing translations on time 
 -  Collecting comments from stakeholders 
• Capacity-building 
 -  Need for specialized training 
• Coordination of public agencies 
 -  Overlapping roles 
 -  Vertical organization  
 
   
 
Constraints (2)
• Reaching rural stakeholders
• Lack of engagement of stakeholders 
(particularly private sector)
– Strategies for involvement 
• Limited resources (both human and 
financial)
• Screening notifications
– Time, volume, incomplete information, 
translations
   
Solutions
• Identifying stakeholders
– Ideal self-select
– Solicit smaller producer associations
– Other governmental bodies, especially sub-national
• Screen notifications – do not pass on everything to 
everyone
• Comments balance private and public interest
• Educate stakeholders
– Aligning interests between public and private sector?
– Analysis of why particular notification is relevant
• Awareness of international rules and mechanisms
 
 
   
 
 
Solutions (2)
• Technological tools
–W e b s i t e s
–E m a i l  a l e r t s– Databases
– (not always appropriate)
• Clear and effective national coordination 
mechanism
– Establishment of SPS sub-committee
• Coordination among enquiry points
    G/SPS/R/41 
 Page 13 
 
 
   
 
 
Coordination Strategies in 
Geneva and the International 
Organizations 
 
Group 3 
 
 
    
 
 
Participants 
 
1. Argentina 10.  Guatemala 2. Paraguay 11.  Uruguay 
3. Peru 12.  Angola 
4. Chile 13.  Cuba 5. Brazil 14.  Panama 
6. Dominican Republic 15.  European Community 
7. Colombia 16.  El Salvador 8. Costa Rica 17.  Honduras 
9. Mexico 
 
 
    
 
  
 
1. Main constraints/challenges 
 
• A complex and highly specialized area involving 
many sectors, actors and levels  
 -  Growing complexity and importance 
 -  Rudimentary national and/or regional liaison 
  mechanisms 
• Limited human resources at capital and in Geneva 
for addressing SPS Agreement implementation 
needs in an exclusive and consistent manner 
 - Frequent changes of personnel make it difficult  to 
capitalize on experience 
 
   
  
 
 
Main constraints/challenges  
 
• The wide range of languages in which SPS 
regulations and other measures are drafted 
• The high cost of translation and the time required 
to translate texts 
• Political authorities have limited knowledge and 
command of SPS matters 
 - At some point, they will make important decisions 
• The private sector reacts to 
emergencies/difficulties before anticipating them  
 
 
   
 
 
  
2. Experiences and recommendations 
•  National SPS coordinati on committees (formal 
or informal): 
- Require the leadership of a competent authority 
- Participation of the various SPS-related public 
agencies  
- Participation of delegates in the OIE, CODEX 
and IPPC 
-  Participation of privat e sector representatives 
-  With work plans and agendas, with medium- 
and long term vision / international organization 
and SPS Committee agendas 
   
 
  
Experiences and recommendations 
•  Make SPS matters one of the country's priorities 
-  Political level 
-  Private level 
 
-  Impact and cost-benefit studies of SPS 
 measures 
-  Exchange of experiences 
-  etc. G/SPS/R/41 
Page 14  
 
   
 
   
 
Experiences and recommendations 
•  Ensure fluent communication with Geneva-
based missions by using all available means: 
- One person must be appointed to deal with 
these matters on a constant, and at least 
part time, basis 
- Monitoring and responsibility must fall to 
the capital-based coordination team 
 
   
   
Experiences and recommendations 
• Members with no permanent mission: 
- Register with the WTO information distribution 
system so as to receive notifications and other 
documents directly 
- Use regional integration or technical 
mechanisms (e.g. CARICOM) 
- Use missions or embassies in Brussels, Rome, 
Paris, etc. 
- Collaboration of cooperation agencies 
- Use missions of other countries in the region 
 
 
   
 
 
  
Experiences and recommendations 
• Information technology tools for information 
management 
- Database system containing information on 
notifications, countries, products and users 
(users classified according to areas of 
interest) 
- Appoint personnel needed to establish direct 
contact with other countries of interest 
   
 
  
Experiences and recommendations 
• Continuity of participati on both in the Committee 
and in international organizations 
- provides comparative and competitive 
advantages at different levels of negotiation 
• Join regional groups in order to develop common 
positions and obtain support from the SPS 
Committee and international organizations 
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
Conclusions 
• Strengthen the institutio nal framework in order 
to improve multisectoral coordination and 
coordination with the Geneva-based mission 
-  It is advisable to establish a Committee 
secretariat to act as a stable leadership and 
coordination mechanism 
• Reinforce the human resources (training) and 
financial resources of the agencies involved 
   
 
 
 
Conclusions 
• Promote and strengthen t he formal participation of 
the private sector by finding qualified 
representatives 
 
• Establish medium- and long-term policies which tie 
in with national policies 
 
 
__________