G/SPS/GEN/997/Rev.13  
 
2 March 2023 
(23-1412) Page: 1/9 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures    
 
WTO SPS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES IN 20 23: 
GENERAL INFORMATION, SELECTION PROCESS  
AND APPLICATION FORM  
NOTE BY THE SECRETARIAT1 
Revision  
1.  The Secretariat of the WTO plans to organize a number of specific technical assistance activities 
on the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures ( SPS Agreement ) 
in 2023. These activities include: the SPS e -Learning Course, national SPS seminars, regional 
SPS workshops2, other SPS workshops, and a revam ped Advanced SPS Course.3 
2.  These activities will primarily focus on the provisions of the SPS Agreement , implementation 
matters and the latest discussions taking place in the SPS Committee .4 The overall objective of the 
SPS technical assistance activities  is to enhance the knowledge and expertise of government officials 
from WTO developing country Members and Observers, so they can better understand and 
implement the SPS Agreement , benefit from its provisions, and strengthen their capacity to engage 
in the  work of the SPS Committee . For additional information on technical assistance activities 
related to the SPS Agreement , please consult the WTO website at http://www.wto.org/sps/ta . 
3.  This document provides detailed i nformation about SPS -specific WTO technical assistance 
activities planned for 2023, including information on dates, and where applicable, eligibility and 
selection criteria of participants, instructions for submission of applications, deadlines and 
pre-requisites when required.  
4.  This document is structured according to the different types of SPS -specific technical assistance 
activities provided by the WTO:  
• e-Learning Course on the SPS Agreement  
• National SPS Seminars  
• Regional SPS Workshops  
• Other SPS Workshops  
• Advanced SPS Course  
 
1 This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own responsibility and is without prejudice 
to the positions of Members or to their rights and obligations under the WTO.  
2 Regional SPS workshops will be organized in 20 23 upon request from regional organizations . 
Please  refer to additional details in Section 3  of this document.  
3 In addition to these SPS -specific technical assistance activities, the WTO offers general training 
courses where the SPS Agreement  is taught, such as Introduction Courses for Least -Developed Countries, 
Regional Trade Policy Courses and Advanced Trade Policy Courses.  
4 The SPS Committee  is scheduled to meet three times in 20 23: 22-24 March; 12-14 July; and 
15-17 Novem ber (also see doc ument G/SPS/GEN/2036/Rev.1 ). Informal meetings of the SPS Committee  and 
other SPS -related workshops /thematic sessions  might be scheduled during the weeks when the 
SPS Committee  meetings take place. These dates are subject to change.  G/SPS/GEN/997/Rev.13  
 
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  5.  The structure, content, target audience, pre -requisites, exercises and materials of these 
SPS-specific activities will follow the WTO Progressive Learning Strategy (PLS).5 Therefore, 
each activity is identified according to a scale ranging from "Level 1" (the least advanced, 
introductory activities) to "Level 3" (the most advanced, in -depth training activities). 
This measurement will, inter alia, assist in making candidates aware of the expected level of the 
activity before they apply, and facilitate the Secretariat's assessment of whether a candidate's profile 
and experience match the level of the activity when carrying out the selection process. This will 
ultimately help ensure that the participants in a particu lar activity are able to most effectively follow 
and contribute to the discussions, and that they have a harmonized level of understandin g of 
the SPS Agreement . Further information on the WTO PLS and a table with the level of each of 
the SPS-specific techn ical assistance activities can be found in Annex I . 
1  E-LEARNING COURSE ON THE SPS AGREEMENT  
Level of this activity : 1    3 
6.  The WTO offers an e-Learning Course Series on the SPS Agreement  (SPS e-Learning Course)  
comprising four interactive courses:  
a. SPS Course Series 1  - Overview of the SPS Agreement  and Committee;  
b. SPS Course Series 2 - The SPS Agreement  and Science;  
c. SPS Course Series 3 - Trade Facilitating Operational Provisions of the SPS Agreement ; 
d. SPS Course S eries 4 - Implementation, Administration and Enforcement.6 
7.  The online course  series is freely accessible at all times via t he WTO  e-Learning Platform 
(https://www.learning.wto.org ). Each course of the series includes a final exam and a WTO 
certification upon its successful completion. Participants who successfully complete the four courses 
of the series receive in addition a "Specialization Award".  
8.  Successful completion of the SPS e-Learning Course s (in either o f the WTO working languages)7 
is a pre -requisite  or recommendation  for participation in some of the  SPS technical assistance 
activities  proposed in 2023 . However, successful completion of the SPS e-Learning Course does not 
guarantee  selection for SPS -related training events. Government officials who have already 
successfully completed the SPS  e-Learning Course, in any of the available languages, are not 
required to undertake it again.  
9.  Government officials from eligible8 developing WTO Members and Observers wishing to enrol in  
the SPS e-Learning Course s must: 
a. Create an account on the WTO e -Learning Programme: the online registration is 
available at https://www.learning.wto.org ; and 
b. Submit the Nomination Form:  participants wishing to have full access to the e -Learning 
programme (i.e., access to courses' exams and certification) must be nominated by their 
government authorities. The nomination form is available for download on the e -Learning 
platform ( https://www.learning.wto.org ) in the participant's Dashboard upon log in. 
The completed nomination form, duly signed and stamped by the candidate's government 
 
5 The primary aim of the PLS is to promote higher levels of learning and to encourage the development 
of participants ' autonomy, with a view to building and sustaining the long -lasting human and institutional 
capacity of beneficiary countries to participate most effectively in the rul es-based multilateral training system.  
6 This new set of four  courses is currently only available in English ; French and Spanish versions are 
forthcoming.  In the meantime, the French and Spanish versions of the previous SPS e-Learning Course are still 
available for interested participants.  
7 In the case of the English version, this would require completion of the set of four Courses. Please 
note that the content of the set of Courses is equivalent to that of the existing French and Spanish versions.  
8 Eligible participants are government officials from WTO Members and Observers who are beneficiaries 
of WTO Technical Assistance  and who are not subject to WTO Administrative Measures. The WTO e -Learning 
programme is also freely accessible to the public (non -eligible participants) on a self -study basis; 
these  participants have access to the e -Learning courses but not to the courses' exams and certification.  G/SPS/GEN/997/Rev.13  
 
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  authorities, must be submitted (uploaded o n the WTO e -Learning platform) to complete 
the candidate's registration process.  
10.  For further information and help about the registration process for the SPS e-Learning Course , 
the WTO e -Learning team  can be contacted at  elearning@wto.org . Please also consult the 
WTO e-Learning Quick Guide , available in English, French and Spanish.  
2  NATIONAL SPS SEMINARS  
Level of this activity : 1    3 
11.  WTO developing country Members and Observers are entitled to request national seminars with 
a view to address specific training needs on the SPS Agreement  and its implementation. In  this 
regard, the programmes for national seminars are elaborated by the beneficiary country in  
consultation with the WTO Secretariat. It is possible to address both the SPS and TBT Agreements, 
or the SPS Agreement  and the Agreement on Agriculture  or the Trade Facilitation Agreement , in a 
single national s eminar.  
12.  National SPS seminars may have a lower (more introductory) or higher (in -depth, advance 
training) level, depending on the training needs identified by the requesting Member, and the level 
of knowledge and experience of the participants. It is also possible to organize two national activities 
back-to-back for different participants, for example, one at an introductory level and another at an 
advanced level. A national seminar can also be organized in the form of a targeted training on the 
use of SPS online tools, e.g. online submission of notifications, searching for specific trade concerns 
and/or notifications, receiving notification alerts, etc.  
13.  The Secretariat will aim to tailor the structure and content of these seminars according to each 
specific  request and through consultations with the beneficiary Member during the preparation phase 
of the seminar. In addition, the Secretariat encourages Members to clearly outline the objectives of 
national seminars in the submitted training requests, in order to allow the Secretariat to respond 
more effectively to the training needs of Members.  
14.  To request a national seminar on the SPS Agreement , Members and Observers must complete 
and submit a Technical Assistance National Request through the Technical Assistan ce Management 
System, which is available through the weblink  https://tams.wto.org .9 
15.  The Technical Assistance National Request must be submitted along with an official letter  of 
request by the  contact point to the WTO (e.g. mission in Geneva) , addressed to the Director of the 
Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC). The request and the official letter should be 
submitted online via the weblink  https://tams.wto.org . 
16.  The Secretariat encourages Members and Observers to submit their request s for national 
SPS seminars as early as possible (preferably in the first half of the year) to ensure proper 
coordination and preparation for these activities.10 
3  REGIONAL SPS WORKSHOPS  
Level of this activity: 1    3 
3.1  Overview  
17.  The WTO Secretariat organizes regional workshops on the SPS Agreement  with the purpose of 
making participants fully aware of the WTO SPS Agreement , its implementation, and the possible  
 
9 The system is available in the three WTO working languages, English, French and Spanish. 
Login  usernames and passwords are the same as for the WTO website.  WTO Members must connect using their 
WTO credentials through the WTO sign in button on https://tams.wto.org  
10 While every effort will be made to accommo date the requests of Members and Observers, 
the Secretariat cannot guarantee that it will have the necessary resources to undertake  all national seminars 
requested during the year.  G/SPS/GEN/997/Rev.13  
 
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  implications at the regional and national levels.  Funding is available through the Doha Development 
Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF) for these workshops.  
18.  Regional workshops also serve as an opportunity for government officials working on 
SPS matters in d ifferent developing countries to establish contact with their counterparts in other 
developing countries of the region, facilitating the exchange of information and the sharing of best 
practices related to the implementation of the SPS Agreement . 
19.  These reg ional workshops may include r epresentatives from Codex, IPPC and WOAH  as resource 
persons contributing their knowledge and experience in their areas of expertise. In addition, relevant 
international organizations, international and regional development ins titutions and organizations, 
as well as other technical assistance organizations and bilateral donors involved in SPS matters, may 
be invited to inform participants of their latest activities.  
3.2  Regional SPS Workshops in 20 23 
20.  In order to deliver more effecti ve and tailored regional workshops, the WTO Secretariat will be 
working collaboratively with regional organizations  to specifically address SPS-related  training needs 
identified within regions. Using this approach, the WTO Secretariat will schedule  regiona l 
SPS workshops in 2023 upon request from regional organizations.11 
21.  To request a regional workshop on the SPS Agreement , regional organizations (or a Member in 
conjunction with a regional organization ) must submit an official letter indicating the purpose and 
expected outcome of the workshop, their expected contribution , as well as  the proposed dates  and 
venue . This formal request should be addressed to the ITTC Director and sent by  e-mail to 
ittcregionaldesk@wto.org . 
22.  Regional SPS workshops that are requested during the year will be made available on the 
WTO website at http://www.wto.org/sps/ta . Programmes, pre -requisites and selection criteria will 
be defined for each requested activity.  
3.3  Regional SPS Workshop for Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the 
Caucasus (CEECAC)  Countries  
23.  A Regional SPS Workshop for CEECAC countries , co-organized with th e Joint Vienna Institute 
(JVI), is scheduled to take place during the week of 17 July 2023. This workshop is expected to be 
held in Vienna, Austria, and will be delivered in English.  
3.3.1   Selection Process  
24.  The Secretariat will select participants for this regional work shop. The target  audience are 
government officials:  
a. holding direct responsibilities in SPS area s, i.e. SPS notification authority or enquiry point; 
Codex, IPPC or WOAH  contact points; officials from a relevant Ministry in charge of 
coordinating SPS matters  and international trade;  
b. possessing a good understanding of the p rovisions and structure of the WTO, and the 
principles and provisions of the SPS Agreement ; and  
c. fluent in oral and written English.  
25.  All candidates are strongly encouraged to  complete the WTO SPS e -Learning Course by the time 
of their application : https://www.learning.wto.org . Priority may be given to those candidates who 
have successfully completed the SPS e -Learning Course. See Section 1  regarding enrolment in the 
e-Learning Course.  In addition, candidates must be government officials at the time of applying for 
the workshop and during the workshop.  
 
11 While every effort will be made to accommodate the requests of regional o rganizations , the 
Secretariat cannot guarantee that it will have the necessary resources to undertake  all regional workshops  
requested during the year.  G/SPS/GEN/997/Rev.13  
 
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  26.  Candidates will be selected using criteria  such as the fulfilment of pre -requisites, prior selection 
of other candidates from the Member /Observer , as well as balance among the selected candidates.  
27.  Government officials from WTO Members and Observers wishing to apply for participation in the 
regiona l workshop must consult the instructions provided in Annex II , and complete and submit the 
online application form available at:  https://worldtradeorganization.wufoo.com/forms/2023 -wto-
sps-technical -assistance -application -form. 
28.  The Secretariat will inform Members' and Observers' contact points to the WTO (e.g. mission in 
Geneva) of the proposed selection of candidat es from their government before the final selection.  
29.  Administrative  arrangements will also be communicated directly to the selected participants in 
advance of the activity . 
4  OTHER SPS WORKSHOPS  
30.  The WTO Secretariat will participate in other SPS technical ass istance activities at the request 
of other organizations, where possible.  
5  ADVANCED SPS COURSE  
Level of this activity: 1    3 
5.1  Overview  
31.  A newly designed Advanced SP S Course will be held during the weeks of 9 and 16 October 2023 
(dates to be confirmed) in Geneva, Switzerland, in English. This course will be an in -depth and 
"hands -on" training activity on the SPS Agreement  to encourage the active involvement and 
leader ship of participants in SPS -related matters, ranging from addressing national implementation 
problems to the identification of SPS -related market access difficulties and how to develop strategies 
to overcome these. The course will also seek to assist gover nment officials from developing countries 
in enhancing their participation in the SPS Committee . 
32.  The course will comprise a series of sessions and practical exercises related to the 
implementation of the SPS Agreement . The course will include sessions aime d at deepening 
participants' understanding of the SPS Agreement  as well as of the work and functioning of the 
Committee. Participants will share their experiences and strengthen their knowledge on how to 
improve the implementation of specific provisions of  the SPS Agreement , including the application 
of concepts and principles such as risk analysis, harmonization, equivalence, regionalization, and 
transparency. Dispute settlement, technical assistance and cooperation, and special and differential 
treatment will also be addressed. The course will be complemented by briefing sessions with key 
SPS actors and external experts, including from Codex, WOAH, and  IPPC.  
33.  Each participant will be invited to elaborate an action plan. This plan should address one or two 
specific implementation and/or market access challenges encountered in their countries. Participants 
will be required to implement their action plans in their respective countries. Virtual follow -up 
sessions may be subsequently organized to take stock of pa rticipants' action plans.  
34.  At the time of their application for this course, candidates will be asked to provide preliminary 
ideas for an action plan.  
5.2  Selection Process  
35.  The Secretariat will select a maximum of twenty participants for the  Advanced SPS Course. 
The target audience for this course are government officials, in particular those:  
a. holding direct responsibilities in SPS areas, e.g., specialists on food safety, animal health, 
plant protection or officials from a relevant Ministry i n charge of coordinating SPS matters 
and international trade;  G/SPS/GEN/997/Rev.13  
 
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  b. possessing a proven advanced level of understanding of the provisions and structure of 
the WTO, and the principles and provisions of the SPS Agreement , and willing to take 
initiative and leaders hip; and  
c. fluent in oral and written English . 
36.  Eligible candidates must be government officials at the time of applying for the course, during 
the course, and envisaged to continue as such during the action plan implementation phase 
(see para. 5.1  33.  above).  
37.  Candidates will be selected using criteria such as the fulfilment of prerequisites below, prior 
selection of other candidates from the Member, as well as balance among the selected candidates 
in terms of region, gender, years of experience, and specialization.  
38.  Government officials from WTO Members and Observers wishing to apply for the Advanced 
SPS Course must consult the instructions provided in Annex III , and complete and submit the online 
application form available at: https://worldtradeorganization.wufoo.com/for ms/2023 -wto-sps-
technical -assistance -application -form. 
39.  The Secretariat will inform Members' and Observers' contact points to the WTO (e.g., mission 
in Geneva) of the proposed selection of candidates from their government before the final selection.  
40.  Other a dministrative and logistical information  will be provided in due course to the selected 
candidates.  
5.3  Pre-requisites for Participation  
41.  There are two pre -requisites for participation in the Advanced SPS Course:  
a. All candidates are required to have successfully  completed the WTO SPS e -Learning Course 
by the time of their application. Applications from candidates who have not successfully 
completed the SPS e -Learning Course will not be considered. See Section 1  regarding 
enrolment in the e -Learning Course.  
b. Before the start of the course, the selected candidates will receive a questionnaire to 
assess the level of implementation of the SPS Agreement  in their countries. Completion 
and submission of the responses to the questio nnaire is compulsory for participation in 
the course.  
 G/SPS/GEN/997/Rev.13  
 
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  ANNEX I  
PROGRESSIVE LEARNING STRATEGY1 
SPS-SPECIFIC TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (TA) ACTIVITIES  
1.  In order to respond to the need for greater coherence and complementarity in WTO capacity -
building, ITTC  has developed a progressive strategy to promote higher levels of learning and 
encourage the development of participants ' autonomy . This is with a view to build and sustain the 
long-lasting human and institutional capacity of beneficiary countries  to parti cipate mo re effectively 
in the rules -based multilateral tra ding system.  
2.  In this regard, two broad categories of participants in WTO capacity -building have been 
identified:  
a. "Generalists"  are government officials who will need a broad knowledge of the WTO to  
conduct their work, such as capital -based officials dealing with WTO issues or delegates 
posted to Geneva missions with general responsibility for WTO affairs;  
b. "Specialists"  are government officials who will require in -depth knowledge in a specific 
area, such as officials working on a specific issue in a particular Ministry in their capital 
(for example, those who are dealing with SPS issues).  
3.  Following this strategy, each SPS -specific technical assistance activity has been categorized 
based on a scale of three training levels, ranging from "Level 1" (the least advanced, introductory 
activities) to "Level 3" (the most advanced, in -depth training activities).  
Progressive Learning Strategy  
Level  SPS-specific TA Activity  
1 and 2  e-Learning Course on the SPS Agreement2 
2 National SPS Seminars3 
2 and 3  Regional SPS Workshops4 
3 Advanced SPS Course  
 
 
1 Additional information on the WTO's progressive learning strategy (PLS) is available in JOB/TC/7 . 
2 While an introduction to the SPS Agreement  is included in the Level 1 e-Learning  Course "Introduction 
to the WTO", the e-Learning Course on the SPS Agreement  is the most introductory -level training available 
specifically on the SPS Agreement . 
3 National SP S seminars may have a lower (more introductory) or higher (in -depth, advance training) 
level, depending on the training needs identified by the requesting Member, and the level of knowledge and 
experience of the participants. The Secretariat will aim to ta ilor the structure and content of these seminars 
according to each specific request and through consultations with the beneficiary Member during the 
preparation phase of the seminar.  
4 The training provided in regional SPS workshops will, in general, be more advanced than the training 
given in national SPS seminars, as it will also focus on regional challeng es and coordination matters. 
In determining the level of each regional workshop, the Secretariat will take into account the level of 
imple mentation of the SPS Agreement  by the participating countries (for instance, through participation in the 
SPS Committee , number of notifications, etc.), as well as the overall level amongst the selected candidates.  G/SPS/GEN/997/Rev.13  
 
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  ANNEX II 
REGIONAL SPS WORKSHOP IN 202 3 
Title of the 
activity  Regional SPS Workshop for Central and Eastern Europe, Central 
Asia and the Caucasus countries , (co-organized with the Joint 
Vienna Institute ) (in English)  
Dates  Week of 17 July 2023  
Venue  Vienna , Austria   
Eligible WTO 
Members and 
Observers  Afghanistan ; Albania; Armenia ; Azerbaijan ; Bosnia and Herzegovina ; 
Georgia ; Iran; Israel ; Kazakhstan ; Kyrgyz Republic ; Moldova, Republic of; 
Montenegro ; North  Macedonia ; Serbia ; Tajikistan ; Turkey ; Turkmenistan; 
Ukraine ; Uzbekistan  
Pre-requisites  Only for government officials holding direct responsibilities in the SPS area. 
Preference will be given to candidates with direct responsibilities in the 
implementation of the provisions of the SPS Agreement . 
Candidates are strongly encourag ed to complete the WTO SPS e -Learning 
Course by the time of their application, in any of the WTO working 
languages .1 Priority may be given to those candidates who have 
successfully completed the SPS e -Learning Course.  
The e -Learning Course is available at: https://www.learning.wto.org/   
Fluency in oral and written English . 
Application  Candidates must fill -in and submit the online application form which is 
available at:  
https://worldtradeorganization.wufoo.com/f orms/2023 -wto-sps-technical -
assistance -application -form. 
Candidates should complete and submit the online application form by 
19 May 2023 . 
Incomplete forms or forms sent after the deadline will not be considered.  
Results of the 
selection  Only selected candidates will be informed about the results of the selection 
by May/June 2023 . 
Administrative and logistical information  will be provided in due course to 
the selected candidates.  
 
 
1 In the case of the English version, thi s would require completion of the set of four Courses. 
Please  note that the content of the set of Courses is equivalent to that of the existing French and Spanish 
versions. Government officials who have already successfully completed the SPS e -Learning Cou rse, in any of 
the available languages, are not required to undertake it again.  G/SPS/GEN/997/Rev.13  
 
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  ANNEX III 
2023 ADVANCED SPS COURSE  
Title of the 
activity  2023 Advanced SPS Course (in English)  
Dates  Weeks of 9 and 16 October 2023 with a possible virtual follow -up 
session  
Venue  Geneva, Switzerland  
Eligible WTO 
Members and 
Observers  WTO least -developed and developing country Members and Observers  
Pre-requisites  Successful completion of the WTO e-Learning Course on the 
SPS Agreement . Candidates are required to have successfully completed 
the WTO SPS e-Learning Course by the time of their application.1 
Applications from candidates who have not successfully completed the 
SPS e-Learning Course on the SPS Agreement  will not be considered. The 
SPS e -Learning Course is available at: https://www.learning.wto.org . 
Before the start of the course, the selected candidates will receive a 
questionnaire to assess the level of implementation of the SPS Agreement  
in their countries. Completion and submission of the responses to the 
questionnaire is compulsory for participati on in the course.  
Fluent in oral and written English  
Application  Candidates must fill -in and submit the online application form which is 
available at:  
https://worldtradeorganization.wufoo.com/forms/2023 -wto-sps-technical -
assistance -application -form 
At the time of their application, candidates will also be asked to provide 
preliminary ideas for an action plan, aimed at addressing an 
implementation and/or market access challenge that they have identified 
in their country.  
Candidates should complete and submit the online application form by 
19 May 2023 . 
Incomplete forms or forms sent after the deadline will not be considered  
Results of the 
selection  Only selected  candidates will be informed about the results of the 
selection in June 2023. 
Administrative and l ogistical information will be provided  in due course to 
the selected candidates . 
 
__________  
 
1 In the case of the English version, this would require completion of the set of four Courses. 
Please  note that the content of the set of Courses is equivalent to that of the existing French and Spanish 
versions. Government officials who have already successfully completed the SPS e -Learning Course, in any of 
the available languages, are not required to undertake it again.