WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/658 
27 March 2006 
 (06-1371) 
Committee on Sanitary and  
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 23 Marc h 2006, is being circulated at the request 
of the IICA. 
 
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1. The observer organizations of the WTO Comm ittee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures 
(SPS) are invited to submit reports on the activities they have carried out to further understanding and 
implementation of the SPS Agreement. 
I. SPS INITIATIVE FOR THE COUNTRIES OF THE AMERICAS 
2. In conjunction with the United States Depart ment of Agriculture (USDA) and with the 
collaboration of six countries that serve as a steeri ng committee (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the 
United States and Mexico), the IICA continues to  implement the SPS Initiative of the Americas (the 
Initiative). 
3. The Initiative, which came into force in Oct ober 2002, has now contributed to eleven 
consecutive SPS Committee meetings, supporting the par ticipation of the countries of the Americas 
and helping them to build their capacity.  For this particular meeting, the Initiative enabled 26 capital-
based experts from 26 countries of the Americas to participate. 
4. Through its network of offices in its memb er countries, the IICA has promoted the 
establishment of national forums to follow up the agendas of the SPS-related international bodies, 
particularly the WTO SPS Committee. 
5. In Honduras, with broad participation by the private sector and the public sector and support 
from international organizations, a National Commit tee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures was 
created pursuant to a ministerial decision.
1  The IICA serves as the Committee's technical secretariat 
and so has been able to lend support in the organi zation of monthly meetings, the establishment of a 
national agenda to meet technical demands arising from the WTO SPS Committee, and the 
dissemination of information.  Work is under way to draft operating regulations. 
                                                      
1  The National Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures was established in August 2004 by 
Ministerial Decision No. 651-04 and was formed on 7 December 2005. G/SPS/GEN/658 
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  6. In Ecuador, work has been done to put an in formal SPS committee into operation and to have 
a draft Executive Decree prepared in order to gi ve the committee official status.  The decree is 
undergoing legal checking prior to signature by Ministers. 
7. With technical support from the IICA, the Ecua dorian Agricultural Health Service (SESA) is 
in the process of setting up and implementing a National Information and Notification System for 
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measur es.  The system is to include a computer programme for the 
management of SPS notifications from Member countries of the WTO.  The system aims to (i) establish a network between national technical services,  the private sector and consumers' associations 
involved in developing standards, to provide a pe rmanent channel for dialogue between the different 
players;  (ii) establish an SPS information node that can be consulted on any SPS-related topic. 
8. Again in Ecuador, in coordination with the SESA the IICA manages external resources from 
USAID and the FAO for a project intended to upda te, systematise, analyse and as far as possible 
harmonise Ecuador's legislation and standards on san itary, phytosanitary and food safety matters with 
the standards, guidelines and recommendations of competent regional and international bodies. 
9. For further information, contact:  erick.bolanos@iica.int
 (Eric Bolaños), 
gregg.young@usda.gov  (Gregg Young), marianne.mcelroy@fas.usda.gov  (Marianne McElroy), 
henry.schmick@usda.gov  (Henry Schmick).  For information on the work in Honduras, contact:  
claudia.garcia@iica.int  (Claudia Garcia).  For information on the work in Ecuador, contact:  
paola.ramon@iica.int  (Paola Ramon). 
II STRENGTHENING NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL HEALTH AND FOOD SAFETY 
SERVICES BY DEVELOPING A COMMON VISION AND JOINT ACTION 
10. Further to the joint action undertaken by the IICA and the OIE to develop and implement the 
Performance Vision and Strategy (PVS) instrument  for the animal health sector, a work session was 
held to incorporate new elements under the OIE's Animal Health Code, and support was given to the preparation of a strategy for its application in African countries. 
11. This instrument brings together the public and private sectors to develop a common approach 
to proper implementation of the WTO SPS Agreement.  For further information, contact:  
ana.cordero@iica.int (Ana Cordero). 
III SUPPORT TO THE DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION  
12. The IICA has various bulletins and channels of  communication to promote the exchange of 
information on SPS matters and the work done in th e WTO, the relevant international bodies and the 
regional organizations. 
13. An electronic bulletin  "CODEX-MSF Opinion Forum " specialises in events occurring in the 
Codex Alimentarus and the WTO SPS Committee.  Th e bulletin reports and analyses standards and 
activities and aims to enhance the dissemination and st udy of these matters.  Its readership comprises 
first and foremost the countries of South Ameri ca, but it is available to all members at  
WWW.IICA.ORG.AR
 For further information, contact:  mlfonalleras@iica.org.ar  (Lourdes 
Fonalleras). 
14. Access  and Access Plus  are bulletins specializing in subj ects and information generated by 
the SPS Committee and the Codex Alimentarius respectiv ely.  Both bulletins are intended to generate 
executive reports allowing follow up to the two bodi es.  They have hemispheric coverage (the 
Americas) and are available both electronically and in  paper format.  They may be consulted by the  G/SPS/GEN/658 
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  public at www.infoagro.net/salud .  For further information, contact:  tim.obrien@iica.int  (Tim O'brien 
and erick.bolanos@iica.int  (Eric Bolaños). 
15. The information system AGROSALUD  disseminates information pertaining to agricultural 
health and food safety and the areas it covers includ e standards and actions carried out in the WTO 
and the relevant international organizations.  www.infoagro.net/salud  for the Spanish version and 
www.agrihealth.ws  for the English version.  For further information, contact:  consultor2@iica.int  
(Ericka Calderón). 
16. The INFOAGRONEGOCIOS  information system aims to promote trade in agriculture in 
the Americas and one of its objectives is to f acilitate access to import/export requirements for 
agrifood products in selected mark ets and access to the main sources of information relating to the 
agrifood sector.   www.infoagro.net/agronegios  (Spanish version).  For further information, contact:  
daniel.rodriguez@iica.int  (Daniel Rodríguez). 
IV. SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES 
17. Avian influenza :  The IICA lent support to the deve lopment of Strategic Guidelines for the 
Prevention of Avian Influenza in the Americas.  Th e work was carried out in Argentina in February 
under the Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-
TADs).  On 3 April OAS Ambassadors are to atte nd a meeting in Washington on the subject of avian 
influenza.  Work is being done in Central Amer ica and the Caribbean to develop a regional avian 
influenza prevention strategy and involves various pl ayers in both the public a nd the private sectors.  
For further information, contact:  erick.bolanos@iica.int  (Eric Bolaños), ana.cordero@iica.int  (Ana 
Cordero). 
18. Argentina :  The IICA in Argentina continues to lend technical support to the Secretariat for 
Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of Arge ntina (SAGPyA), specifically  to the presidency of 
the CODEX Committee for Latin American and the Caribbean (CCLAC) and with the SPS contact 
point in Argentina.  For further information, contact:  mlfonalleras@iica.org.ar  (Lourdes Fonalleras). 
19. Andean countries :  The IICA, the Spanish Internati onal Cooperation Agency (AECI) and the 
Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries a nd Food organized an international workshop on 
traceability systems in March, with the participati on of Spanish experts and the assistance of public 
and private officials working in this area from Vene zuela, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Colombia.  The 
aim is to draw up a regional Andean project for th e implementation of traceability systems for each of 
the main production chains in every country of  the region based on knowledge gained of the 
traceability systems of Spain, Chile, Mexico, Uruguay, Brazil and Peru.  For further information, 
contact:  Jaime.flores@iica.int.ve  (Jaime Flores). 
20. Caribbean :  The IICA lent support:  in Barbados, to the preparation of a proposal for 
implementation of IPPC standard No. 15;  in Jama ica, to a regional training workshop organized by 
the WTO which covered the WTO SPS Agreement.  In Saint Lucia, the IICA is supporting the 
establishment of a certification system for fresh  food.  For further information, contact:  
carol.thomas@iica.int  (Carol Thomas), everton.ambrose@iica.int  (Everton Ambrose). 
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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