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The issue has
been discussed in the WTO in the debate over developing countries’
difficulties in implementing current WTO agreements. The new statement
commits the organizations to strengthen developing countries’
capacity to establish and implement SPS measures as well as to
participate fully in the work of international organizations
responsible for setting international standards, guidelines and
recommendations. The agencies are also committed to coordinating the
technical assistance they give to these countries as part of this
effort.
The
five organizations are the WTO, the UN Food and Agriculture
Organization, the International Animal Health Organization (Office
International des Epizooties or OIE), the World Health Organization
(WHO), and the World Bank.
Three
organizations or conventions, sometimes unofficially described as the
“three sisters”, are responsible for international standards,
guidelines and recommendations relevant to the WTO SPS Agreement. The
OIE handles animal health. The FAO and WHO jointly provide the
secretariat of Codex Alimentarius, which deals with food safety. The
International Plant Protection Convention, which deals with plant
health, whose secretariat is provided by the FAO.
Developing
countries say they face problems in exporting food products in
particular both because they have difficulty meeting standards in
importing countries and because they are unable to participate fully
in developing internationally-agreed standards. The joint statement is
designed to address this problem.
This
is what the statement says:
Participation
of Developing Countries in the Development and Application of
International Standards, Guidelines and Recommendations on Food
Safety, Animal and Plant Health
A
Joint Statement by
the Directors-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations, the Office International des Epizooties,
the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization
and the President of the World Bank
Food
safety and animal and plant health are essential components of
sustainable development, particularly as they contribute to public
health, the reduction of poverty, food security and the protection of
the environment.
The
Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), the Office International des
Epizooties (OIE), and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)
are the recognized instruments for the development of international
standards, guidelines and recommendations to assist in ensuring food
safety for human health protection as well as animal and plant health,
and to facilitate trade. The objective of international harmonization
of sanitary and phytosanitary measures is to reduce the need for
individual countries to develop and justify their own measures, to
limit disputes and to take advantage of international trade
opportunities.
We
are committed to strengthen the capacity of developing countries to
establish and implement science-based sanitary and phytosanitary
measures, to meet the sanitary and phytosanitary requirements of trade
partners and to participate fully in the work of standard setting
organizations in the establishment of international standards,
guidelines and recommendations. To this end, the FAO, OIE, WHO, WTO,
the World Bank and other multilateral, regional and bilateral agencies
undertake technical assistance activities and investment in
infrastructure, to assist developing countries in the establishment
and implementation of appropriate food safety and animal and plant
health measures.
We
reaffirm our commitment to work together on the basis of our
respective mandates and to further exploit the synergies between our
organizations, standard-setting bodies and other agencies. We agree to
explore jointly new technical and financial mechanisms for
coordination and resource mobilization and to build alliances between
standard-setting bodies and the implementing and financing agencies so
as to ensure the most effective use of technical and financial
resources.
This
statement is submitted to inform the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference
in Doha of our commitment to enhance developing countries' capacity to
participate effectively in the development and application of
international standards and to take full advantage of trade
opportunities. |
