WTO | Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures - Workshop on Transparency 15-16 October 2007

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SANITARY & PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES: WORKSHOP — 15-16 OCTOBER 2012

Workshop on the transparency provisions of the SPS Agreement

The Secretariat of the World Trade Organization organized a special workshop on the transparency provisions of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) held in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday, 15 October 2012 and in the morning of Tuesday, 16 October 2012. The workshop was followed by informal and formal meetings of the SPS Committee, lasting until Friday, 19 October 2012.

The workshop was intended to be a highly interactive, "hands-on" training event focussing in particular on the use of the SPS Information Management System (SPS IMS) and on the system for the on-line submission of SPS notifications (SPS NSS).

Representatives from the Codex Alimentarius, the World Organization for Animal Health and the International Plant Protection Convention provided information on their online tools that could be helpful to Members. The workshop also benefitted from the presentation by government officials from Morocco and Costa Rica on their national experience with regards to the submission of SPS notifications through the SPS NSS.

Programme

Monday, 15 October 2012


	10.00 – 10.15	Opening remarks

	10.15 – 10.45	Session I: Introduction
		Speakers: Gretchen Stanton, Javier Ocampo, WTO Secretariat Overview of transparency provisions in the SPS Agreement and of relevant Committee/Ministerial Decisions > presentation How does the SPS IMS work? > presentation
	11.00 – 13.00	Session II: Practical session on the use of the SPS IMS
		Participants will break into three groups (i) English speakers, (ii) French speakers and (iii) Spanish speakers. Who could/should track incoming notifications? How could notifications of interest be identified and shared with stakeholders? How could comments on incoming notifications be collected and shared with notifying Member? The SPS IMS and resolving trade concerns SPS IMS exercises

	15.00 – 17.00	Session III: Codex, OIE and IPPC online tools
	15.00 – 15.30	Access to current OIE standards, and supporting information available via WAHIS on the OIE website Speaker: Derek Belton, Head International Trade Department, OIE > presentation
	15.30 – 15.50	Access to current Codex standards and related information Speaker: Selma Doyran, Secretary, Codex > presentation
	15.50 – 16.30	Information available under the IPPC framework Speaker: Yukio Yokoi, Secretary, IPPC > presentation
	16.30 – 17.00	Q&A
	17.00 – 17.30	Session IV: The integrated Trade Intelligence Portal (I-TIP) What is I-TIP and its relationship with the SPS IMS Speaker: Jurgen Richtering, WTO Secretariat > presentation
	17.30 – 18.00	Wrap up session first day

Tuesday, 16 October 2012


	10.00 – 10.15	Session V: Overview of the SPS NSS
		Presentation of Members' level of implementation of transparency provisions and decisions (G/SPS/GEN/804/Rev.5) How does the on-line submission facility work? > presentation
	10.30 – 12.00	Session VI: Practical session on how to prepare notifications (SPS NSS)
		Participants will break into three groups (i) English speakers, (ii) French speakers and (iii) Spanish speakers. What should be notified and when? Who should notify? What format should be used? Who could be consulted with questions during preparations? To whom should notifications be sent? SPS NSS hands-on exercises
	12.00 – 12.30	Session VII: Sharing of national experiences in the use of WTO online tools
		Speakers: Hamid Lachhab, Director, Regulatory and Standardization Division, National Office for Food Safety, Morocco > presentation Virginia Salazar Losilla, Officer in charge of SPS Notifications, SPS NNA, Ministry of Agriculture and livestock, Costa Rica > presentation
	12.30 – 12.45	Session VIII: Identification of follow-up actions and evaluation of workshop Facilitators: Gretchen Stanton, Javier Ocampo, WTO Secretariat
	12.45 – 13.00	Closing remarks