SANITARY & PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES: WORKSHOP — 14-18 OCTOBER 2013
Workshop on SPS-related Market Access Challenges and Opportunities
The Secretariat of the World Trade Organization organized a special workshop on market access challenges and opportunities related to sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS, ie, food safety and animal and plant health), at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday 14 October 2013. The workshop was followed by training sessions with the participants of the 2013 advanced SPS course on Tuesday 15 October, and by informal and formal meetings of the SPS Committee, from Wednesday 16 October until Thursday 17 October.
The WTO, with the financial assistance of the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund, sponsored the participation of 46 government officials from developing countries that are members and observers of the WTO. Participants were former trainees in the WTO’s advanced SPS course for officials.
The workshop was highly interactive, focusing particularly on the participants’ and other speakers’ experiences in addressing specific market access challenges arising from SPS measures. This enabled them to identify common elements and the lessons learned.
Programme
10.00–10.30 |
Workshop overview and objectives
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10.30–13.00 |
Session 1: Different Government Roles in Enhancing SPS-related Market Access This session started with an excerpt from the STDF Video “Trading safely: Protecting health, promoting development” and a presentation of a study about Benin’s self-imposed shrimp export suspension from July 2003 to February 2005. Thereafter, government officials presented, through practical case stories, how they have addressed SPS-related market access challenges in their work. OIE and IPPC provided an overview of their resources available to assist Members with market access challenges. The session aimed to identify factors that are essential in creating and enhancing market access (such as alignment and common objectives within the government), and to illustrate how individual actions can make a difference in this respect. Moderator: Ms Carol THOMAS Agricultural Health and Food Safety Specialist, IICA, Barbados Speakers: Mr Romain HOUSSA Ms Clarisse Yvonne MAHARAVO RAHANTAMALALA Mr Tsewei CHEN Mr Hernan ZETINA Ms Ana PERALTA Dr Masatsugu OKITA
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15.00–16.45 |
Session 2: The Role of Collaboration between the Public and Private Sectors in Enhancing SPS-related Market Access Speakers in this session explored, through practical case stories, the role that partnerships between government agencies and the private sector can play in facilitating market access. The session gave different points of view on the drivers behind such partnerships, various partnership modalities, scopes, objectives, challenges faced and lessons learned. On the basis of discussions, the session aimed to identify some of the key characteristics of successful partnership arrangements. Moderator: Mr Fitzroy WHITE Speakers: Ms Marianna THEYSE Ms Velia Luz ARRIAGADA RÍOS Mr Washington OTIENO Ms Subhodini PILLARISETTI
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16.45–17.45 |
Session 3: The Role of Technical Co-operation in Enhancing SPS-related Market Access Speakers in this session presented, through practical case stories, how technical cooperation projects can contribute to creating and enhancing SPS-related market access. The session discussed different project modalities, the development partners involved, project outputs, etc., with a view to identifying factors in SPS capacity needs assessment, project design and implementation that both recipients and providers should take into account to optimize the projects’ market access impact. Moderator: Mr Melvin SPREIJ Speakers: Ms Siham DAHER Mr Shree Ram ADHIKARI Ms Delilah CABB
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17.45–18.00 |
Closing remarks and wrap-up of the workshop Mr João MAGALHÃES Mr Kevin WALKER Ms Gretchen H. STANTON |