The SPS Transparency Champions Course was launched in October 2022 by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who highlighted that transparency was a core principle of the WTO, encouraging participants to be “agents of change”.

The aim of the course was to support selected African countries in implementing and benefitting from the WTO's SPS transparency framework. It was organized in coordination with the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) team, which rolled out a similar programme for TBT officials in the African region.

A key component of the SPS Transparency Champions Course was the implementation of an action plan, over the course of about six months. This allowed participants to apply their knowledge of the SPS transparency provisions and implement actions targeted at addressing current challenges.

The action plans provided participants with insights into their national systems and procedures for fulfilling SPS transparency obligations and recommendations — work often carried out by various government agencies. In addition, the action plans contributed to raising awareness on the transparency provisions of the SPS Agreement amongst key stakeholders, building capacity of members to submit notifications to the WTO and strengthening national coordination mechanisms.

Participants shared their experiences, results and challenges. They expressed their determination to continue building on their achievements and developing know-how in their countries and region, including on the use of online transparency tools such as the ePing SPS&TBT Platform.

The course was divided into three main segments. The first week took place from 3 to 7 October 2022. It included the participation of national experts and representatives of the international standard-setting bodies — the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the World Organisation for Animal Health and the International Plant Protection Convention, known as the “Three Sisters”.

Virtual sessions were held from 19 October to 23 November 2022, during which participants prepared action plans for implementation in their countries. They were also invited to attend SPS Committee meetings virtually to strengthen their understanding of the Committee's work.

The third and final segment — from 13 to 15 June 2023 — was a follow-up session for participants to report on the results of their action plans.

The course was organized by the SPS section of the Agriculture and Commodities Division in collaboration with the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC).

More information on the SPS Agreement and the SPS Committee is available here.