The IPPC contribution to the Advanced Course on Implementing the WTO Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement

The Advanced Course on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) took place at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, from 17 October to 4 November 2016. The objective the SPS course was to enable government officials to better implement the WTO-SPS agreement on food safety, animal and plant health measures. The Course was held in French and represents the highest level of training (level 3). It was attended by 25 government officials from WTO members and observers working in the field of sanitary and phytosanitary measures.

Ms Sarah Brunel from the Implementation Facilitation Unit of the IPPC Secretariat participated in the Course as presenter. Ms Brunel made a presentation on the history of the Convention, its functions and the challenges it currently faces. Participants were particularly interested in the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) and in the Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation (PCE) tool, and were invited to further consult the IPP and the phytosanitary.info website.

During the Course participants had opportunities for networking and experience sharing with delegates and experts from the WTO and other intergovernmental organizations. One day and half of the Course was dedicated to the 3 sisters: the International Plant Protection Convention, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, and the World Organisation for Animal Health.

Participants also engaged in hands-on training on SPS-related matters, ranging from addressing national implementation issues to the identification of SPS-related market access difficulties.

For additional information, please consult https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news16_e/tech_04nov16_e.htm