Title of the activity
Advanced Thematic Course on SPS
Activity Type
Thematic course/Workshop
Description
This course is an in-depth and hands-on training activity conceived to encourage the active involvement of participants in SPS-related matters, ranging from addressing national implementation problems to the identification of SPS-related market access difficulties and how to develop strategies to overcome these.
The course comprises a series of sessions and practical exercises related to the implementation of the SPS Agreement. The first week of the course includes sessions aimed at deepening participants' understanding of the SPS Agreement. In the second week, participants attend the SPS Committee meetings, with a view to learning how the Committee works in practice, so as to become familiar with its rules and procedures, and to participate in the discussions. In the third week, participants will compare their experiences and will learn more about how to improve the implementation of specific provisions of the SPS Agreement, including the application of concepts and principles such as risk analysis, harmonization, equivalence, regionalism and transparency. Dispute settlement, technical assistance and cooperation, and special and differential treatment will also be addressed. A number of external experts, including from Codex, IPPC and OIE, will participate in parts of the course.
Each participant, with the assistance of coaches, will be required to elaborate an action plan to address implementation and/or market access challenges encountered in their countries. The implementation of these action plans will be monitored through a periodic reporting process after the course.
A follow-up session will be organized in July 2020, subject to budgetary approval by Members, where participants to the Advanced SPS Course will report on the implementation of their action plans.
The course comprises a series of sessions and practical exercises related to the implementation of the SPS Agreement. The first week of the course includes sessions aimed at deepening participants' understanding of the SPS Agreement. In the second week, participants attend the SPS Committee meetings, with a view to learning how the Committee works in practice, so as to become familiar with its rules and procedures, and to participate in the discussions. In the third week, participants will compare their experiences and will learn more about how to improve the implementation of specific provisions of the SPS Agreement, including the application of concepts and principles such as risk analysis, harmonization, equivalence, regionalism and transparency. Dispute settlement, technical assistance and cooperation, and special and differential treatment will also be addressed. A number of external experts, including from Codex, IPPC and OIE, will participate in parts of the course.
Each participant, with the assistance of coaches, will be required to elaborate an action plan to address implementation and/or market access challenges encountered in their countries. The implementation of these action plans will be monitored through a periodic reporting process after the course.
A follow-up session will be organized in July 2020, subject to budgetary approval by Members, where participants to the Advanced SPS Course will report on the implementation of their action plans.
Venue
Switzerland
City
Geneva
Trade topic
Sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS)
Start Date
End Date
Duration (days)
15
Activity Level
Pre-requisite
Eligible candidates must be government officials at the time of applying for the course, during the course, and envisaged to continue as such during the 9-month period following the course and the follow-up session which will be held in June/July of the following year. Candidates must be in a position to implement their action plans in their country during the 9-month period following the course. The pre-requisites for participation in the Advanced SPS Course are: (a) holding direct responsibilities in SPS areas, e.g. specialists on food safety, animal health, plant protection or officials from a relevant Ministry in charge of coordinating SPS matters and international trade; (b) possessing a proven advanced level of understanding of the provisions and structure of the WTO and the principles and provisions of the SPS Agreement; (c) fluent in oral and written English; (d) All candidates are required to have successfully completed the WTO e-Learning Course on the SPS Agreement. Applications from candidates who do not successfully complete the e-Learning Course on the SPS Agreement will not be considered; (e) Before the start of the course, the selected participants will receive a questionnaire to assess the level of implementation of the SPS Agreement in their countries. Completion and submission of the responses to the questionnaire is compulsory for participation in the course.
Target Audience
Government officials
Language
English
Application Deadline
05/07/2019
Key Result
1. Government officials are implementing WTO Agreements and fully realising Members' rights and obligations
Key Output
1.1: Government officials have enhanced knowledge about WTO Agreements, trade policy formulation and conduct of trade negotiations
Chapter
4. Geneva-based Advanced Thematic Courses and topic-specific symposia for Capital-based officials
Programme
Invited Members and Observers:
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain, Kingdom of
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia, Plurinational State of
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei Darussalam
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cabo Verde
Cambodia
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Costa Rica
Côte dʼIvoire
Cuba
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Fiji
Gabon
The Gambia
Georgia
Ghana
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong, China
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Jamaica
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Korea, Republic of
Kuwait, the State of
Kyrgyz Republic
Lao Peopleʼs Democratic Republic
Lebanese Republic
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Macao, China
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Moldova, Republic of
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nepal
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
North Macedonia
Oman
Pakistan
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Qatar
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
Sao Tomé and Principe
Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Syrian Arab Republic
Chinese Taipei
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Türkiye
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
Viet Nam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe