Title of the activity
WTO/IMF-CEF Virtual Arab Regional Workshop on the SPS Agreement
Activity Type
Virtual workshop - Regional
Description
This virtual SPS regional Workshop for Arab Countries is being organized by the WTO, in collaboration with the IMF-Center for Economics and Finance (IMF-CEF). The Workshop will be conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic.
The workshop will take the form of four virtual sessions of two hours duration. It will combine presentations, poll questions, Q&As, and practical exercises, to enhance participants' understanding of the WTO SPS Agreement, including types of SPS measures and key SPS disciplines, to discuss the work of the SPS Committee as well as topical SPS issues and their importance to trade, and to allow participants to familiarize themselves with the WTO SPS transparency tools as well as with the work of the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF). The workshop will also provide an opportunity for government officials working on SPS matters in different countries to establish contact with their counterparts in other countries of the region, facilitating the exchange of information and the sharing of best practices related to the implementation of the SPS Agreement.
The workshop will take the form of four virtual sessions of two hours duration. It will combine presentations, poll questions, Q&As, and practical exercises, to enhance participants' understanding of the WTO SPS Agreement, including types of SPS measures and key SPS disciplines, to discuss the work of the SPS Committee as well as topical SPS issues and their importance to trade, and to allow participants to familiarize themselves with the WTO SPS transparency tools as well as with the work of the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF). The workshop will also provide an opportunity for government officials working on SPS matters in different countries to establish contact with their counterparts in other countries of the region, facilitating the exchange of information and the sharing of best practices related to the implementation of the SPS Agreement.
Venue
Kuwait, the State of
Trade topic
Sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS)
Start Date
End Date
Duration (days)
4
selection process
The Secretariat will select a maximum of thirty participants for this Regional SPS Workshop.
The target audience are government officials:
a. holding direct responsibilities in the SPS area (i.e. SPS notification authority or enquiry
point; Codex, IPPC or OIE contact points; officials from a relevant Ministry in charge of
coordinating SPS matters and international trade) or with a strong interest in the SPS area; and
b. possessing an intermediate level of understanding of the principles and structure of the WTO, and of the principles and provisions of the SPS Agreement.
Candidates will be selected using criteria such as the fulfilment of pre-requisites and balance among the selected candidates.
Government officials from WTO Members and Observers wishing to apply must complete and submit the online application form available at: https://worldtradeorganization.wufoo.com/forms/p7esflz0bwpkkb/
The Secretariat will inform Members' and Observers' contact points to the WTO (e.g. mission in Geneva) of the proposed selection of candidates from their government before the final selection.
The target audience are government officials:
a. holding direct responsibilities in the SPS area (i.e. SPS notification authority or enquiry
point; Codex, IPPC or OIE contact points; officials from a relevant Ministry in charge of
coordinating SPS matters and international trade) or with a strong interest in the SPS area; and
b. possessing an intermediate level of understanding of the principles and structure of the WTO, and of the principles and provisions of the SPS Agreement.
Candidates will be selected using criteria such as the fulfilment of pre-requisites and balance among the selected candidates.
Government officials from WTO Members and Observers wishing to apply must complete and submit the online application form available at: https://worldtradeorganization.wufoo.com/forms/p7esflz0bwpkkb/
The Secretariat will inform Members' and Observers' contact points to the WTO (e.g. mission in Geneva) of the proposed selection of candidates from their government before the final selection.
Pre-requisite
Preference will be given to those candidates that have successfully completed the WTO SPS E-Learning Course. See Section 1 of G/SPS/GEN/997/Rev.11 regarding enrolment in the e-Learning Course.
Target Audience
Government officials
Language
English
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
Programme
SPS workshop.docx97.6 KB
Invited Members and Observers:
Algeria
Bahrain, Kingdom of
Comoros
Djibouti
Egypt
Iraq
Jordan
Kuwait, the State of
Lebanese Republic
Mauritania
Morocco
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of
Sudan
Tunisia
United Arab Emirates
Yemen