Title of the activity
Advanced SPS Course
Activity Type
Thematic course/Workshop
Description
This course is a "hands-on" training activity on the SPS Agreement to encourage the active involvement and leadership 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 also seeks to assist government officials from developing countries in enhancing their participation in the SPS Committee. Participants will share their experiences and strengthen their knowledge to improve the implementation of specific provisions of the SPS Agreement, including the application of concepts and principles such as risk analysis, harmonization, equivalence, regionalization, and transparency. Dispute settlement, technical assistance and cooperation, and special and differential treatment will also be addressed. The course will be complemented by briefing sessions and/or roundtable discussions with key SPS actors, such as the chairperson of the SPS Committee and Geneva-based SPS delegates, as well as with external experts, including from Codex, WOAH, and IPPC. Importantly, a key component of the course will require each participant to elaborate an action plan to address one or two specific SPS implementation and/or market access challenges encountered in their countries with the aim of implementing their action plans following the course. These will serve as a practical component in the course so that participants can build on the knowledge gained during the first week of the course. The Secretariat and the external coach will support the finalization of the action plans, and monitor their progress, through submission of periodic report(s), to ensure actual benefits can be drawn from these action plans. This will be done virtually. An Additional follow-up session of the course may be organized in 2024 to assess the final results of the action plans' implementation, if budget allows.
Venue
Switzerland
City
WTO
Trade topic
Sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS)
Start Date
End Date
Duration (days)
9
selection process
Candidates will be selected using criteria such as the fulfilment of prerequisites (see below), prior selection of candidates from the Member, as well as balance among the selected candidates in terms of region, gender, years of experience, and specialization. Government officials from WTO Members and Observers wishing to apply for the Advanced SPS Course were invited to consult the instructions provided in Annex III of WTO document G/SPS/GEN/997/Rev.13, and complete and submit the online application form available online.
Pre-requisite
The target audience for this course are government officials, in particular those:
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, and willing to take initiative and leadership; and
c. fluent in oral and written English.
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 action plan implementation phase. There are two additional pre-requisites for participation in the Advanced SPS Course:
a. All candidates are required to have successfully completed the WTO SPS e-Learning Course by the time of their application.
b. Before the start of the course, the selected candidates 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.
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, and willing to take initiative and leadership; and
c. fluent in oral and written English.
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 action plan implementation phase. There are two additional pre-requisites for participation in the Advanced SPS Course:
a. All candidates are required to have successfully completed the WTO SPS e-Learning Course by the time of their application.
b. Before the start of the course, the selected candidates 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
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
Invited Members and Observers:
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Angola
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
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Costa Rica
Côte dʼIvoire
Cuba
Curaçao
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eswatini
Fiji
Gabon
The Gambia
Georgia
Ghana
Grenada
Guatemala
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
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
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Qatar
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Solomon Islands
South Africa
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Chinese Taipei
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Türkiye
Turkmenistan
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Viet Nam
Zambia
Zimbabwe