The SPS Committee agreed, at its November 2017 meeting, to hold a thematic session on pest-free areas immediately preceding its March 2018 meeting, based on a proposal submitted by the United States of America.^[1] The session will provide an opportunity for WTO Members to increase their awareness of pest-free areas principles, and learn from each other by sharing experiences about the challenges, as well as the benefits, of implementing pest-free areas in practice. This, in turn, should contribute to building confidence among trading partners when recognizing or seeking recognition of their pest-free areas measures.

The session will focus on plant pests and allow for the discussion of the implementation of the pest-free area concept from