Description
The Regional Workshop on the WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures is organized by the WTO. The three international standard-setting organizations referenced to in the SPS Agreement, i.e., the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) will also participate in this workshop with lectures and exercises in their respective field of expertise. The workshop will be tailored to the specific characteristics and needs of the region, encompassing, inter alia, the main provisions of the Agreement on SPS, the work of the SPS Committee, risk assessment, regionalization, equivalence, transparency and technical assistance. It will combine lectures, exercises and interactive dialogue aiming at the exchange of experiences and positions among the different countries and institutions involved. Consistent with the WTO's new Results Based Management (RBM) approach, participants' level of knowledge will be evaluated before and after the course. This will help to better evaluate the course's effectiveness in increasing participants' knowledge and skills and in meeting the course objectives. In addition, a needs assessment questionnaire will be sent to the selected participants before the activity in order to clearly identify needs/issues of interest.