19 experts from nine Latin American countries are participating in the Follow-Up Session on the 14th edition of the Advanced Course on the WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (The “SPS Agreement”). The course, organized by the Agriculture and Commodities Division in collaboration with the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC), is being held at WTO Headquarters in Geneva from 10 to 19 July 2019.
The first part of the course was held from 22 October to 9 November 2018, and participants had the opportunity to meet the WTO Director-General, Roberto Azevêdo. The participants prepared action plans to address some of the sanitary and phytosanitary challenges faced by their respective countries, and implemented the plans upon return to their countries.
The objectives of the plans are very varied and include: increasing exports of specific products; strengthening the negotiating position of countries with regard to sanitary and phytosanitary matters; reforming the legislation on the inspection systems of exporting countries; and improving the implementation of the transparency principle of the SPS Agreement.
In the second part of the course, the participants will present the results of the implementation of the action plans and examine the challenges experienced during the process.
This edition of the Advanced Course on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures is conducted in Spanish (the language of the programme rotates each year between English, French and Spanish, with the aim of involving all WTO Members). The participants, on this occasion, are public officials from Latin American Governments and SPS specialists.
During the follow-up session, participants will have the opportunity to speak with delegates from their countries and from other regions with similar issues, and with the Chair of the SPS Committee. They will also attend the Thematic Workshop on Transparency and Coordination, and formal and informal meetings of the SPS Committee.
List of participants:
| Argentina | Ms Jimena Georgina GIMÉNEZ |
| Argentina | Ms Emilia Soledad IBARRA |
| Chile | Ms Roxana Inés VERA MUÑOZ |
| Chile | Mr Fernando Enrique CATALÁN PINO |
| Colombia | Ms Blanca Cristina OLARTE PINILLA |
| Colombia | Ms Elsa Elena MORENO BELTRÁN |
| Costa Rica | Ms Kattia Milena MURILLO MURILLO |
| Costa Rica | Ms Karen Paola FERNÁNDEZ QUIRÓS |
| Costa Rica | Mr Olivet CRUZ VÁSQUEZ |
| Ecuador | Mr Felipe Alejandro TORRES ANDRADE |
| Ecuador | Mr Segundo Israel VACA JIMÉNEZ |
| Ecuador | Ms Patricia Judith LINCANGO ULCUANGO |
| Guatemala | Mr Byron Efraín GIL MORALES |
| Guatemala | Mr Julio CORDÓN y CORDÓN |
| Mexico | Mr Sergio Iván BALDERAS RODRÍGUEZ |
| Paraguay | Ms Leonidas ENCISO RUÍZ DÍAZ |
| Paraguay | Mr Idilio MÉNDEZ GRIMALDI |
| Peru | Mr Efraín ARANGO CCENTE |
| Peru | Ms Susan Karin DIOSES CORDOVA |
Source: wto.org