Update on OECD ACTIVITIES of interest to the SPS Committee

COMMUNICATION FROM the OECD

The following communication, received on 16 October 2024, is being circulated at the request of the OECD.

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1  Sanitary and Phytosanitary electronic certificates: current practices and benefits

1.1.  Building on previous work on electronic certificates (Digital opportunities for Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Systems and the trade facilitation effects of SPS Electronic Certification; and Electronic sanitary certificates for trade in animal products: Opportunities and Challenges), the OECD has started research to address key knowledge and evidence gaps regarding the use and impacts of SPS e-certificates. More specifically, the report aims to provide a better understanding of the benefits of using SPS e-certificates by addressing three key questions, namely: i) what is the current use of SPS e-certificates; ii) what was the role of SPS e-certificates during the COVID-19 pandemic and how does this enhance our understanding of e-certification's impact on trade; and iii) what is the relevance of SPS e-certificates for traceability throughout supply chains.

1.2.  Preliminary results from this report were presented at the SPS Committee Thematic Session on Digital Tools on 25 June 2024.

1.3.  A final report will be presented to the OECD Joint Working Party on Agriculture and Trade in November 2024.

OECD contacts: Edith.Laget@oecd.org and Annelies.Deuss@oecd.org

2  Quality infrastructure

2.1.  The OECD has been developing a report on the interrelations between regulation and quality infrastructure (QI), entitled The Complex Governance To Protect Citizens' Health, Safety and Environment in an Interconnected World, to be finalized early 2025. This report will outline the key features of the regulatory and QI systems, highlights current interactions and proposes recommendations for regulation and QI systems working better together. The report includes case studies applying the role of QI and regulation for the fight against climate change, among others and concludes with a checklist on priorities to increase the interrelations between QI and regulations, to strengthen the effectiveness, efficiency, transparency, and accountability of the whole combined "regulatory and quality system".

2.2.  On 6 December, the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) and OECD will co‑organise a full day workshop on Quality Infrastructure and Regulation, hosted by the BIPM, and co-organised with the OECD. The event will take place on 6 December at the BIPM Headquarters in Sèvres, France between 9.00-18.00 (UTC+1).

2.3.  The event will present the findings of the abovementioned report, and will include four sessions, with panel discussions and interactive exchanges in person. Speakers and participants will include leading experts, country and international organisation representatives working on regulatory policy and quality infrastructure.

Interest in joining the event can be communicated to rahima.guliyeva@bipm.org and Marianna.karttunen@oecd.org

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