REPORT TO THE special session of the committee on trade
and development BY THE CHAIR OF THE SPS COMMITTEE[1]

The following report is being submitted by the Chair of the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Committee), Cecilia Risolo, following consultations with the Chairperson of the Special Session of the Committee on Trade and Development (CTD SS), and was prepared with the assistance of the Secretariat.

_______________

1  Background

1.1.  Following the adoption of the Ministerial Declaration on the Precise, Effective and Operational Implementation of Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT) Provisions of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) (MC13 S&DT Declaration)[2], its implementation was discussed in the CTD SS and in an informal open-ended discussion held by the Facilitator for the G90 Agreement-specific proposals (ASPs) on the SPS and TBT Agreements on 10 July 2024.[3] In consultation with the Chair of the CTD SS and with a view to supporting the CTD SS in its monitoring role and in the preparation of its report to the December 2024 General Council meeting, the Chairpersons of the SPS and TBT Committees have agreed to prepare reports on relevant work undertaken by their respective Committees.

1.2.  This report, which follows a similar structure to the report prepared by the Chairperson of the TBT Committee[4], builds on the October 2023 CTD SS thematic session on the G90 ASPs on the SPS and TBT Agreements[5], as well as on the overall approach discussed on 10 July 2024.[6] It provides an overview of recent SPS Ministerial Decisions as well as Committee work of relevance, including in the context of the ongoing Review process. It also includes sections on the ePing SPS&TBT Platform[7] and on capacity building.[8] Specifically, this report refers to Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT) and technical assistance (TA) work in the context of the Work Programme launched by the MC12 SPS Declaration "Responding to Modern SPS Challenges". It also refers to the ongoing Review of the Operation and Implementation of the SPS Agreement (Sixth Review), which is considering the topics of S&DT and TA and concerns of developing and least-developed country Members, and how it will guide future work.

1.3.  In the lead-up to the WTO's 13^th Ministerial Conference (MC13), the above-mentioned thematic session on the G90 ASPs on the SPS and TBT Agreements was held under the ambit of the CTD SS on 4 October 2023. The Session brought CTD SS, SPS and TBT delegates together, along with relevant stakeholders, to discuss S&DT and TA in the SPS and TBT Agreements, developing country Members' related challenges, and relevant work in the SPS and TBT Committees, as well as other initiatives.[9]

1.4.  The thematic session was structured around three substantive sessions: (i) the first session featured presentations on the S&DT provisions under the SPS and TBT Agreements and S&DT-related work of the Committees; (ii) the second session covered transparency provisions, including comment period provisions and guidelines, as well as the ePing SPS&TBT Platform (see section 4 below) and transparency-related capacity building work; and (iii) the last session focused on the technical assistance and transition period provisions contained in the SPS and TBT Agreements, as well as SPS and TBT technical assistance activities delivered by the Secretariat, including the new transparency champions courses. The Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) also presented on its work, including how it was helping Members improve SPS capacity and facilitate safe trade.