REPORT

sps committee Workshop on risk Analysis:

risk assessment, risk management, and risk communication

Monday, 12 JuLY – Tuesday, 13 JuLY 2021

WTO, CENTRE WILLIAM RAPPARD, GeNEVA

Participation via Zoom

Note by the secretariat^[1]

The Secretariat of the World Trade Organization (WTO) organized a workshop on risk assessment, risk management, and risk communication on 12-13 July 2021, based on a proposal submitted by Canada in the context of the Fifth Review of the Operation and Implementation of the SPS Agreement (_G/SPS/GEN/1769 and _G/SPS/GEN/1769/Rev.1). The programme was circulated in document _G/SPS/GEN/1911/Rev.2.

The workshop was held via Zoom, with interpretation in the three official languages of the WTO. Mr Gregory MacDonald, Chairperson of the SPS Committee for the period 2020-2021, moderated the workshop.

A dedicated webpage for the workshop had been made available ahead of the event, with logistical information, the programme, background information on the speakers, and a catalogue of relevant resources to support governments in building and operationalizing risk analysis frameworks. This catalogue included international standards, guidelines and recommendations, presentations, handbooks, guides, tools, links to previous events, and online courses that participants could consult ahead of the workshop.

Close to 1,300 participants registered, including interested stakeholders from Members, the private sector, academia, and civil society. Through roundtable discussions, presentations, case studies, video clips, poll questions, and Q&A sessions, the workshop generated exchanges on SPS risk analysis, experience sharing, and discussions on challenges, best practices, and emerging issues. Participants also benefitted from informal side sessions, which offered opportunities to interact informally with speakers.

Presentations and videos from the workshop are available on the workshop's dedicated webpage and can be accessed from the "Events, workshops and training" section under the WTO SPS Gateway (http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/sps_e/events_e.htm).