SPS
Committee thematic sESSION
ADdressing ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE through
SPS measures in international trade
Tuesday 17 JUNE 2025
WTO, CENTRE WILLIAM RAPPARD, GENEVA
and zoom
PROGRAMME[1]
1. The SPS Committee is holding a
thematic session on addressing relevant risks associated with antimicrobial
resistance (AMR) through SPS measures in international trade, based on a proposal submitted
by the European Union.[2] This thematic session follows-up
on a recommendation in the Report of the Sixth Review of the SPS Agreement
for the Committee to continue its targeted discussions and reflections on the
implementation of the SPS Agreement in light of emerging challenges and
opportunities[3], and builds on the MC12 SPS Declaration Work
Programme.[4]
2. In the November 2024 thematic session on emerging
risks and new agricultural technologies to address them, AMR was identified as one the
emerging risks relevant to the work of the SPS Committee.
3. This thematic session will
focus on steps being taken by Members to address relevant risks related to AMR
in the context of the SPS Agreement and international trade. It will explore
the relationship between AMR and the SPS Agreement and provide Members,
international organizations, academia, and other stakeholders with an
opportunity to share experiences and best practices in addressing relevant
AMR-related risks while facilitating safe trade.
4. The thematic session will be held
in Geneva on Tuesday 17 June 2025, from 10:00 to 13:00 (CET),
continuing in the afternoon at 15:00 (CET). The thematic session can be
attended in person or virtually via Zoom with WTO credentials using this link [link to be added in due course]. The event
will also be livestreamed [link to be added
in due course]. Interpretation will be provided in English, French,
and Spanish.
5. More information is available on [webpage
to be added].
Opening remarks
Chairperson of
the SPS Committee: Ms
Cecilia Risolo
·_
Speaker TBC, SPS Team, WTO Secretariat. AMR and the SPS
Agreement
Session 1 – The role of international
organizations in providing objective, science-based information about AMR to
support safe trade
This session will consider the role of
international organizations in developing information
and conducting objective analysis to advance the global understanding around
risks related to AMR. The session will also be an opportunity for the three
standard-setting bodies to share information about the development of
science-based standards, recommendations and guidelines to address risks
associated with AMR. [The three standards setting bodies would be invited to present on
existing AMR-related guidance, sources of information and databases, surveys,
and other efforts]
·_
Speaker TBC, FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius
Commission.
·_
Dr Delfy Gochez, Antimicrobial Resistance and Veterinary Products Department, World Organization for Animal Health
(WOAH).
·_
Speaker TBC, International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat.
·_
Speaker TBC, Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on AMR. [This presentation would be expected to cover additional relevant
guidance]
Followed by Q&A
Session 2 – SPS measures to address
AMR-related risks, implementation of international standards, and capacity
building efforts
Members and other stakeholders will discuss the SPS
measures they have adopted to address AMR‑related risks
domestically and in
international trade, implementation of relevant international standards, challenges,
and SPS policy successes. This session will also include information on
capacity building efforts and resources needed for addressing AMR while
facilitating safe trade.
·_
Speakers
·_
Ms Maria Smith, Secretary-General, Axfoundation.
Followed by Q&A
Session 3 – Research and
innovation for effective SPS measures
This session will showcase research and innovation to
help Members deepen their understanding of new developments and explore
innovative approaches, as well as high-impact and cost-effective preventive
measures, to improve AMR responses and related SPS measures in the context of
international trade.
·_
Speakers
Followed by Q&A
Session 4 – Panel discussion:
paving the way forward
This session will engage speakers from
previous sessions to further explore some of the key themes discussed
throughout the day. [Preliminary guiding
questions may include: What steps can Members and stakeholders take
domestically to reduce risks of AMR? How should SPS measures, if they are
required and justified, account for differences in agricultural production
practices and local/regional conditions? How can SPS measures better support mitigation
of AMR-related risks while facilitating safe trade? What innovations are under
way or needed? What are possible areas for improvements for international
standards? What role can the WTO and the
WTO SPS Committee play?]
·_
Speakers
Followed by Q&A
Closing remarks
·_
Chairperson of
the SPS Committee: Ms
Cecilia Risolo
__________
[1] This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own
responsibility and is without prejudice to the positions of Members or to their
rights and obligations under the WTO.
[3] _G/SPS/74, para. 2.8.
[4] The MC12 SPS Declaration acknowledged that the global agricultural
landscape had evolved since 1995, with new opportunities and emerging
challenges for international trade in food, animals, and plants, including
shifting pressures due to the spread of pests, diseases, disease-carrying
organisms, or disease-causing organisms, increasing threat of AMR for human and
animal health, as well as emerging infectious diseases linked with the
human-animal-environment interface. (_WT/MIN(22)/27)
The MC12 SPS Declaration launched a two-year Work Programme consisting of new
efforts to identify, among others, the impacts of emerging challenges on the
application of the SPS Agreement. As one of the outcomes of the Work Programme,
the Committee recommended continuing its targeted discussions and reflections
on the implementation of the SPS Agreement in light of emerging challenges and
opportunities, including in specific thematic sessions. (_G/SPS/72,
para. 4)