Breakout sessions Outcome

Breakout Group: English Rapporteur: Chenai Majuru

Impact originating from poor coordination Poor information dissemination to stakeholders (private and public sector) Difficulties in developing and articulating country position on SPS issues Inadequate implementation of the SPS Agreement Duplication of efforts by several agencies – in a resource constrained environment Lack of access to markets, rejection of goods at border Foregone revenue

Causes of poor coordination SPS issues not regarded as high priority Lack of awareness of SPS obligations (private and public sector, incl. policy makers) Limited participation of external stakeholders (ex. Industry associations) Roles and functions not clearly defined among government agencies dealing with SPS issues (gaps & overlaps) Lack of capacity to assess markets and undertake risk assessments Lack of funding to run national SPS Committees

Solutions to improve coordination (1) Review of regulatory SPS frameworks Clear articulation of SPS mandate among agencies Governments to prioritize and allocate budget for SPS activities Alignment of SPS meetings (national, international) to facilitate effective participation in various regional and international SPS fora

Solutions to improve coordination (2) Technical assistance to undertake risk and market assessment Addressing gap between technical and policy level Fostering political will to address SPS issues Create SPS awareness among public and private sector South-south co-operation on SPS issues (e.g. Twinning initiatives) *Note: Consider 6 recommendations from STDF study (which is to be finalized).

Who should be responsible for the implementation? National Governments Relevant SPS Agencies (e.g. Bureau of Standards) SPS Sub-committees (e.g. for animal health, plant health and food safety) Regional Bodies (e.g. Regional Economic Communities) WTO (technical assistance in conjunction with national & regional institutions) STDF (financial and technical assistance)