Breakout Session English I

Impact of Poor Coordination No notifications to the WTO Outdated information on NEP & NNA Lack of consistency of national positions in different international fora Application of inconsistent SPS measures Duplication of efforts Confusion due to lack of information exchange

Impact of Poor Coordination Country may lose out on training activities offered by WTO or ISSBs Conflicting information on the same issue from within the same country SPS agreements being signed without input from the authorities responsible for agricultural health and food safety Loss of confidence in competent authority

Cause of Poor Coordination Lack of political will Lack of commitment Poor succession planning – lack of continuity Insufficient resources (human) Poor understanding of international obligations Poor understanding of importance of SPS capacity

Solutions to Improve Coordination Establish clear responsibilities for the different entities responsible for SPS matters Strengthen communication among the Ministries/Agencies etc. Establish a mechanism to facilitate coordination (procedural manual, guidelines, etc.) Development of an SPS Policy

Solutions to Improve Coordination Assigning an Agency to take on the lead role Using/developing a document on Best Practices Development of an SPS Agenda

Who Should be Responsible to Implement these Solutions Ministry of Trade or Commerce Designation of a government office to function as Secretariat National Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency or Food Advisory Committee

Who Should be Responsible to Implement these Solutions Stakeholders to decide to avoid “turf” protection A Steering Committee lead by Foreign Affairs The Right Person