1. Breakout sessions
Outcome

2. Breakout Group: English
Rapporteur: Chenai Majuru

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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).

7. 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)