FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for North America and the South West Pacific (CCNASWP)
About CCNASWP
The 18th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission,
held in 1989, agreed to establish a new Coordinating Committee for North
America and the South West Pacific (CCNASWP), bringing together, in the words
of the New Zealand delegation "far flung countries ... which have many
common interests".
CCNASWP
is a remarkably diverse region combining fully mature economies such as Australia,
Canada, New Zealand and the United States of America, with 10 small island
states. The largest of these is Papua New Guinea (population over 7
million) and the smallest, the Cook Islands and Nauru with
populations of around 10 000.
Coordinator: the Cook Islands
The coordinator is based within the Ministry of
Agriculture of the Cook Islands.
In a statement, the coordinator said: “The Cook
Islands looks forward to supporting our Pacific Island countries apply and
implement food safety standards across all sectors that will assist trade and
access to international markets. As the pace of trade evolves rapidly, so
must our capability and capacity to effectively engage, develop, implement and
contribute to food safety standards at both the regional and international
arena.
The coordinator will continue to support the work on regional standards and aspires to strengthen effective participation of the region in all relevant Codex matters. We continue to develop our capacity at our national level by ensuring our national coordinators and contact points are well equipped for increased and effective participation in Codex.”
News from the region
NASWP Members strengthen food regulation and regional collaboration in Fiji
Temarama Anguna-Kamana, Coordinator for North America and the South West Pacific. The Third Codex and Food Regulatory Forum for North America and the South West Pacific (NASWP), held from 29 to 31 March...
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CCNASWP17 / Indigenous foods dominate a productive regional meeting
The 17th meeting of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for North America and the South West Pacific (CCNASWP) has successfully concluded in Nadi, Fiji. The meeting discussed a range of food safety issues,...
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CCNASWP17 / Meeting opens in Fiji to discuss food safety and standards for the region
The 17th session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for North America and the South West Pacific has commenced in Nadi, Fiji. The meeting was opened with a traditional Fijian welcome, after which the...
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CCNASWP17 / Interview with the Chairperson
As Fiji gears up to host the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for North America and South West Pacific (CCNASWP) for the last time in this term, we spoke with the Chairperson, Andrew Tukana, about achievements,...
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CNR) celebrates Codex at 60 with style
Staff of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) joined the global celebrations for the 60th Anniversary of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), dressing up accordingly for the occasion. CRN, a...
Ngā mihi nui: Celebrating New Zealand at Codex – Past, Present and Future
In mid-June 2023, just weeks after marking World Food Safety Day, New Zealand celebrated 60 years of success in Codex at The Beehive, New Zealand Parliament. The anniversary festivities were attended by...
CCFICS / Key role in transition to sustainable agriculture says Minister
Murray Watt, Australian Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Minister for Emergency Management, speaking via video message, welcomed delegates gathering in Hobart, Tasmania, and online,...
CCFICS / Workshop underlines Codex role in prevention and control of food fraud
By Scott Mersch Codex Contact Point, Australia On 8 February 2023, the Chairperson of the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS), Nicola Hinder, Australia,...
CCNASWP16 / Steve Hathaway describes lessons learned for Codex from the COVID-19 pandemic
At the 16th session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for North America and the South West Pacific held from 30 January to 3 February 2023 in Nadi, Fiji, Steve Hathaway, New Zealand, gave the keynote...
CCNASWP / Fiji calls for closer collaboration as FAO/WHO regional meeting gets underway in Nadi
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Co-operatives, SMEs and Communications, Hon. Manoa Kamikamica (pictured centre), speaking on behalf of the Prime Minister and the Government of Fiji, opened...
CCNASWP / Fiji meeting an excellent opportunity to reconnect
“After last having met as a region in 2019, the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for North America and the South West Pacific (CCNASWP16) provides an excellent opportunity to reconnect and exchange views...
CCNASWP / Vinesh Kumar sets the scene for Fiji as the FAO/WHO regional meeting approaches
Vinesh Kumar is the Permanent Secretary for Agriculture in Fiji and will chair the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for North America and the South West Pacific (CCNASWP) that will take place in Nadi from...
CCFH53 / work completed on Escherichia coli and water in food production
The Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) has agreed to send guidelines on the control of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and on the safe use and reuse of water in food production to the...
Codex never stops / at the food hygiene committee physical is imitating virtual
Virtual meetings have given us the possibility to hop, skip and jump from one continent and one subject to another just with the right link and the copy and paste of a passcode. So it must have come as...
South-West Pacific region creates local hub in Canberra for CCEXEC82
The 82nd meeting of the Codex Executive Committee (CCEXEC) is being held virtually from 20 to 30 June 2022. However, representatives from the South West Pacific region met in person ahead of the meeting...
CCNASWP addressing implementation of the Codex Strategic Plan during the pandemic
Representatives of countries of the North America and South West Pacific (NASWP) region met virtually on 23 November 2020 to update the regional work-plan for implementation of the Codex Strategic Plan...
Codex approves regional standard for kava products for use as a beverage
The Codex Alimentarius Commission approved a standard for kava products for use as a beverage when mixed with water today. “The work started way back in 2004 in Apia, Samoa, and has taken 16 years to get...
September is Food Safety Education Month in the United States
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service is recognizing September as Food Safety education Month and encouraging consumers to follow good food safety practices to...
Food Safety in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond
Food safety touches every aspect of our food system and defines how secure, sustainable, resilient, and nourishing a food supply can be when stressed. To mark the second annual World Food Safety Day, FAO...
North America and South-West Pacific ready to tackle new challenges
Members from one of the most diverse regions in Codex met online on 26 May 2020 to review the status of the disrupted Codex meeting schedule and explore how to best proceed with work in the committee ahead...
CCNASWP Coordinator
All information on Codex is public and free. For regional enquiries contact:
CCNASWP Secretariat
Ministry of Agriculture
P O Box 96
Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
Phone: 00 682 29711 Email: support@moa.gov.ck Web: www.agriculture.gov.ck