Regional workshop in Asia strengthens capacity to propose new Codex work

To strengthen capacity for better and more effective participation in Codex work for some Asian countries, the FAO Regional Office for Asia and Pacific (FAORAP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Japan, jointly organized the regional workshop on Proposal for Codex New Work: Criteria and Structure, 25­–27 September 2024, in Tokyo Japan. The workshop is part of a wider FAO-implemented five-year programme, Enhancing Capacity in Codex for Effective Participation and Contribution of Selected Countries in Asia, sponsored by MAFF.

A total of 28 officials in charge of Codex work from eleven Asian countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam) participated in the workshop which was facilitated by an officer from FAORAP.

Introductory remarks to the workshop were delivered by Sridhar Dharmapuri, Senior Food Safety and Nutrition Officer and Project Lead Technical Officer, FAORAP. Welcome remarks were given by Ms Kiyoko KOTSUBO, Director, International Standards Office, Food Safety and Consumer Affairs Bureau, MAFF. Ms Eriko HIBI, Director of the FAO Liaison Office of Japan delivered the opening remarks.

Panpilad Saikaew, Project Coordinator of the Enhancing Capacity in Codex for Effective Participation and Contribution of Selected Countries in Asia programme, set the scene to explain how standards are elaborated in Codex. She pointed out that the preliminary steps of developing discussion papers and project documents are the important step to getting approval for Codex new work. Annamaria Bruno, Former FAO Senior Food Standards Officer, provided information on the FAO/WHO provision of scientific advice to Codex and on how to formulate requests to FAO and WHO, and on the work management procedures of selected Codex subsidiary bodies.

Yayoi TSUJIYAMA, Former Vice-Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), went into detail about the discussion papers and the project documents, highlighting their differences and supplementing this with explanation from Panpilad Saikaew on the project document format.

Aya ORITO NOZAWA, Associate Director, International Standards Office, Food Safety and Consumer Affairs Bureau, MAFF, further shared Japan’s experience on the modalities to propose new work to Codex, as well as on her experience in doing the critical review in the Codex Executive Committee, CCEXEC, as the geographical representative from Asia.

Participants of the regional workshop 

Participants had an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the structure of a project document and understand the criteria for the Establishment of Work Priorities. These working group exercise sessions provided the participants with an opportunity to develop and critically review proposals for new work (both discussion paper and project document) and enabled them to recognize key issues to be considered for preparing proposals for new work in Codex.

Yayoi emphasized that the workshop was a great success and noted the active engagement of the participants in the exercise sessions. It was recognized that “critical thinking and review based on science was essential to prepare a robust project document that could be approved by CAC.”

Participants at the workshop found the sessions very valuable. “The regional workshop on Proposal for Codex New Work: Criteria and Structure was very valuable. There is a noticeable lack of new work proposals coming from this region and the workshop addresses this crucial gap. It has empowered us with the knowledge and tools necessary to actively contribute to Codex’s agenda, ensuring that our regional needs and perspectives are adequately represented.” Said Mr Er Jun Cheng, Singapore. MAFF’s Mr Tomotaro YOSHIDA, said “In this workshop, I gained knowledge about the concepts, methods, and procedures for new work proposals and was greatly inspired by other participants from Asia. Based on the knowledge and experience I acquired, I hope to contribute to future discussions in Codex alongside fellow participants with whom I studied in this workshop.”

“Thank you to FAO RAP and MAFF Japan for organizing the event. Practical learnings are gained from the activity, particularly in developing a project document that best reflects how a proposal meets the Codex Criteria for Proposal on New Work. For instance, the activity provided an opportunity to have an in-depth understanding of the critical review process done by the Codex Executive Committee. Exercises based on real proposals further help in practical learning during the activity. More importantly, a close network among experts from governments and professional organizations within the Asia and the Pacific Region is also established from the activity,” said John Gregory Veril AQUINO of the Philippines.

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Project News: Enhancing Capacity in Codex for Effective Participation and Contribution of Selected Countries in Asia