The CCAFRICA Region - Regional Coordinator Uganda
The ‘Coordinating Committee for Africa’ was established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 1972 with a mandate to “exercise general coordination in the preparation of standards relating to the region of Africa”. The committee held its first meeting at FAO in 1974, with 19 countries in attendance.
As the new regional coordinator begins their term, the Agreement of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which came into effect in May 2020, has reinforced the need for an efficient and effective system for managing sanitary and phytosanitary measures, in particular food safety, across the continent as its borders open for trade.
The regional coordinator is based in the Uganda National Bureau of Standards, a statutory body under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Co-operatives which oversees, as part of its mandate, the promotion and use of standards.
As regional coordinator, Uganda intends to engage closely with countries via surveys, webinars and workshops to identify needs and emerging issues, create awareness of priority food safety issues and of Codex standards. A pilot study will also explore the food safety situation in broader terms across the region. By strengthening engagement with regional bodies such as the African Union, the African Organisation for Standardisation and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, Uganda also aims to enhance advocacy work in the region.
CCAFRICA Coordinator
All information on Codex is public and free.
For regional enquiries contact:
CCAFRICA Secretariat
Uganda National Bureau of Standards Plot 2 - 12, Bypass Link, Industrial
& Business park, Kyaliwajala road,
P.O Box 6329 Kampala, Uganda
Tel: +256 (041) 7333250 / 0417333251 / 0417333252
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.unbs.go.ug
The First International Food Safety Conference underway in Addis Ababa
Over 700 delegates have gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for The First International Food Safety Conference, hosted jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Union (AU).
Government leaders, senior policy makers, and representatives from international organizations, civil society and the private sector, will identify key actions and strategies to address current and future challenges to food safety globally; and to strengthen commitment at the highest political level to scale up food safety in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In opening the conference and welcoming delegates, Moussa Faki Mahamat, African Union Commission Chairperson stressed the importance of food safety not only in times of foodborne outbreaks, and the need for a mechanism to address and coordinate food safety in Africa. “The collaboration of continents, towards a common objective of improving the lives of people, will facilitate greater understanding and a move towards a cooperative world,” he said.
“There can be no food security without food safety,” said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva speaking at the opening ceremony. The FAO DG also highlighted the importance of Codex standards, based on scientific evidence and covering the entire food production chain, in ensuring that food is safe “regardless of the borders it has crossed”. Codex offers “a great platform” for strengthening and harmonizing trade standards,” he said.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reminded delegates that food safety “is everybody’s issue” and that the conference was an opportunity to “learn, build and innovate”, to create strong networks between countries and sectors.
In opening remarks the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Roberto Azevêdo underlined the importance of effective food control systems to ensure that imported food is safe. "The SBS and TBT Agreements ensure that food safety requirements are based on science and that they are fit for purpose,” he said.
Some of the key issues to be addressed over two days include the benefits of investing in safe food; safe and sustainable food systems in the context of a changing climate; science, innovation and digital transformations for food safety; and empowering consumers to make healthy choices and support sustainable food systems.
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