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
High-level advocacy in support of Codex in Burkina Faso
Former Codex Chairperson Mrs. Awilo Ochieng Pernet calls upon Burkina Faso to strengthen its national Codex and food safety structures during the 59th Independence Anniversary Celebrations
Mrs. Awilo Ochieng Pernet, former Chairperson of the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission from 2014 to 2017 was invited to Burkina Faso to support high-level advocacy efforts in the country on food safety and Codex on the occasion of the 59th Independence Anniversary Celebrations, which took place on 11 December 2019. The objective of the advocacy was to raise awareness about the importance of Codex and food safety and particularly seek the commitment of the Competent Authorities and the National Nutrition Ambassador for Burkina Faso to strengthen the capacity of the Burkina Faso National Codex Committee and to ensure improved food safety in the country.
Mrs. Awilo Ochieng Pernet in discussion with the Minister for Agriculture and Hydro-Agriculture Infrastructures Mr Salifou Ouédraogo
Ensuring food safety is a shared responsibility.
In the presence of several Ministerial Authorities, the WHO Representative to Burkina Faso and numerous other invited guests, the former Codex Chairperson highlighted the importance of Codex standards and food safety. Referring to the results of the WHO Study on the Global Estimates of Foodborne Diseases (2015), Mrs. Ochieng Pernet stressed that ensuring food safety is a shared responsibility and that foodborne diseases can be prevented based on a multisectoral approach involving all relevant public and private stakeholders as well as consumers. She urged the authorities in Burkina Faso to support the National Codex Committee stating that it urgently needed their political, financial and technical support in order to enable the population and the country as a whole to better benefit from the positive gains of Codex Alimentarius, which would result in better health protection and substantial economic gains through successful trade at national, regional and international levels.
Mrs. Awilo Ochieng Pernet with the WHO Country Representative to Burkina Faso, Dr. Alimata J. Diarra Nama
The former Codex Chairperson also met with several high-level dignitaries including the Minister for Agriculture and Hydro-Agriculture Infrastructures, the WHO Country Representative and His Majesty Chief Larlé Naaba Tigré, Nutrition Ambassador in Burkina Faso. Following these discussions, the Minister for Agriculture and Hydro-Agriculture Infrastructures made a pledge, which materialized in the signing of a document of commitment to support the Burkina Faso National Codex Committee. Furthermore, His Majesty Chief Larlé Naaba Tigré also expressed his commitment to fully support the National Codex Committee.
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Burkina Faso promotes Codex on World Food Day
Main photo
Left to right: Mrs. Awilo Ochieng Pernet, Mr Salifou Ouédraogo, His Majesty Chief Larlé Naaba Tigré.
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