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
Madagascar / seeking active engagement in Codex
Madagascar is continuing its efforts to build the capacity of its members with the support of the Codex Trust Fund. A four-day training workshop in Antananarivo from 24-27 February 2020 set out to integrate new members and provide a refresher for more experienced members. The workshop also dealt with the redefinition of priority committees for Madagascar, the formulation of national positions, preparation for sessions as well as the use of online Codex tools. After this training, Madagascar will further improve its engagement and active participation in Codex work.
Integration of new members of the National Codex Alimentarius Committee (CNCA) in Madagascar in the Codex world
“At the last general assembly of CNCA-Madagascar, 10 new members replaced members at the end of their mandate. Most of these new members had a rather general idea of the Codex Alimentarius and its organization, the Commission and its subsidiary committees, their role and their functioning. To enable newcomers to get involved and contribute to the work of Codex, and to refresh the knowledge of former CNCA members, the training course was given by FAO under as part of a Codex Trust Fund project", said Catherine Bessy, FAO Food Safety and Quality Officer, responsible for the project.
Setting national priorities
The participants in this workshop were able to reflect and review the criteria for prioritizing Codex committees for Madagascar. At the end of this work, some committees, not previsouly identified (such as the Codex nutrition committee CCNFSDU), emerged as being strategic for the country. The reflection made it possible to clarify in what way a committee has priority, on the basis of the data available in Madagascar, public health issues and commercial issues.
Formulating, validating and defending a national position
"CNCA members have given careful thought to CNCA procedures, which have not yet been formalized," said Luc Ingenbleek, FAO international consultant in charge of training.
On the basis of the work in progress within the framework of certain priority committees (CCFICS and CCCF), group work enabled the participants in this workshop to familiarize themselves with the preparation of a national position. Then, a role play made it possible to simulate a negotiation of this position in front of delegations from other member countries of the Codex Alimentarius Commission highlighting divergent interests. "This simulation exercise gave rise to rich discussions and fostered an awareness of the importance of preparing early enough to be able to defend a national position, previously validated at an appropriate level by the competent authorities", said Saber Mansour, an FAO consultant and part of the training team.
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