The CCLAC Region - Regional Coordinator Ecuador
In 1976 a Coordinating Committee for Latin America, established by the 10th Codex Alimentarius Commission in 1974, held its first meeting in Rome with eight countries from the region in attendance. At its third session a proposal was made to change the name of the committee to its current form (Coordinating Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean) as this better reflected the membership of the region. In 1984 at its 31st session, the Executive Committee, acting on behalf of the Commission, agreed to this change.
The region of Latin America and the Caribbean is an important actor in the production and trade of food at a global level. The region produces enough food to supply itself and to export, with both water and land resources to produce even more.
The region has enormous natural wealth, a flourishing agricultural industry and a family farming sector that is essential for its population. The promotion and strengthening of food safety must be continued at the level of all regions to guarantee the health of consumers and fair and equitable trade.< /p>
The coordinator, Ecuador is based in AGROCALIDAD an agency attached to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. They aim to create synergies between countries in the region, to provide mutual support in order to overcome regional problems and examine solutions to common challenges.
The coordinator further aims to strengthen collaboration among countries and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the Commission and its subsidiary bodies.
CCLAC Coordinator
All information on Codex is public and free.
For regional enquiries contact:
CCLAC Secretariat
Agencia de Regulación y Control Fito y
Zoosanitaria AGROCALIDAD
Avenida
Eloy Alfaro y Amazonas
Quito
Email: [email protected]
Codex Members deliberate priorities for Latin America and Caribbean in 2020-2025
Codex Members of the Latin America and the Caribbean region met in Panama City on 11 November 2018 to discuss the draft Codex Strategic Plan (2020-2025). Organized by the regional coordinator, Chile, the meeting brought together 22 participants from 11 countries, who were attending the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene.
Constanza Vergara of Chile led the meeting on behalf of the Regional Coordinator. In light of the experience of the participants in Codex standard-setting and implementation, the meeting served as an opportunity to brainstorm on the challenges countries could face in trying to achieve the strategic goals and to consider how the Strategic Plan may be tailored as a result of these considerations.
On behalf of the sub-committee of the Executive Committee established to draft the Codex Strategic Plan, Mariam Eid welcomed the participants and stressed the importance of their contributions to the planning activity.
She also said that the success of the Codex Strategic Plan is dependent on the inclusion of all Codex Members in its development.
Highlighting the important role of Codex ‘practitioners’ in the development of the Codex Strategic Plan, Sarah Cahill, Senior Food Standards Officer with the Codex Secretariat, told the meeting, “The Codex Strategic Plan is the plan of the Codex Members and as it is ultimately the Members who are responsible for its implementation, it is critically important that it reflect your vision and needs for the next six years”.
Representatives of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay shared some of their concerns in an effort to coordinate regional feedback on the Plan.
Noting the connections between Goals 1, 2 and 3 of the Strategic Plan, the discussions highlighted the need to base standards on science and risk analysis. Participants identified challenges such as the need for data and information to identify and assess emerging and other issues; the capacity and resources to engage more comprehensively and ultimately promote the development of standards more in line with national needs.
Even when a key issue is identified, the lack of expertise and resources can mean that countries are unable to prepare the necessary documentation to get the issue on the Codex agenda. For example, Uruguay had originally proposed new work on Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in 2014 but was unable to develop the project document to be considered by the relevant Codex committee, in this case CCFH, until it partnered with the USA and Chile. (The proposal is being discussed at CCFH this week.) Participants recognized there were ways to improve how they worked together that would enable them to be proactive rather that reactive in their participation in Codex.
The Codex Secretariat strongly encouraged the delegates to use these discussions as a basis to work with their national Codex Contact Points to submit suggestions for the Strategic Plan.
The draft Strategic Plan for 2020-2025 is open for comments until 30 November 2018. Based on the comments, the revised draft will be prepared for discussion and adoption by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in July 2019.
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