The CCNASWP Region
Regional Coordinator Fiji
The 18th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, held in 1989, agreed to establish a new Coordinating Committee for North America and the South West Pacific, bringing together, in the words of the New Zealand delegation "far flung countries ... which have many common interests".
CCNASWP is a remarkably diverse region combining fully mature economies such as the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand with 10 small island states. The largest of these is Papua New Guinea (population over 7 million) and the smallest, the Cook Islands and Nauru with populations of around 10 000.
The regional coordinator is based within the Fijian Ministry of Agriculture.
Fiji looks forward to applying standards at the national level and supporting all countries in the region, especially the small island developing states, to establish a sound policy framework for food safety. These initiatives will support improvements in public health, ensure that imported food is safe and of the expected quality and develop increased access to international markets.
The regional coordinator will continue supporting work on regional standards and seeks to strengthen participation of the region in Codex in general. This can be achieved by continuing to develop capacity at the national level by enhancing the role of national coordinators and contact points for increased and effective participation in Codex.
CCNASWP Coordinator
All information on Codex is public and free.
For regional enquiries contact:
CCNASWP Secretariat
Ministry of Agriculture
Private Mail Bag
Hugh Robinson Complex
Raiwaqa,
Suva.
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.agriculture.gov.fj
North America and South West Pacific region examining major food safety issues
The Codex North America and South West Pacific region (CCNASWP) brings together a rich mixture of countries. Developed countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States combine with ten countries from what are known as Small Island Developing States (SIDS), comprising The Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and the current Codex Regional Coordinator, Vanuatu.
Because of their geographic isolation or limited natural resources, SIDS often share a unique set of circumstances, such as exposure to natural disasters or reliance on imports and they remain a special case for sustainable development in view of their unique and particular vulnerabilities.
Codex members from the region will gather in Port Vila, Vanuatu on Monday 16 September 2019 at the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee (RCC) to begin a week of deliberations on matters including current and emerging issues, regional standards for kava and noni juice and the new 2020-2025 Codex Strategic Plan.
Mary Frances Lowe, Codex Manager, United States said: “This will be my first opportunity to participate in the RCC. I look forward to discussing issues of importance to our region and learning first-hand about the major food safety and quality issues that are of concern to other countries”.
“CCNASWP is a good opportunity to discuss Codex matters of regional relevance. New staff at the Australian Codex contact point team are also looking forward to meeting their counterparts in this region”, said Usha Sriram-Prasad, Codex Contact Point, Australia.
Seeking to deliver on regional standards
One item on the agenda specific to the region is a proposed draft standard for kava, a beverage made from Piper methysticum, a plant native to the western Pacific islands and a popular social drink. The draft Codex standard applies to fresh or dried kava products that are used to prepare the beverage when mixed with water.
Technicians in the Department of Biosecurity, Port Vila, testing kava samples
Timothy Tumukon, from the Department of Biosecurity, Vanuatu and Chairperson of CCNASWP said: “Kava is the most important crop for Vanuatu at present”, fetching a far higher price than any other product in Vanuatu. The region is very close to finalising the standard for kava "through the Codex process", he said.
Julia King co-owner and Director at the Kava House, Vanuatu said, “having a regional standard would do miracles for Vanuatu’s kava industry”.
“For me, as an exporter, to have Codex setting a regional standard will allow us to sell exactly the same product and allow customers to know exactly what they are getting”, said Michael Louze from South Seas Commodities, a kava exporter.
Sridhar Dharmapuri, Regional Food Safety Officer, FAO, said: “Trade issues are making headlines currently. It is more important than ever that countries of the NASWP region are on the same page and Codex provides a neutral and multilateral platform to do so”.
Strategic planning high on the agenda
The meeting will also be an opportunity for Members to discuss and identify specific activities that will enable them to contribute to reaching the goals and objectives of the new Codex Strategic Plan, which was adopted by the Commission in July 2019. Mary Frances Lowe said she was looking forward to “beginning development of the work plan” for the region.
Developing regional strategies to advance issues globally
Alison Wereley, Senior Policy Analyst, Canadian Food Inspection Agency said: “CCNASWP provides an opportunity to identify issues where CCNASWP members can be mutually supportive and to develop regional strategies to advance those issues globally, including implementation of the new Codex Strategic Plan”.
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Follow the CCNASWP agenda on the Codex website
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