Commission dress rehearsal attracts an audience of over 300

The webinar organized by the Codex Secretariat on Friday 11 September 2020 was well attended with 86 countries and the European Union, plus 34 observer organizations taking part and numbers of attendees peaking at over 300.

In opening the session, the Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Guilherme Da Costa, Brazil paid tribute to the global Codex Contact Points who play a key role in managing the practical work for Codex Members. “Through them, everything happens in the organization and without their work there is no Codex Alimentarius”, he said.

Da Costa described this period of COVID-19 as ‘an era-defining challenge to public health and the global economy’. He said: “We have seen incredible cooperation and partnership from the chairpersons and the host countries demonstrating their commitment to Codex … and that we form a real community”.

The webinar brought participants up to speed on the agenda and structure of the upcoming Commission with Codex Secretary Tom Heilandt fielding questions on the main procedural and organizational aspects that will allow for discussions to run smoothly.

Delegates took part in a mock session to build experience in working online – where there are so many new technical considerations to deal with – as well as paying attention to the length, clarity and quality of interventions when speaking in a virtual environment.

Watch again

Follow this link to see the full webcast.