Covid-19 - Updates | FAO | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Covid-19 Update
GOVERNING BODY MEETINGS - POSTPONED

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is pleased to inform its Permanent Representatives that the FAO Council has given its formal agreement for the forthcoming Sessions of the Council Committees to be held in virtual fashion. This follows a letter from the Director-General dated 16 May 2020 transmitted to all Members of the Council in accordance with Rule XXV, paragraph 13, of the General Rules of the Organization, requesting their assent for a proposal to holding said meetings virtually, in order to move forward with the calendar of Governing Body meetings as soon as possible, within the constraints imposed by the current Covid-19 climate. 35 Members of the Council replied by the deadline of 20 May 2020, agreeing to the proposal from the Director-General. This response constitutes the legal basis for the meetings to be held virtually, which will take place on the following dates:

128^th Session of the Programme Committee	08-17/06/2020
180^th Session of the Finance Committee	08-17/06/2020

Further to consultations with the Independent Chairperson of the Council, the Chairpersons of the Finance and Programme Committees, the Chairperson of the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters, and with the Regional Groups, the meeting of the next session of the Council has been rescheduled as follows:

164^th Session of the Council	06-10/07/2020


35^th Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC)	01-04/09/2020
35^th Regional Conference for the Near East (NERC)	02-04/11/2020
31^st Regional Conference for Africa (ARC)	14-18/09/ 2020
6^th Informal North America Regional Conference (INARC)	22-23/10/2020
36^th Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean (LARC)	19-21/10/2020
32^nd Regional Conference for Europe (ERC)	21-23/09/2020

25^th Committee on Forestry (COFO)	5-9/10/2020
34^th Committee on Fisheries (COFI)	01-05/01/2021

OTHER MEETINGS - POSTPONED
All Regional Group Meetings have been postponed
All technical meetings and workshops with technical experts attending have been postponed
15^th Session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM-15)	postponed until further notice
Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA52)	08-12/03/2021
International Conference on Forest Education	postponed until further notice
26^th Session of the International Commission on Poplars and Other Fast-Growing Trees Sustaining People and the Environment (IPC)	postponed until further notice
African swine fever global control conference	date to be confirmed
Codex Committee on General Principles (CCGP32)	8-12/02/2021
Codex Committee on Pesticides Residues (CCPR52)	12-17/04/2021
Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF14)	03-07/05/2021
Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS25)	22-26/03/2021
Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS41)	17-21/05/2021
Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF25)	25-29/01/2021

PROTOCOL SERVICES

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Identity Cards

· Issuance, renewal and provision of Identity Cards is suspended until further notice.

· Validity of all Identity Cards (expired, under renewal or due to expire) extended automatically through to 31 August 2020.

Entry into Italy

· Anyone entering Italy must declare themselves at the local medical services (Azienda
Sanitaria Locale, ASL) of their Municipality.

Visas

· To legally stay in Italy for an addition 30 days, expired or expiring short-term visa holders must present themselves to a local Police Office or the Questura Office.

Contact: [email protected] or [email protected]

Permits to Stay

· Permits to Stay are valid for a total of 90 days after permit expiry date.

Contact: [email protected] or [email protected]

· The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has provided additional information, on behalf of the Ministry of Interior of Italy, in relation to the legal status of foreigners in Italy, whom, due to the COVID 19 health emergency, are unable to return to their country of origin:

Residence Permits (Permessi di Soggiorno): Art. 103, para. 2 of Decree No. 18 of 17 March 2020 informs that the validity of all residence permits, certificates, permits, concessions, authorizations, and permission documents, which expire between 31 January and 15 April 2020, is extended through to 15 June 2020.

Foreign citizens in Italy: In light of the current health emergency, the offices of the Questura (Immigration offices of the Police) are temporarily closed to the public. In this context, those foreigners present in Italy for short periods of time (either with or without a visa) do not need to do anything. Their extended stay in Italy beyond the allowed period, due to objective causes and force majeure (such as the reduced possibility to travel) will not compromise their legal status in Italy, with the only condition to leave the country once the health emergency restrictions have been lifted.

Click here for the Note Verbale in Italian

ITALIAN GOVERNMENT DECREES

Region of Lazio Ordinance of 19 May 2020
Click here for the English Version
Click here for the Italian Version

Italian Government Decree of 11 June 2020
Click here for the English Version
Click here for the Italian Version