26. Ms Maya Pineiro, FAO, and Mr Genaro García, WHO/PAHO, jointly presented a paper on international and regional cooperation in food safety (AC 05/5). Ms Pineiro mentioned some of the recent developments in the area of food safety, such as consumers' growing demand for zero risk in the food they consume and increased risks due to global food trade. The speaker also outlined the role of international organizations in ensuring food safety and provided specific information on FAO and WHO's roles in promoting food safety. FAO's recently adopted strategy for safe and nutritious food, utilizing a food chain approach, was highlighted. Ms Pineiro also described an integrated approach and measures for countries to implement a broader vision for food safety, as well as some of the lessons that have been learned in the implementation of food safety technical cooperation projects, including the need for national ownership of projects and sustainability. Mr García outlined some specific joint actions of FAO and WHO, as well as with organizations such as IICA and OIRSA, in technical cooperation in food safety. The results of various evaluations to assess the food safety situation in the countries of the region, as well as the forthcoming FAO tool to assess food safety capacity building needs were also highlighted. The speaker listed some key factors necessary to increase international technical cooperation, such as acknowledging that everyone has a role in ensuring food safety. The need for improved cooperation in food borne disease surveillance and food contaminant monitoring was also emphasized.
27. The Conference agreed on the importance of international and regional technical cooperation in food safety and expressed its appreciation to FAO and WHO/PAHO for preparing the paper and providing the information.
28. The Conference urged both organizations to continue their efforts in providing technical assistance and to continue to strengthen their cooperation with each other and with other providers of technical assistance, including other countries. Several delegations noted that the outcome of this Conference should provide additional guidance and impetus to strengthen national food safety control systems.
29. The ongoing challenge related to the availability of resources in FAO and WHO/PAHO national offices throughout the region was noted, especially related to food safety technical cooperation and programming. In that regard, the need to cooperate in order to maximize use of resources and to avoid duplication of efforts was again emphasized. In addition, the need to prioritize national needs as well as to establish clear objectives and action plans to improve food safety was recognized.
30. The Conference considered the necessity of ensuring that international food safety standards are reflective of the situations in the various regions of the world. In that regard, several delegations expressed their concern regarding the insufficient availability of data from the region on food contamination levels and food consumption patterns and emphasized the importance of generating such data.
31. Delegations also expressed their concern that even though food safety is prioritized as a key area in FAO and WHO at the international level by their member states, allocation of resources for activities and strategies at global, regional and national levels by the organizations and the donor community may not be reflecting this prioritization. The Conference also noted the need for improved information flow of activities related to food safety between international, regional, and national levels.
32. Several additional food safety initiatives in the region recently or currently supported by various international, regional and national partners were noted. The Conference expressed its appreciation for these efforts, and encouraged these agencies to continue their efforts to address the particular needs of the region in food safety.
