“Codex provides a real opportunity for collaboration but what does it actually mean to engage in a collaborative negotiation?”

This was the question posed by Susan Coleman, trainer and coach as a negotiations workshop running from 11-14 December 2018 got underway in Accra, Ghana for 26 members of the Ghana Standards Authority. The four-day programme is part of a Codex Trust Fund (CTF) project to build national capacity for effective engagement in Codex.

Mr Kofi Nagetey, Deputy Director General of the Ghana Standards Authority, welcoming participants, called for change in the approach delegates take when preparing to attend international Codex meetings. “We do not articulate our position well or negotiate well,” he said. He described how when Africans meet together, they talk, they contribute, but “in the international arena our voices are silent.” Nagetey underlined the importance of the workshop in building confidence. “From today our approach is going to change,” he said.

Key concepts in negotiation and mediation

Participants practice negotiating techniques in Accra workshop

The highly interactive and participatory programme will improve the negotiating and influencing skills of the participants so that they can better shape global policy as representatives of their country. Covering key concepts in negotiation and mediation, the course will build skills for Ghanaian Codex delegates to effectively prepare and represent national positions at Codex meetings.

Blaise Ouattara, FAO Regional Food Safety Officer for Africa, explained the overall aim of FAO with this project to provide “an understanding of how food standards are developed and support for the participation of Ghana in Codex,” and in so doing to address the two fundamental issues of protecting public health and facilitating fair practices in food trade.

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Codex Trust Fund

Ghana Standards Authority