Building Codex Globally

At the 39th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission the Director General of FAO José Graziano da Silva took part in the opening ceremony that signalled the launch of the new Codex Trust Fund.

Over the next 12 years over 100 countries will be able to seek up to 3 years' support to strengthen their capacity for full and effective engagement in Codex.

In his opening address DG José Graziano da Silva stated that by "assisting developing countries in strengthening national food safety systems, we will have stronger food safety and food security at the national level".

The first countries to be supported under the fund are Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar and Senegal. Many other countries submitted strong applications and will benefit from ongoing consultations with FAO/WHO to prepare for resubmission in subsequent rounds.

Dr Bruce Aylward, Deputy Director-General of WHO congratulated the succesful countries and noted the high quality of all applications which boded well for the success of CTF2.

For all future applications to be supported within the 12-year life of the fund, Dr Aylward stressed the critical need for increased and sustained donor funding. 

Full details of the Codex Trust Fund can be found on the WHO CTF website.

Photo credit FAO/Roberto Sciotti