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Building national capacities to engage in Codex

03/07/2018

A side event about Codex Trust Fund 2 project results of the first round

Codex Members again took center stage during a Codex Alimentarius Commission side event, this time to present progress resulting from Codex Trust Fund 2 (CTF2) support. Ghana, the Kyrgyz Republic, Madagascar and Senegal received funding for projects aimed at strengthening their national Codex structures in 2016, during the first round of the CTF2, and offered tips that could help the ten recipient countries of the second round of the CTF2 as well as future prospective applicants.

The purpose of the CTF, jointly operated by FAO and WHO, is to enable developing and transition economy countries to build strong, solid and sustainable national capacity to engage in Codex.

A dynamic conversation unfolded during the side event, which started off with the four beneficiaries of the first round describing the activities they undertook, which ranged from creating a website and a national procedural manual to training National Codex Committee members and translating Codex standards into national legislation.

Among the many interventions, the representative of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) took the floor to state: “We are really pleased to watch the video on the CTF success story and what CTF has already accomplished. The next step should be to bring more attention to Codex [standards, guidelines and codes of practice] at the national level, especially among decision makers”.

Nigeria expressed his appreciation of CTF. “We have done a lot, through our National Codex Committee, to urge our policy makers to buy into our Codex activities and provide the necessary support. Having a CTF would further benefit this process,” he said.

According to Burkina Faso, “Most countries have focused on raising awareness on decision makers, as what we are lacking in most African countries is commitment from decision makers.”

Just ask

‘Just ask’ was the message of The Netherlands, who engaged in peer learning with Ghana and noted the vast knowledge available within the Codex ‘family’. She advised using the website to reach out to fellow Members to seek advice, when needed.

Advice came from the countries that benefitted from the first round of CTF2.

The Kyrgyz Republic encouraged other countries to submit CTF applications and emphasized the importance of making use of the diagnostic tools to identify weaknesses and establish priorities. “The CTF has allowed us to mobilize further resources within the Codex framework,” she said. “We will continue working on the projects initiated within the CTF.”

“As a country, you need to prioritize the activities you intend to undertake”, said the Ghanaian representative. “Bringing in a CTF champion has been very effective,” he added.

According to Senegal, “Thanks to the support provided by FAO and WHO through CTF2, we raised awareness on Codex at national level. Our technical staff understands the Codex mandate more broadly”.

In addition, the Codex National Committee of Madagascar is working to develop a three-year plan to ensure the continuation of activities and find new partners to sustain their operations.

The discussion was an opportunity for countries aspiring to apply for funding in round three (a call for applications to open on 15 August 2018) to learn from others’ experiences, as well as benefit round two participants – Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, FYR of Macedonia, Guinea, Honduras, India, Mali, Nepal and Rwanda.

The event was moderated by the Codex Secretariat with various FAO and WHO experts comprising the panel.

Read more on the Codex Trust Fund website and Codex website.

Watch the webcast here.

Photo gallery available here.