The Codex Secretariat plays a key role in the running of over 20 international meetings per year.

As the 2016-2017 round of joint FAO/WHO Regional Coordinating Committee meetings begins with the North America and South West Pacific Region in Vanuatu, two members of the Secretariat have travelled to Port Vila.

Dr Annamaria Bruno is a Senior Food Standards Officer in the Secretariat with responsibility for CCFA, CCRVDF, CCASIA, CCMMP, CCGP, CCLAC as well as being Alternate Officer for CCFH, CCNASWP, CCSCH, CCPR, CCFFP. Roberto Sciotti is the Codex Secretariat Information Manager and Webmaster and deals with the organisation, protection and publication of all Codex texts and meeting documents on the Codex website.

The Secretariat works closely with host countries at Codex meetings to support avery aspect of the session. This begins well in advance with the development, under the guidance of the Codex parent organisations, of the meeting agenda. The Secretariat also ensures that working documents are prepared in a timely manner and made available in all languages planned to facilitate the participation of delegates attending meetings.

During sessions, the representative of the Secretariat, in this case Annamaria, will sit with the Chairperson and provide guidance as necessary specifically on matters pertaining to Codex processes and procedures, as well as ensuring that all decisions are recorded correctly for the final report.

Much work also goes on behind the scenes to ensure that side events run smoothly and a Codex meeting is also an important occaision for officers from the Secretariat to talk with delegates outside the plenary to hear their concerns and understand the best ways to collaborate, coordinate and build consensus in the future.