1. The Fifteenth Session of the Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission was held at FAO Headquarters, Rome, from 4 to 15 July 1983. The Session was attended by 343 participants including the representatives and observers of 60 countries and observers from 37 international organizations (see Appendix I for the List of Participants).
2. The Commission was presided over by its Chairman, Professor Dr. D. Eckert (Federal Republic of Germany) and for certain items of the agenda by the following Vice-Chairmen: Dr. A.A.M. Hasan (Iraq) and Mr. E.F. Kimbrell (USA). Apologies for absence were received from the third Vice-Chairman, Dr. A.H. Ibrahim (Sudan). The Joint Secretaries were Mr. G.O. Kermode (FAO/WHO), Mr. H.J. McNally (FAO/WHO) and Dr. F. Käferstein (WHO).
3. The Session was opened by Mr. G.O. Kermode, Chief, Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme. The text of Mr. Kermode's address is contained in Appendix II of this Report. The response of the Chairman is contained in Appendix III of this Report.
4. The Commission adopted the Provisional Agenda and Timetable of the Session.
5. During the Session, the Commission elected Mr. E.F. Kimbrell (USA) as Chairman of the Commission to serve from the end of the Fifteenth to the end of the Sixteenth Session. The Commission also elected Dr. Ms. A. Brincker (Denmark), Dr. A.A.M. Hasan (Iraq) and Dr. E.R. Méndez (Mexico) as Vice-Chairmen of the Commission to serve from the end of the Fifteenth to the end of the Sixteenth Session.
6. The following Members of the Commission were nominated to represent the geographic locations mentioned in Rule III.1 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission: Cameroon - Africa; Republic of Korea - Asia; Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - Europe; Argentina - Latin America; Canada - North America; Australia - South-West Pacific. In the absence of any other nominations the Commission elected, by clear general consent, from the Members of the Commission, representatives for the following geographical locations in the Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, to hold office from the end of the Fifteenth to the end of the Seventeenth Session of the Commission in accordance with Rule III.1 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission: Cameroon - Africa; Republic of Korea - Asia; Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - Europe; Argentina - Latin America; Canada - North America; Australia - South-West Pacific.
7. The following persons were appointed by the Commission as Regional Coordinators for: Africa - Dr. J.K. Misoi (Kenya); Asia - Prof. A. Bhumiratana (Thailand); Europe - Mr. P. Rossier (Switzerland); Latin America - Minister Ing. Ramon Darias Rodés (Cuba), to serve from the end of the Fifteenth to the end of the Sixteenth Session of the Commission.
