Webinar series for capacity building on Codex topics of interest for the Latin American and the Caribbean region

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Next Module: The Trade Facilitation Agreement and Its Challenges in Sanitary and Customs Matters

Given that Latin America and the Caribbean play a strategic role in international and interregional food trade as a region that produces and exports animal and plant products, it is particularly important to move toward systems that, while ensuring food safety, also facilitate smoother and more efficient trade.

For this reason, the next module of the Webinar Series on Codex Topics will focus on the implementation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in the agri-food sector, with particular emphasis on tools that, from the sanitary perspective, modernize trade processes by reducing time and costs at borders, strengthening coordination and cooperation between sanitary and customs authorities, without compromising food safety and a country’s phytosanitary and animal health status.

In the field of international trade in goods of animal and plant origin, electronic sanitary certification represents a step forward toward fully digital systems, enabling efficient management among the competent authorities of different countries. Its implementation significantly reduces the administrative burden, eliminates the use of paper, decreases the risk of document fraud, and strengthens information traceability. Likewise, it facilitates interoperability among sanitary authorities and contributes to more agile, efficient, and secure management of international trade.

At the same time, risk-based inspection at borders makes it possible to focus sanitary controls on those products, hazards, and origins that pose greater risks to public health and agricultural health. This approach strengthens evidence-based decision-making and optimizes the use of inspection resources, in line with the principles promoted by the Codex Alimentarius.

The activity is aimed at sanitary authorities, professionals from the agri-food sector, representatives from academia, and stakeholders involved in international trade who are interested in learning about experiences and trends related to trade facilitation and the modernization of sanitary and border controls.

Webinars

Background: antimicrobial resistance and FAO

The accelerated growth of the global population, the increasing demand for food and the consequent expansion of the food industry, together with global health risks, highlight the importance of food safety in national policies and in strengthening food safety systems.

Foodborne diseases have major impacts on public health. It is estimated that, worldwide, 600 million people (1 in 10) fall ill after eating contaminated food, and 420,000 people die every year from the same cause (FAO and WHO, 2019). These diseases are generally caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances present in contaminated food or water (FAO and WHO, 2019).

In this context, the provision of safe food is essential to protect people’s health. Food only fulfils its function if it is safe. If it is not safe, it is not food. Food safety also contributes to food security and better nutrition and constitutes a pillar for countries’ economic development and international trade.

International organizations are working to strengthen the application of food safety standards among all actors in the food chain, with the objective of protecting public health and ensuring fair trade.

With these objectives in mind, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is recognized as a growing global threat to human, animal and environmental health. It compromises food safety, food security and the economic well-being of millions of farming households. This is why the transformation of agrifood systems plays a key role in preventing and managing AMR-related risks.

To strengthen the capacities of teams involved in AMR-related work, the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, under the project “Actions to support the implementation of Codex texts on AMR (ACT),” has been offering a series of virtual seminars since 2022, grouped into three sections, with the purpose of:

• Sharing and promoting the application of Codex Alimentarius standards to strengthen national food safety systems.
• Guiding efforts to implement surveillance and mitigation programmes for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) under the One Health approach.
• Supporting the use and sharing of data in the International FAO Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (InFARM).

Follow the links of the webinar modules to access the contents of this training series.