The CCNE Region - Regional Coordinator Oman
In 1999 the 23rd session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission established the Regional Coordinating Committee for the Near East, bringing together countries in the Near East Region (for FAO) and the Eastern Mediterranean Region (for WHO). The committee held its first meeting in Cairo, Egypt in 2001.
The current regional coordinator for the Near East is based in the Food Safety and Quality Centre of the Ministry of Agricultural and Fisheries Wealth and Water Resources in Muscat.
Objectives of the Sultanate of Oman through taking on the role of Regional Coordinator for the Near East Region and Chair of the FAO/WHO Codex Coordinating Committee for the Near East:
- Enhancing efforts to promote effective participation of member countries and all stakeholders, including producers, consumers, and relevant governmental and non-governmental organizations of the Near East Region, in Codex Alimentarius proceedings.
- Continuing to build and enhance national capacities in member states and regional organizations to enable effective participation in international food standard setting.
- Ensuring that the development of Codex Alimentarius standards, at the global level, take into account the specificities of food production and consumption in the Near East Region.
- Promoting the adoption and use of Codex standards as the basis of national food regulatory decisions in member states of the region. This will positively impact consumer health and facilitate the trade of food products at both the regional and international levels and will further contribute to the development of food production in the region, with added competitiveness both regionally and internationally.
News from the region
CCNE celebrates World Food Safety Day 2024
On 7 June 2024, the Coordinating Committee for the Near East (CCNE) regional coordinator, Members, and Codex Secretariat met virtually to celebrate World Food Safety Day under the theme "Prepare for the Unexpected".
The meeting began with a general discussion on food safety events, during which the coordinator emphasized that food safety is a collective responsibility. Attendees shared their views and discussed questions related to various food safety incidents, including food poisoning, natural disasters, and product recalls.
Dr Sarah Cahill from [...]
10 June 2024
World Food Safety Day/ Near East regional event details now available
The FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa (FAO-RNE) with the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO-EMRO) will jointly hold awareness campaign events for this Year’s World Food Safety Day and will invite officials from Member Countries’ food safety competent authorities, FAO/WHO International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN), and the FAO Food Systems and Food Safety Division (ESF).
In a hybrid event being held in Cairo and on the Zoom platform, the participants will provide their [...]
10 June 2024
World Food Safety Day/ Egypt launches new food safety symposium
The National Food Safety Authority (NFSA) of the Arab Republic of Egypt commemorated the sixth World Food Safety Day this year in on 29 and 30 May. As part of NFSA efforts to be active and collaborative on a regional level, the event marked the NFSA’s launch of its Egyptian Global Food Safety Symposium (EGFoSS) in the presence of H.H Ali Meselhy, Minister of Supply and experts and industry professionals in the field of food safety and agricultural industries from [...]
31 May 2024
Celebrating the 60th anniversary of Codex in UAE
By Khadija Qalandari, Acting, Head of Technical Follow-up Standard Specifications Section, UAE
The UAE National Codex Committee (NCC), led by the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), in coordination with the Ministry of Industry and Higher Technology (CCP), organised a scientific workshop to mark the 60th anniversary of the first meeting of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). The workshop was held to review the work of Codex and highlight its role in the development of international standards. The audience of the [...]
29 December 2023
Near East Coordinator reflects on a four-year hiatus for the regional committee
This year's edition of the CODEX magazine, titled "60 years of standards", is out now! Read some of our articles online and click on the link below to download the full publication.
This article by Khalid Al Zhrani (Saudi Arabia), Regional Coordinator for the Near EastAfter a gap of 4 years due mainly to the Codex pandemic and the challenge of finding space on the calendar, CCNE11 brought the latest round of Coordinating Committees to a close. The Regional Coordinator looks back on the [...]
26 November 2023
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Codex: a gift of 60 years
Iraq’s Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control organized a symposium in cooperation with the Iraqi College of Engineering Sciences, entitled “The Importance of the Codex Alimentarius in Promoting Food Safety”. The slogan of the event was “sustainable food standards, a vision for a better world”, and it served as an introduction to the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
The symposium highlighted the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the importance of Codex’s food safety standards . and [...]
23 November 2023
Egypt joins World Standards Day celebrations
On 14 October, Egypt joined standard setting organizations in celebrating “World Standards Day” 2023. Dr Khaled Sofi, Chairperson of the Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOS) and Egyptian Codex, highlighted the importance of this year’s slogan, Shared vision for a better world: Incorporating SDG 3, by recalling that adopting Codex standards as the basis for the national legislation contributes to protecting consumer health within and beyond national borders. “Strengthening food safety systems will enable countries to take measures to [...]
14 October 2023
Egypt celebrates 50 years of participation in Codex Alimentarius
Egypt celebrated a milestone: 50 years participating in Codex work, marked by a commitment to the principles and objectives of the joint FAO/WHO programme. Celebrations hosted by Dr Khaled Soufi, Chairperson of the Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOS) and Codex Egypt, and Dr Ashraf El Gazayerli, Chairperson of the Chamber of Food Industries (CFI), took place in Cairo with the participation of Raj Rajasekar CAC Vice-chairperson, Khalid AlZhrani, CCNE Chairperson, Hakim Mufumbiro, CCAFRICA Coordinator, along with FAO staff. [...]
27 September 2023
CCNE11 / Moving forward in facilitating safe trade in the region
The FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for the Near East (CCNE) will be sending for adoption to Step 5 the regional standard for maamoul. Maamoul is a traditional Middle Eastern baked product, enjoyed by millions in the region and of high relevance for CCNE members: “Having a Codex standard for maamoul is fundamental for the region as it would directly contribute not only to consumer health, but also to promote the trade of this product internationally” - said Khalid AlZharani Chairperson of [...]
22 September 2023
CCNE11 underway / Strengthening cooperation on food safety and quality issues in the region
The eleventh session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Near East (CCNE) commenced today, marking an important milestone in regional collaboration on food safety and quality standards. The meeting, chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is taking place on 18 – 22 September 2023 in Rome, at the FAO headquarters with representatives from 17 countries joining in person and virtually.
“I urge everyone to exchange scientific expertise and promote the use of Codex Alimentarius Commission standards as a basis for [...]
18 September 2023
Video Message
CCNE Coordinator
All information on Codex is public and free.
For regional enquiries contact:
CCNE Secretariat
Food Safety and Quality Centre of the Ministry of Agricultural and Fisheries Wealth and Water Resources
Muscat , Sultanate of Oman
Tel: +968 22592000
Email: [email protected]