On July 20 the Republic of Korea signed an agreement with FAO placing food safety at the centre of their joint agenda.

The first USD 10 million project under the framework arrangement will focus on the implementation and monitoring of Codex standards to support the containment and reduction of foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Jinseok Kim, Vice Minister of the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, speaking at the virtual signing ceremony, emphasized the need for global collaboration. “It is our responsibility to support other countries, and the most effective way to do this is through FAO, the key player in food safety in the UN,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of FAO, Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol underlined the commitment the Republic of Korea has shown to the development of international food safety standards in Codex. “The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how important it is to boost international food safety standards to ensure our food keeps traveling safely across borders, safeguarding food and nutritional security,” she said.

The Republic of Korea has a long-standing commitment to Codex both through the AMR taskforce and the seconded officer programme in the Codex Secretariat.

Codex Secretary Tom Heilandt said: “All countries strive to become food safety champions but not all have the same means to manage complex global threats such as AMR. The Codex strategic plan 2020-2025 asks Codex to promote the knowledge and use of its standards. This project will do just that and prepare the grounds for even more countries to apply Codex tools and combat AMR.”

The project, which begins with six pilot countries in Asia and South America, will follow-up on the work carried out in the AMR taskforce on defining standards and guidelines related to AMR, supporting countries with implementation and strengthening their capacity to minimize and contain AMR.

Myoengsin Choi and Farid El Haffar have worked on the development of the project in the Codex Secretariat."Thanks to the generous contribution of the Republic of Korea, this is the first time Codex has received an extra-budgetary contribution of this size. It is an important step towards attracting more donor funding to support the application of Codex standards and monitoring of their use,” said El Haffar. 

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FAO Press Release on signing of Framework Arrangement

Codex work on AMR

FAO and AMR