©FAO/Rosetta Messori

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), organized a regional workshop about “Enhancing Early Warning Capabilities and Capacities for Food Safety” in the Near East and North Africa Region, at Abu Dhabi during 22 – 26 November, 2015.

The training workshop was designed and implemented as part of ongoing FAO efforts to support the enhancement of national food control systems in the Near East and North Africa Region.

Representatives from the Near East and North Africa countries participated in the Workshop, as well as WHO regional Experts and participants from ministries and relevant institutions in United Arab Emirates.

The workshop aimed at increasing the awareness on Early Warning (EW) systems and their relevance to ongoing improvement of national food control systems; enabling the establishment of sustainable and collaborative national EW systems for food safety; providing practical tools and approaches for improving EW capability and capacity at the national, regional, and global levels; providing an opportunity to share knowledge and experience on EW principles for food safety, working through practical questions and case studies related to the EW concept; and developing actionable proposals for improving EW systems at national levels.

The workshop was inaugurated by Mr. Mehdi Drissi, FAO Representative in the United Arab Emirates and Sub-regional Coordinator for the Gulf Cooperation Council States (GCCS) and Yemen. In his opening speech, Mr. Drissi said “This workshop in Abu Dhabi is an opportunity and platform for exchange of dialogue and agree on a common collaborative and multidisciplinary approach between governments and FAO, to enhance the understanding of national early warning systems in the field of food safety.”

Mr. Drissi added “Food Safety is not a national or regional responsibility, but it is truly a global and multidisciplinary responsibility. Worldwide, food safety incidents can have a significant impact on public health, economies, agri-food business, trade, food security and public confidence in the food supply. Therefore we shouldn’t neglect the consumers’ right to expect that the available food on domestic markets is safe and of high quality.” In light of these facts, he mentioned “FAO works with governmental authorities, with local industry and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that these expectations are met.”

This workshop is part of FAO’s commitment to build resilience capabilities in the region through understanding the principles and requirements for sustainable management of EWS, and preventing from threats and harmful incidents to food safety. It focused as well on efficient measures to mitigate these threats through early detection, inspection, and quick risk assessment, and coordinated approach to address these risks, issuing and sharing warnings, including the linkage to relevant regional and international networks.

The regional workshop gathered all concerned parties from different ministries, as well as a group of professionals and high level experts in the fields of agri-food and Public Health, in addition to other national institutions and organizations, in order to introduce FAO’s early warning and emergency response planning on food safety (EMPRES), before launching a new guideline on enhancing the capacities and early warning capabilities in the field of food safety.