arab Codex Initiative
To enhance Codex capacity in the Arab region.
Introduction
The Arab Codex Initiative is a capacity building project implemented by GFoRSS – the Global Food Regulatory Science Society – in collaboration with the Food Risk Analysis and Regulatory Excellence Platform (PARERA) of Université Laval. It aims to enhance Codex competencies in the Arab region, to promote effective participation of the region’s delegations in international food standard setting activities; and, to, ultimately, maximize the reliance of Arab countries on Codex standards for the establishment of national food regulatory requirements.
Funded through the US Codex Office, US Department of Agriculture.
The Arab Codex undertaking leverages and supports:
- The coordination and leadership of the Codex Coordinating Committee for the Near East (CCNE) Coordinator.
- The sustainability of accomplishments of the Arab Codex Initiative implemented as part of the Arab Food Safety Initiative for
Trade Facilitation (SAFE).
The Arab Codex collaboration promotes:
- The development of communities of practice in targeted countries to facilitate effective preparation and contribution in Codex Technical Committees, the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), and the Executive Committee, where relevant.
- The enhancement of national Codex capacities.
- The development of enablers for Codex work, availability of data and of information exchange tools, etc.
Expert Working Groups (EWGs)
The Arab Codex Project is establishing Expert Working Groups (EWGs) to facilitate the analysis of Codex Technical Committee documentation, in support of the preparation of participation by Arab Codex delegations in such committees, including the development of national positions.
An EWG will be setup for select Codex Committees and composed of experts from the Arab region, specialized in Food Regulatory Science; and, possessing relevant Committee-specific experience. EWG members will be identified:
- From the pool of graduates of the Food Risk Assessment Initiative carried out under the auspices of SAFE.
- Through a recommendation by the National Codex Contact Points or National Codex Committees of Arab region countries.
- By direct application to GFoRSS / PARERA. Independent experts are welcome to apply.
Interested in becoming an EWG member?
ARAB Codex News and Future Events
189
codex members
243
codex observers
20
codex committees
Codex coordination meetings
Arab and Gulf Countries.
The newly created Arab Codex Office of the Arab Industrial Development Standardization and Mining Organization (AIDSMO) is leading the organization of coordination meetings of Arab Codex Contact points, primarily to support the preparation of participation of Arab Codex delegations in Codex proceedings. These meetings allow, amongst other objectives, the opportunity to review and analyze agenda items of codex meetings and will then contribute to more effective participation of Arab Delegations in Codex committee meetings.
Le bureau du Codex Arabe, nouvellement créé par L’organisation Arabe pour le Développement industriel, de normalisation et des mines (AIDSMO), se charge d’organiser des réunions de coordination des points de contact Codex des délégations arabes, dans le but d’une meilleure préparation de ces délégations aux rencontres du Codex. Ces réunions, permettent entre autres, d’examiner et d’analyser les éléments de l’ordre du jour des comités Codex en soutien à une participation plus efficace des délégations arabes à ces comités.
لقد تم حديثا إنشاء المكتب العربي للدستور الغذائي من قبل المنظمة العربية للتنمية الصناعية والتقييس والتعدين حيث سيتولى مهمة تنظيم اجتماعات تنسيقية لنقاط الاتصال العربية للدستور الغذائي، وذلك بهدف تمكين ممثلي الدول العربية للمشاركة في اجتماعات هيئة الدستور الغذائي والتحضير بشكل جيد وفعال لاجتماعات لجانها من خلال معالجة وتحليل بنود جداول أعمالها
19th Codex Coordination Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points
21 November 2023
- Meeting Agenda
- Discussion Paper on the Development of the Arab Food Standards Program
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربي
- Meeting Video: Live Recording
- EWG Analysis of Relevant CAC46 Agenda Items
18th Codex Coordination Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points
26 September 2023
- Meeting Agenda
- Summary Presentation Reviewing Relevant CCGP33 Agenda Items: English | العربي
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربي
- Meeting Video: Live Recording
- EWG Analysis of Relevant CCGP33 Agenda Items
17th Codex Coordination Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points
13 September 2023
- Meeting Agenda
- مجموعة العمل المعنية بتجميع وتحليل البيانات الخاصة بنسبة الرطوبة في التمور الطازجة بالمنطقة العربية
- دراسة معتمدة على مبادئ تحليل المخاطر لتحديد الحدود القصوى لالفالتوكسينات في الفول السوداني الجاهز لالستهالك المباشر
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربي
- Meeting Video: Live Recording
16th Codex Coordination Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points
12 July 2023
- Meeting Agenda
- Summary Presentation Reviewing Outcomes of the CCPR54: English | العربي
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربي
- Meeting Video: Live Recording
- EWG Analysis of Relevant CCEXEC84 Agenda Items: English | العربي
15th Codex Coordination Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points
21 June 2023
- Meeting Agenda
- Summary Presentations Reviewing Relevant CCPR54 Agenda Items:
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربي
- Meeting Video: Live Recording
- EWG Analysis of Relevant CCPR54 Agenda Items
14th Codex Coordination Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points
10 May 2023
- Meeting Agenda
- Summary Presentation Reviewing Relevant CCFL47 Agenda Items: English | العربي
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربي
- Meeting Video: Live Recording
- EWG Analysis of Relevant CCFL47 Agenda Items
13th Codex Coordination Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points
27 April 2023
- Meeting Agenda
- Summary Presentation Reviewing Relevant CCFICS26 Agenda Items: English
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربي
- Meeting Video: Live Recording
- EWG Analysis of Relevant CCFICS26 Agenda Items
12th Codex Coordination Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points
4 April 2023
- Meeting Agenda
- Summary Presentation Reviewing Relevant CCCF16 Agenda Items: العربي
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربي
- Meeting Video: Live Recording
- EWG Analysis of Relevant CCCF16 Agenda Items
11th Codex Coordination Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points
23 March 2023
- Meeting Agenda
- Summary Presentation Reviewing Relevant CCFA53 Agenda Items: English
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربي
- Meeting Video: Live Recording
10th Codex Coordination Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points
1 March 2023
- Meeting Agenda
- Agenda Item 2 – Presentation of outcomes of the CCRVDF26: English | العربي
- Agenda Item 3 – Review dedicated to CCNFSDU43 agenda item associated with the review of the standard for follow-up formula structure and preamble: English
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربي
- Meeting Video: Live Recording
9th Codex Coordination Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points
2 February 2023
- Meeting Agenda
- Agenda Item 2 – Review and Analysis of CCRVDF26 Agenda Items: العربي
- Agenda Item 3
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربي
- Meeting Video: Live Recording
- EWG Analysis of Relevant CCRVDF26 Agenda Items
8th Codex Coordination Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points
24 January 2023
- Meeting Agenda
- Agenda Item 2 – Major outputs of the 45th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission CAC45: English | العربي
- Agenda Item 4 – Outputs of Expert Meeting on Extrapolation studies of MRLs for veterinary drugs relevant to the Arab region: العربي
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربي
- Meeting Video: Live Recording
7th Codex Coordination Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points
15 November 2022
- Meeting Agenda
- Agenda Item 2 – Preparation for the 45th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission CAC45: English | العربي
- Agenda Item 3 – Review and analysis of CCFH53 agenda Items: English | العربي
- Agenda Item 4 – Codex Trust Fund Project to Support Codex Infrastructure in the Arab Region: English | العربي
- Meeting Video: Live Recording
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربي
- EWG Analysis of Relevant CCFH53 Agenda Items
6th Codex Coordination Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points
12 September 2022
- Meeting Agenda
- Agenda Item 1 – Opening Remarks and Adoption of Agenda: video
- Agenda Item 2 – Review and analysis of CCSCH6 agenda Items: presentation, video
- Agenda Item 3 – Input and Remarks from Arab Codex Contact Points: video
- Agenda Item 4 – Update on Codex Training and Outreach Sessions: video
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربي
- EWG Analysis of Relevant CCSCH6 Agenda Items
5th Codex Coordination Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points
25 August 2022
- Meeting Agenda
- Agenda Item 2 – Outcomes of the CCPR53: presentation, video
- Agenda Item 3 – Preparation of Agenda Items for CCSCH6: presentation, video
- Agenda Item 4 – Updates on Extrapolation Studies of MRLs for Vet Drugs relevant to the Arab Region: presentation, video
- Agenda Item 5 – Future Activities of Arab Codex Initiative and discussion CCP Training Courses: video
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربي
- EWG Analysis of Relevant CCPR53 Agenda Items
Exceptional Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points on Zilpaterol
3 August 2022
- Live Recorded Meeting Discussions
- Supporting Documents:
- Presentation: Review of the Statement of Principle Concerning the Role of Science in the Codex Decision-Making Process – Case Approach – Zilpaterol MRLs in Codex: English | العربية
- Arab Codex EWG Analysis CCRVDF25 Agenda Item 6.2: Zilpaterol hydrochloride (cattle fat, kidney, liver, muscle) retained at Step 4: English | Français | العربية
- Statements of Principle Concerning the Role of Science in the Codex Decision-Making Process (Taken from the Procedural Manual – 27th edition, 2019): English / Français | العربية
- Meeting Participants
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربية
4th Codex Coordination Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points
30 June 2022
- Meeting Agenda
- Agenda Item 2 – Review and Analysis of Key CCPR53 Agenda Items:
- Items 4, 5, 6, 16, 17: presentation, video
- Items 7, 8: presentation, video
- Item 9: presentation, video
- Items 11, 15: presentation, video
- Arab Codex Recommendations: presentation, video
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربية
- EWG Analysis of Relevant CCPR53 Agenda Items
3rd Codex Coordination Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points
15 June 2022
- Meeting Agenda
- Agenda Item 1 – Introductory Remarks: video
- Agenda Item 2 – Outcomes of CCCF15: presentation, video
- Agenda Item 4 – Preparation of Agenda Items for CCPR53: presentation, video
- Agenda Item 5 – Future activities of the Arab Codex Initiative and CCP training discussion: video
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربية
- EWG Analysis of Relevant CCCF15 Agenda Items
1st Codex Public Meeting of the National Contact Points and Stakeholders from the Arab Region
26 April 2022
- Agenda Item 1 – Introductory Remarks: video
- Agenda Item 2 – Review and Analysis of Key Agenda Items for CCCF15:
- Presentation
- Items 5 and 6: video
- Item 7: video
- Items 8 and 13: video
- Items 9, 10, 11: video
- EWG Analysis of Relevant CCCF15 Agenda Items
2nd Codex Coordination Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points
19 April 2022
- Meeting Agenda
- Agenda Item 1 – Introductory Remarks: video
- Agenda Item 2 – Review and Analysis of Key CCCF15 Agenda Items:
- Items 5 and 6: presentation, video
- Item 7: presentation, video
- Items 8 and 13: presentation, video
- Items 9, 10, 11: presentation, video
- Agenda Item 3 – Overview of Future Activities of the Arab Codex Initiative: video
- Agenda Item 4 – Arab Codex Initiative Online Interactive Platform: video
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربية
- EWG Analysis of Relevant CCCF15 Agenda Items
Inaugural Codex Coordination Meeting of the Arab National Contact Points
4 April 2022
- Meeting Agenda: English | Français | العربية
- Agenda Item 1 – Introductory Remarks: video
- Agenda Item 2 – Introduction to the Arab Codex Initiative: presentation, video
- Agenda Item 3 – Proposed Future Activities of the Arab Codex Initiative: presentation, video
- Agenda Item 4 – Introduction and Initiation of CCFICS15 Preparatory Work: presentation, video
- Meeting Report: English | Français | العربية
238
codex standards
81
codex guidelines
55
codex codes of practice
Codex resources
A repository of proposed resources prepared by the ARAB Codex Expert Working Group (EWG), for use by Codex partners and stakeholders in the region
to support their preparation and participation in Codex proceedings.
The documentation offers a review and analysis of the agenda items planned for discussion at Codex Committees and is intended for possible use by
the Codex communities of practice promoted by GFoRSS and PARERA, as part of their contribution to enhancing awareness and
supporting effective participation in international food standard setting meetings (Codex meetings) by representatives from members and observers.
The analysis provided offers a factual review of agenda items, their background and a discussion of some considerations. This analysis is indicative in nature and
does not represent an official position of the organizations mentioned above (PARERA and GFoRSS), their membership or their management.
This review is prepared as part of the ARAB Codex Initiative, implemented by PARERA and GFoRSS and funded by the US Codex Office, US Department of Agriculture.