1. The First Session of the Codex Regional Coordinating Committee for the Near East held its First Session in Cairo from 29 January to 1 February 2001, at the kind invitation of the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The Session was chaired by Dr. Eng. Mahmoud Eisa, President of the Egyptian Organization for Standardization. It was attended by 50 delegates from 15 Member countries of the Region and 5 observer countries, members of the Commission, as well as 11 Representatives of 9 international intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. A full list of participants, including members of the Secretariat is contained in Appendix I to this report.
2. At the invitation of the Chairperson, Representatives of the Directors-General of FAO and WHO addressed the Committee, and highlighted the importance of the decision to establish a new Regional Committee for the countries of the Near East Region (for FAO) and the Eastern Mediterranean Region (for WHO). Both Representatives stressed the need for countries of the Region to establish or to strengthen national food control infrastructures to assist them in meeting the obligations and enjoying the benefits of the new international trading environment. The emphasis being given to food safety by both organizations was highlighted, in particular the Resolution of the World Health Assembly aimed at enhancing the role of the health sector in food safety.
3. The Session was officially opened by His Excellency Professor Moustafa El-Refaei, Minister of Industry and Technology, who welcomed all participants to this historic first session of the Committee. The Minister referred to the role of standardization in improving food industry practices for protecting consumers’ health and improving fair practices in the food trade. He also noted the role played by the application of the ISO quality management standards in improving quality and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) System in improving product safety. He expressed his thanks to the Codex Alimentarius Commission for appointing Egypt as the first Coordinator for the Region and for organizing the First Session of the Committee in Cairo.
