FAO/WHO Global Forum of Food Safety Regulators Marrakesh, Morocco, 28 - 30 January 2002 Improving Efficiency and Transparency in Food Safety Systems Sharing Experiences Appendix VI Agenda of the Global Forum   Agenda Item Subject matters Opening of the Forum 1 Election of Officers 2 Adoption of the Agenda and Timetable 3 Keynote address: "Improving efficiency and transparency in food safety systems – sharing experiences" 4 Exchange of information 4.1 Regulatory Issues 4.1 a) National and Transboundary food safety emergencies 4.1 b) New inspection approaches and techniques – implications for food safety regulations 4.2 Risk Management 4.2 a) Reduction of food-borne hazards, including microbiological and others, with emphasis on emerging hazards 4.2 b) Integrated approaches to the management of food safety throughout the food chain 4.3 Capacity Building 4.3 a) Technical assistance to developing countries: experiences and lessons learned 4.3 b) New approaches to consider in capacity building and technical assistance – building alliances 4.4 Communication and Participation 4.4 a) Communicating food safety regulations and risk management – involvement and participation of consumers and other stakeholders 4.4 b) Ensuring efficient communication and interaction between food safety risk assessors and risk managers 5 Other matters 6 Presentation of the Summary Report of the Global Forum Closing of the Forum Working documents will be available on the Internet Global Forum Home Page at the following address: http://www.foodsafetyforum.org/global Notes to the Provisional Agenda   Opening of the Global Forum: The Global Forum will be opened by a high-level Moroccan official. Item 1 Adoption of the Agenda: The first item on the Provisional Agenda will be the adoption of the Agenda. At this stage, any additional matters to be discussed in plenary may be proposed to be examined under Agenda Item 5. Item 2 Election of Officers: Delegates will proceed to the designation of a Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson to lead the plenary meeting of the Global Forum. Item 3 Keynote address: "Improving efficiency and transparency in food safety systems – sharing experiences": The Forum will be presented with a keynote address on the main theme and how the Forum will proceed to the discussions. Food Safety Regulators from four different regions of the world will introduce the four themes identified for the Forum, i.e. Regulatory Issues, Risk Management, Capacity Building, and Communication and Participation. In order to facilitate exchange of information among Delegates, each theme will be examined within one Discussion Group. The Forum will nominate one Chairperson and one Vice-Chairperson for each Discussion Group. The Forum will receive information on the way in which the debate should be carried out and any other practical aspects, i.e. meeting schedule, duration, location and expected nature of output. Prior to dividing into Discussion Groups, the Forum will receive a brief introduction on the eight topics prepared by several participants. These presentations will be made at the beginning of each Discussion Group’s meeting of the Forum. The written lectures will be distributed as Conference Room Documents. Item 4 Exchange of information: The Chair of each Discussion Group will report in plenary the summary records of the different key elements outlined during the exchange of information on food safety sub-topics. Discussions will have been conducted focusing on the following elements: 4.1 a) National and Transboundary food safety emergencies: Recent history has shown that national food safety emergencies can suddenly become international. Coping with such transboundary regulatory issues becomes a global concern and the exchange of information and views at the Forum will be invaluable. 4.1 b) New inspection approaches and techniques – implications for food safety regulations: Advances in food inspection techniques and the laboratory sciences can have a profound effect on food safety regulations. How individual governments change or create new regulations to address these advances are of considerable interest. 4.2 a) Reduction of food-borne hazards, including microbiological and others, with emphasis on emerging hazards: The reduction of food-borne hazards is the ultimate risk management goal of food safety regulators. New hazards are constantly emerging, however, making risk management a continuously changing process. Regulators will be encouraged to discuss the ways in which this process may be improved. 4.2 b) Integrated approaches to the management of food safety throughout the food chain: The management of food safety is not just of concern at the consumer level, it must also be considered throughout the food chain, from production through processing, distribution and consumption. Food regulators need to consider integrated approaches to such management and what role(s) the food industry and consumers can play. 4.3 a) Technical assistance to developing countries: experiences and lessons learned: Capacity building is an integral part of assistance offered to developing countries in need of establishing or strengthening their food safety/food control systems. Over the years, many donor countries or agencies, both national and international, have provided technical assistance in the food safety area to developing countries. The Global Forum will share experiences from both developed and developing countries and discuss what lessons can be learned. This can provide valuable guidance on how such assistance should proceed. 4.3 b) New approaches to consider in capacity building and technical assistance – building alliances: Traditional approaches to technical assistance and capacity building may no longer be sufficient with today’s rapidly changing global technology. The Forum will discuss these changes and what new approaches should be considered. 4.4 a) Communicating food safety regulations and risk management – involvement and participation of consumers and other stakeholders: Information on food safety regulations and routine risk management decisions must be widely disseminated, especially to industry and consumers, if they are to be effective. The Forum will consider what practical approaches can be taken to improve such communications. 4.4 b) Ensuring efficient communication and interaction between food safety risk assessors and risk managers: Risk assessors and risk managers must be able to effectively and efficiently communicate and interact with each other if the food safety risk analysis process is to be successful. Many of the food regulators attending the Forum will be risk assessors as well as risk managers. The Forum will provide the means to discuss ways to ensure such communication and interaction. Item 5 Other matters: Other matters will be discussed on the basis of the proposals made during the adoption of the Provisional Agenda (Item 1). Item 6 Presentation of the Summary Report of the Global Forum: The Chairperson of the Forum will present the summary report of the discussions drafted by the Secretariat. This summary report will fully reflect the different points of view and approaches expressed during the Forum.   Closing of the Forum: The Global Forum will be closed by a high-level Moroccan official.