120. The Secretariat recalled that the amendment to the Elaboration Procedures adopted at the current session included a section on the Strategic Planning Process, in accordance with the decision of its 26th Session of the Commission concerning strategic planning. In reply to a question, the Commission noted that the timeframe of the Strategic Framework (6 years) took into account the medium-term planning of the parent organizations.
121. The Commission endorsed the decision of the 53rd Session of the Executive Committee to discontinue the elaboration of the Medium-Term Plan, with the understanding that its elements would be used as a basis for a list of programmes/activities to be incorporated into the new Strategic Plan 2008-2013. In the absence of a Medium-Term Plan, the Commission agreed that the Executive Committee would exercise its critical review functions, closely coordinate work between different Codex Committees and monitor the progress of standards development in accordance with the current Strategic Framework and the Criteria for the Establishment of Work Priorities.
122. The Delegation of Malaysia expressed the view that the current Strategic Framework provided general guidance for Codex activities and should be retained as an overarching framework for Codex activities until 2013, and suggested that a more detailed Strategic Plan could be developed and revised on a rolling basis.
123. The Commission agreed to initiate the preparation of a new Strategic Plan for the period 2008-2013, and recommended that:
- The Executive Committee, at its next session, discuss the structure and format for a new Strategic Plan covering a six-year period of 2008-2013 as well as the ways to further proceed with the development of the Strategic Plan;
- The Strategic Plan state strategic objectives and priorities of the Commission and incorporate a list of programme areas/planned activities with a clearly defined timetable for each of the activities;
- After requesting the views of Regional Coordinating Committees, the draft Plan be submitted to the Commission for adoption by 2007; and
- The Strategic Plan, once adopted, be renewed every two years on a rolling basis.
124. The Commission noted that several Committees had developed or were in the process of developing guidance on risk analysis in their respective areas, for inclusion in the Procedural Manual. The Commission endorsed the recommendations of the 53rd Session of the Executive Committee and decided to:
a) request each relevant Codex Committee, when developing or completing specific guidelines on risk analysis, to review and document the mechanism it uses to identify and prioritise proposals for new work, particularly in the light of needs for and availability of scientific advice;
b) request the Committee on General Principles, when examining specific guidelines submitted by other Committees, to ensure as much consistency as possible between the guideline texts;
c) request the Committee on General Principles to continue the revision of the Criteria for the Establishment of Work Priorities, especially from the viewpoint of the need for clear prioritisation of requests for scientific advice; and
d) monitor the progress of all the work mentioned above and take into account its outcome in the development of the next Strategic Plan.
125. The Commission recalled that the Committee on General Principles was considering the revision of the Criteria for the Establishment of Work Priorities, while the Executive Committee was developing new criteria for the prioritization of requests for scientific advice within Codex.
126. The Delegation of Chile expressed the view that procedures or guidelines should be developed to facilitate the review by the Committee on General Principles of the guidelines submitted by other Codex Committees.
|
[66] ALINORM
04/27/10A |
