Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam,
Chairperson Steve Wearne,
Excellencies, dear colleagues, and friends,
Good morning, and welcome, it’s a pleasure to welcome you together with my brother Qu Dongyu to reaffirm our shared commitment to protecting health and fair practices in food trade.
This year, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Marrakesh Agreement, which established the World Trade Organization.
I would like to extend a special welcome to our colleague, WTO Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam.
The enduring collaboration between Codex and WTO has been instrumental in establishing Codex standards as global benchmarks.
This partnership has played a vital role in facilitating international trade and ensuring food safety, especially for low-income countries.
Over the past 30 years, the WTO has expanded global trade, raised living standards, created jobs, and supported sustainable development.
It also promotes international standards from Codex, the World Organization for Animal Health, and the International Plant Protection Convention, while respecting Members' protection levels.
However, the global food landscape is evolving rapidly, and we must evolve with it.
Climate change is having a profound impact on food systems, with significant implications for both nutrition and food safety.
Temperature changes on land and water and extreme weather events are affecting the quality and safety of our food supply.
At the same time, industrial food production systems raise public health concerns, such as antimicrobial resistance, along with environmental impacts, that contribute to climate change and resource depletion.
And while international trade can enhance food availability and diversity, it also creates vulnerabilities.
When countries depend heavily on a limited number of suppliers for their food needs, they expose themselves to market fluctuations, geopolitical tensions, and climate-related disruptions.
Trade impacts what is imported, but also what is grown.
Protectionist policies and subsidies often prioritize staple crop production, limiting agricultural diversity, undermining food system sustainability, and further harming nutrition.
They can also allow low-cost production of ingredients such as corn syrup or palm oil, that are used to produce highly processed foods with no nutritional value.
As a result, the consumption and diversity of unsubsidized or less subsidized commodities such as fruits, vegetables and pulses have been discouraged as they are relatively more expensive.
It’s vital therefore that trade policies are aligned with food security and nutrition goals. Not just food security, but the nutrition goals, and that tariffs and quotas do not harm public health goals.
These priorities are not mutually exclusive. This is not a zero-sum game. Multilateral trade organizations and cooperation can bring growth, ensure food security and better nutrition for all, and make trade work for sustainable development.
In the face of all of these evolving challenges, Codex must continue to support the transformation of food systems to be more sustainable, resilient, and responsive to emerging risks.
Codex standards must not only address the present but also anticipate future needs, promoting nutrition and food safety while ensuring public health, fostering fair trade and facilitating the transition to sustainable food systems.
I leave you with three requests:
First, I urge you to prioritize health as a non-negotiable foundation in all your decisions.
Second, I urge you to take a holistic approach to the impacts of food systems on health, addressing critical aspects such as food safety, nutrition, and antimicrobial resistance.
For instance, ensuring that harmful industrial trans fats are eliminated from the food supply is essential for protecting public health.
And third, I urge you to base your guidance on the latest scientific evidence, taking into account the comprehensive effects of factors like pesticide residues and food additives on human health.
By aligning our efforts with these principles, we can build stronger, healthier, and more sustainable food systems for all, while promoting fair trade.
Stronger collaboration between international organizations remains essential.
By deepening these partnerships, we can enhance Codex efficiency, leverage resources, and take an integrated One Health approach to complex global challenges.
Finally, this week, you will vote for the appointment of the new Chairperson and the three Vice Chairpersons.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to outgoing Chairperson Steve Wearne and Vice Chairpersons Allan Azegele, Raj Rajasekar, and Diego Varela for their dedicated service during the last three years.
I thank you.