My colleagues Roberto Azevedo, Director-General of the World Trade Organization
José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
and Monique Eloit, Director-General of the World Organisation for Animal Health.
Excellencies, ministers, heads of delegation, distinguished guests, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,
It’s such a pleasure to join you at the International Forum on Food Safety and Trade. I would like to thank the World Trade Organization for staging this important event, which WHO is proudly supporting.
Today’s event builds on the first International Conference on Food Safety held two months ago in my home country of Ethiopia.
And thank you African Union Commissioner Josefa (Leonel Correira Sacko) for joining us. You were the driving force for making the Addis conference happen.
WHO, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, and the African Union co-organized that landmark conference, which made a loud call for making food safer so as to promote health and development around the world.
The Addis Ababa conference -- and this forum in Geneva -- are helping to raise the profile of food safety, both the great potential as well as the pitfalls.
In addition, WHO is proud to join with FAO in staging the first-ever World Food Safety Day this coming 7 June.
The annual milestone, agreed by the United Nations General Assembly, will underscore the importance of developing sound food systems that cover the entire food chain of production, transport, trade and sale -- and ensure that people can readily
access safe food for health and nutrition.
The burden is upon us to make the most of these political opportunities and take food safety to the next level.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
There is, as you well know, an unfortunate legacy of massive under-reporting of people sickened by unsafe food.
Pathogenic agents in food, whether they are microbial (such as viruses, bacteria and parasites) or chemical (from toxins and heavy metals to pesticide residues and veterinary drugs) carry risks to human health. But too often people do not make a connection
between symptoms they are experiencing – or could experience in the future -- and the food-related risks they have been exposed to.
WHO helped reveal the massive health impact of unsafe food in 2015, when we published our Global burden of foodborne diseases.
Our estimates showed that almost 1 in 10 people fall ill every year and 420,000 people die from unsafe food.
Shockingly, children aged under 5 carry one-third of this disease burden.
How can we expect countries to develop sustainably, and to realize the potential of trade and economic growth, when our youngest citizens are exposed to unsafe food and related ill health during the most formative period of their lives?
WHO is determined to work with our partners to address this challenge.
This year WHO will equip countries with a tool allowing them to estimate their own national burdens. Such estimates will allow countries to make a strong case for sustained investments in food safety.
Another approach involves food safety education and training. WHO’s most popular tool for helping governments, civil society and other partners promote food safety has been the Five Keys to Safer Foods.
I strongly recommend that you make use of the “Five Keys,” as they are easy-to-use and can help you create and adapt health education materials.
The “Five Keys” have been used in more than 100 countries in many different settings, from training food handlers to teaching school children. They have been translated into more than 80 languages.
Tomorrow before the session starts, I invite you to visit the WHO exhibition booth outside this room and have a look at some examples of available material.
Less visible, but of high importance, has been the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which is a collaboration by WHO and FAO. The Commission has been setting international food standards since the 1960s and keeping them up-to-date.
Central to protecting public health in our globalized world are the Codex standards for food safety, nutrition, consumer information and sustainable food production.
The Codex collaboration’s work doesn’t often make headlines. But it is essential. Dozens of meetings are organized by WHO and FAO every year to bring governments together to strengthen food safety systems.
Vital work is being done around food additives, contaminants, pesticide residues, veterinary drugs and harmful microorganisms in food.
Also behind-the-scenes but no less critical is the work of microbiologists, toxicologists, epidemiologists and other experts who develop evidence-based risk assessment advice for Codex.
Their work is essential for developing the international standards that make food safe and protect everyone’s health.
What has helped make Codex stronger has been the emergence of the Codex Trust Fund.
The Fund, hosted by WHO on behalf of our organization and FAO, has become a true capacity-building instrument for countries.
The Fund has helped build networks among ministries; it has made their national contact points stronger and more effective; and it has collected evidence and data for decision-making.
To meet ever-increasing demands, the Codex Trust Fund needs increased support. More and more countries are seeking help through the Fund to enhance their engagement with Codex. Over 100 are eligible for such assistance. I invite countries to join us in
equipping the Fund to make national food safety systems stronger.
There is no such thing as food safety for the rich and another for the poor. The health of all people, no matter where they live and what they eat, must be protected equally.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
What makes food safety unique and different from other areas of public health is its multisectoral nature.
Food safety is fundamentally multidisciplinary.
Food safety is located at the crossroads of a number of Sustainable Development Goals, namely SDG2, 3, 8, 12, 13 and 17.
It cuts across different sectors such as health, agriculture, fisheries, industry, trade, environment, tourism, education, and economy.
It also crosses across national borders. Food produced in one country today can, within 24 hours, be on the other side of the planet and on its way to shops, restaurants and homes.
Food safety is a shared responsibility. We need to apply a One Health approach to achieve it.
That’s why the theme of World Food Safety Day for this year - “Food safety is everyone’s business” – is so appropriate. This new UN day gives all countries the chance to join a global campaign to promote and drive food safety.
But food safety should not be an issue that is prioritized only once a year.
Every meal, every snack, every time dishes are prepared, whenever foods are grown, produced and transported – all of these are moments when food safety must be prioritized.
Over the next two days, we will build on our discussions started in Addis Ababa, and look to future challenges around food safety. We will discuss the urgent actions we should take to address this vital issue in our drive to achieve sustainable
development.
While today’s Forum rightly places strong emphasis on the economic and trade aspects of food, we must never forget the tens of millions of people who are on the receiving end of the burden of foodborne diseases.
Our actions here will have a direct impact on the lives and health of people all around the world.
I hope that the Addis and Geneva events will help mainstream food safety on the global health agenda.
This International Forum on Food Safety and Trade will help us forge a new way forward in how we work together to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.
We should maintain this momentum, and I look forward to seeing you again in July, at the 42nd Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission held in Geneva.
I thank you.