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44-513: As the FAO/WTO publication describes, global food safety can be difficult to ensure without international reference standards. While all countries require access to reliable risk assessments of the various chemicals in our food, not all have the resources or the funds available to conduct such evaluations for a large number of substances. Through expert-driven risk assessments JECFA defines the safe exposure levels to chemicals found in food. JECFA plays

88-527: A code that is credible and authoritative requires extensive consultation. It also takes time for information to be collected and evaluated, for follow-up and verification and, at times, for consensus to be found satisfying differing views. Overall, it takes an average of 4.2 years to develop a Codex standard – and significantly less for pesticide MRLs or food additive levels." In 1996 the German delegation, sponsored by three German pharmaceutical firms, put forward

132-401: A key role by providing scientific advice that is both reliable and independent, thereby contributing to the setting of standards on a global scale for the protection of consumer health while ensuring trade of safe food. Over time JECFA has developed and updated the methods for risk assessments of chemicals in food. The Environmental Health Criteria 240 or EHC 240 captures this work and constitutes

176-580: A proposal that no herb, vitamin or mineral should be sold for preventive or therapeutic reasons, and that supplements should be reclassified as drugs. The proposal was agreed, but protests halted its implementation. The 28th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission was subsequently held July 4–9, 2005. Among the many issues discussed were the Guidelines for Vitamin and Mineral Food Supplements , which were adopted during

220-598: Is also a Senior Management Group , composed of some of the senior officials in the secretariat and the funds and programmes at the Under-Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary-General rank, which serves as the cabinet of the Secretary-General . The United Nations, its subsidiary bodies, thirteen of the specialized agencies (ILO, FAO, UNESCO, WHO, ICAO, UPU, ITU, WMO, IMO, WIPO, IFAD, UNIDO, and UNWTO), and one related body (IAEA) are part of

264-933: Is derived from the Codex Alimentarius Austriacus . Its texts are developed and maintained by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), a body established in early November 1961 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), was joined by the World Health Organization (WHO) in June 1962, and held its first session in Rome in October 1963. The Commission's main goals are to protect

308-653: Is not an agency of the United Nations, but cooperates both on policy and practical issues. On 7 September 2000 the OPCW and the UN signed a co-operation agreement outlining how they were to co-ordinate their activities. Under this agreement, the OPCW reports to the UN General Assembly. The WTO does not have a formal agreement with the UN. Instead, their relationship is governed by exchanges of letters. Unlike

352-579: Is published in the six official languages of the United Nations : Arabic , Chinese , English , French , Spanish and Russian . Not all texts are available in all languages. As of 2017, the CAC had a total of 78 guidelines, 221 commodity standards, 53 codes of practice, and 106 maximum levels for contaminants of food (of which 18 covered contaminants). In a 2018 publication, the CAC stated that: "Codex has at times been criticized as slow to complete its work, but developing food standards and compiling them as

396-469: Is thus an international reference point for the resolution of international trade disputes concerning food safety and consumer protection. Many bilateral and multilateral trade agreements refer to the Codex Alimentarius , adopting it as a point of reference. The Codex Alimentarius covers all foods, whether processed, semi-processed or raw . In addition to standards for specific foods,

440-729: The Codex Alimentarius is a reference guide, not an enforceable standard on its own. However, several nations adopt the Codex Alimentarius in their own regulations, and the World Trade Organization (WTO), for purposes of food safety, refers to the Codex Alimentarius Sanitary and Phytosanitary practice codes in the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) for member countries. The Codex Alimentarius

484-558: The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), which is the most important international body in the field of food standards, is based on the scientific advice provided by bodies like JECFA. This advice to CAC is normally provided to the various Codex Committees, such as the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA), Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF), and the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs (CCVRDF). FAO, WHO and

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528-676: The United Nations ' six principal bodies (the General Assembly , Security Council , Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) , Trusteeship Council , International Court of Justice (ICJ) , and the UN Secretariat ), the Specialized Agencies and related organizations. The UN System includes subsidiary bodies such as the separately administered funds and programmes, research and training institutes, and other subsidiary entities. Some of these organizations predate

572-842: The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), was merged with other elements of the United Nations System into a new organization, UN Women , in January 2011. Various institutes were established by the General Assembly to perform independent research and training. One former institute, the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), was merged with other elements of

616-776: The United Nations common system of salaries, allowances, and benefits administered by the International Civil Service Commission . Most, but not all, of the members of the United Nations System are part of the common system; the Bretton Woods institutions (i.e. the World Bank Group and the IMF) are notable exceptions. The WTO utilizes the OECD common system . The UN common system was established to prevent competition amongst organizations of

660-696: The CEB, namely the High-level Committee on Programme (HCLP), the High-level Committee on Management (HCLM) and the United Nations Development Group (UNDG). Each of those bodies has, in turn, developed a subsidiary machinery of regular and ad hoc bodies on the substantive and managerial aspects of inter-agency co-ordination. The committee structure is supported by a CEB secretariat located in New York and Geneva. There

704-481: The Codex Alimentarius contains general standards covering matters such as food labeling , food hygiene , food additives and pesticide residues, and procedures for assessing the safety of foods derived from modern biotechnology . It also contains guidelines for the management of official i.e. governmental import and export inspection and certification systems for foods. The Codex Alimentarius

748-735: The Future of Food and Agriculture, convened by Italian politician Claudio Martini and chaired by anti-globalization activist Vandana Shiva , issued several manifestos, including the Manifesto on the Future of Food, which contended that "bureaucracies like the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund , and the Codex Alimentarius have codified policies designed to serve

792-555: The General Assembly through an executive board. Only one UN programme has ever closed in the history of the organization, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA), which ceased to exist in 1959 and was subsequently replaced by the UNHCR. Each of the funds and programmes is headed by an executive director at the under-secretary-general level and is governed by an executive board. One former fund,

836-570: The Guidelines call "for labelling that contains information on maximum consumption levels of vitamin and mineral food supplements". The WHO has also said that the Guidelines "ensure that consumers receive beneficial health effects from vitamins and minerals". In 2004, similarities were noted between the EU's Food Supplements Directive and the Codex Alimentarius draft guidelines for vitamin and mineral supplements. The 2003 International Commission of

880-491: The JECFA meetings include: Codex Alimentarius The Codex Alimentarius ( Latin for 'Food Code') is a collection of internationally recognized standards, codes of practice, guidelines, and other recommendations published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations relating to food , food production , food labeling , and food safety . Its name

924-551: The Security Council can meet at any time. The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is responsible for co-ordinating the economic, social, and related work of 15 UN specialized agencies, their functional commissions and five regional commissions. ECOSOC has 54 members; it holds a four-week session each year in July. Since 1998, it has also held a meeting each April with finance ministers heading key committees of

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968-621: The UN General Assembly. The relationship between the IAEA and the UN was established by a resolution of the UN General Assembly. Unlike the specialized agencies which report to ECOSOC, the IAEA reports to the General Assembly as well as the Security Council. Like the other specialized agency's heads, their executives are part of the United Nations System Chief Executives' Board for Coordination (CEB). The OPCW

1012-612: The UN General Assembly. The United Nations Trusteeship Council, one of the principal organs of the United Nations, was established to ensure that trust territories were administered in the best interests of their inhabitants and of international peace and security. The trust territories—most of them are former mandates of the League of Nations or territories taken from nations defeated at the end of World War II—have all now attained self-government or independence, either as separate nations or by joining neighbouring independent countries. The last

1056-576: The UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the UN Economic and Social Council, and other U.N. bodies. The United Nations Charter provides that the staff is to be chosen by application of the "highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity," with due regard for the importance of recruiting on a wide geographical basis. The charter provides that the staff shall not seek or receive instructions from any authority other than

1100-665: The UN. Each UN member country is enjoined to respect the international character of the secretariat and not seek to influence its staff. The secretary-general alone is responsible for staff selection. The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. Its main functions are to settle legal disputes submitted to it by states and to provide advisory opinions on legal questions submitted to it by duly authorized international organs, agencies, and

1144-493: The United Nations , meets twice a year to co-ordinate the work of the organizations of the United Nations System. The United Nations itself has six principal organs established by the Charter of the United Nations : The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA/GA) consists of all United Nations Member States and meets in regular session once a year under a president elected from among the representatives. Its powers are to oversee

1188-634: The United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action. Its powers are exercised through United Nations Security Council resolutions. The Security Council held its first ever session on 17 January 1946 at Church House, Westminster, London. Since its first meeting, the council, which exists in continuous session, has travelled widely, holding meetings in many cities, such as Paris and Addis Ababa, as well as at its current permanent home at

1232-813: The United Nations Headquarters in New York City. There are 15 members of the Security Council, consisting of five veto-wielding permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and 10 elected non-permanent members with two-year terms. This basic structure is set out in Chapter V of the UN Charter. Security Council members must always be present at UN headquarters in New York so that

1276-629: The United Nations System into a new organization, UN Women , in January 2011. The specialized agencies are autonomous organizations working with the United Nations and each other through the co-ordinating machinery of the Economic and Social Council and the Chief Executives Board for Coordination. Each was integrated into the UN System by way of an agreement with the UN under UN Charter article 57 (except ICSID and MIGA, both part of

1320-620: The World Bank Group). Some organizations have a relationship with the UN defined by an arrangement different from the agreements between the specialized agencies and the UN, which are established under Articles 57 and 63 of the United Nations Charter . The IOM , established in 1951, is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM works to help ensure

1364-713: The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The ECOSOC serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues, and for formulating policy recommendations addressed to member states and the United Nations System. The United Nations Secretariat is headed by the United Nations Secretary-General, assisted by a staff of international civil servants worldwide. It provides studies, information, and facilities needed by United Nations bodies for their meetings. It also carries out tasks as directed by

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1408-421: The budget of the United Nations, appoint the non-permanent members to the Security Council, receive reports from other parts of the United Nations and make recommendations in the form of General Assembly Resolutions . It has also established a wide number of subsidiary organs . The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in

1452-403: The chairmanship of the secretary-general of the UN. The CEB aims to further co-ordination and co-operation on a whole range of substantive and management issues facing UN System organizations. In addition to its regular reviews of contemporary political issues and major concerns facing the UN System, the CEB approves policy statements on behalf of the UN System as a whole. Three committees report to

1496-469: The founding of the United Nations in 1945 and were inherited after the dissolution of the League of Nations . The executive heads of some of the United Nations System organizations and the World Trade Organization , which is not formally part of the United Nations System, have seats on the United Nations System Chief Executives' Board for Coordination (CEB). This body, chaired by the Secretary-General of

1540-686: The health of consumers , to facilitate international trade , and ensure fair practices in the international food trade. The CAC is an intergovernmental organization ; the member states of the FAO and WHO send delegations to the CAC. As of 2021, there were 189 members of the CAC (188 member countries plus one member organization, the European Union (EU) and 239 Codex observers (59 intergovernmental organizations, 164 non-governmental organizations , and 16 United Nations organizations ). The CAC develops food standards on scientific evidence furnished by

1584-460: The interests of global agribusiness above all others, while actively undermining the rights of farmers and consumers". The Codex Alimentarius has been the subject of various conspiracy theories. These theorize that it is an agenda for population control, an anti-supplement Big Brother initiative, actually establishes eugenics, or a process for World Government establishment. United Nations System The United Nations System consists of

1628-426: The international point of reference recognized by national and regional food safety authorities. JECFA normally meets twice a year. The meetings either cover (i) food additives, contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food or (ii) residues of veterinary drugs in food. Different sets of experts (called Members for the purposes of the meeting) are invited to these meetings to solicit their expertise depending on

1672-447: The meeting as new global safety guidelines: The guidelines state that "people should...be encouraged to select a balanced diet from food before considering any vitamin and mineral supplement. In cases where the intake from the diet is insufficient or where consumers consider their diet requires supplementation, vitamin and mineral food supplements serve to supplement the daily diet." The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) has said that

1716-663: The member countries of both the organizations also benefit from the evaluations made by JECFA. Some use the information from JECFA to establish their own national food safety control programs. The JECFA Committee also develops principles for the safety assessment of chemicals in food that are consistent with current scientific knowledge on risk assessments, while taking into account the recent developments in toxicology and other relevant scientific areas such as epidemiology, biotechnology, exposure assessment, food chemistry including analytical chemistry and assessment of maximum residue limits for veterinary drugs. Resources produced for or after

1760-604: The orderly and humane management of migration, to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people. In September 2016, IOM joined the United Nations System as a related organization during the United Nations General Assembly high-level summit to address large movements of refugees and migrants. The CTBTO PrepCom reports to

1804-711: The scientific committees of the FAO and WHO; the oldest of these, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), was established in 1956 and predates the establishment of the CAC itself. According to a 2013 study, the CAC's primary functions are "establishing international food standards for approved food additives, providing maximum levels in foods; maximum limits for contaminants and toxins; maximum residue limits for pesticides and for veterinary drugs used in veterinary animals; and establishing hygiene and technological function practice codes". The CAC does not have regulatory authority, and

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1848-473: The specialized agencies and the IAEA, the WTO has no reporting obligations towards any of the principal organs of the UN, but provides ad hoc contribution to the work of the General Assembly and ECOSOC. The WTO has a seat on the CEB. The United Nations Chief Executives' Board for Coordination (CEB) brings together on a regular basis the executive heads of the organizations of the United Nations System, under

1892-443: The topics being discussed. Sometimes FAO and WHO may also convene expert meetings to provide scientific advice on issues that are related to chemical food safety but fall outside the purview of JECFA. These ad hoc meetings are called either in response to specific requests from Codex, and/or to advise national authorities on risks or incidents that affect consumers’ health and have serious economic and trade repercussions. The work of

1936-774: Was Palau , formerly part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands , which became a member state of the United Nations in December 1994. The separately administered funds and programmes, research and training institutes, and other subsidiary bodies are autonomous subsidiary organs of the United Nations. Throughout its history the United Nations General Assembly has established a number of programmes and funds to address particular humanitarian and development concerns. These are financed through voluntary rather than assessed contributions. These bodies usually report to

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