VATIS UPDATE Article

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) are expanding a long-term collaboration into a formal strategic partnership for large-scale capacity building programs. UNIDO is giving full attention to food safety as a key thematic area in their inclusive and sustainable industrial development initiative (ISID) where partnership with the private sector is a key instrument, making for a fitting cooperation with GFSI. Both entities will jointly dedicate and mobilize resources in a strategic long-term plan to scale up food safety capacity building in priority regions.

This partnership builds on the successful collaborations between GFSI and UNIDO since 2009, and follows the outstanding achievements made under the recent sustainable supplier development project (SSDP) successfully implemented in Malaysia thanks to UNIDO and AEON, also based on GFSI Global Markets. Following the joint declaration made by UNIDO and GFSI during the China Focus Day on 1st November 2015, the roadmap that is currently being crafted is designed to implement food safety capacity building projects in a number of countries based on the GFSI Global Markets Program.

The Program sets out how small and less developed food companies can meet the challenge of food safety, increase productivity and gain market access. This will be enabled by UNIDO. The new strategy will harness the focus of GFSI members, the interests of UNIDO and the maturity of GFSI in targeted geographies. Once launched, the program will focus on key regions in the global food network, beginning with China, Africa, Middle East and Southeast Asia in a long-term roadmap approach.