Report of the thirty-second session of the Specialized Section on Standardization of Meat

Introduction
1. The thirty-second session of the Specialized Section on Standardization of Meat was chaired by Ms. Jacqueline Mason (United States of America).
2. The Chairperson welcomed delegates to the meeting and thanked them for their work over the past year, including the work on proposed revisions to the standard for Ovine Meat – Carcases and Cuts and on advancing discussions on digitization of the bovine standard.
3. Mr. Ariel Ivanier, Chief of the Market Access Section, Economic Cooperation and Trade Division (ECTD) at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), welcomed delegates to the session, highlighting the importance of the agricultural quality standards in ensuring efficient trade and contributing to sustainable food systems. He recalled the history of the Working Party, informed about global trends in meat trade and highlighted the work of Specialized Section on digitalization in line with the theme of the seventieth session of the Commission (i.e. digital and green transformations for sustainable development in the region of the Economic Commission for Europe). He also explained that the secretariat had received authorization from the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to represent UNMIK1 and introduced two technical experts who had been nominated to take part in the discussions as observers.