The Chairman's Speech and Picture gallery from the Chairman's Cocktail 22 May 2002

Note by the Secretariat:

Wilfried Staub who had been Chairman of the Specialized Section on Standardization of Dry and Dried Produce (Fruit) for 7 sessions since 1996 left the Chair this year because he will retire in early 2003. To celebrate his Chairmanship and 20 years of successful contribution to the meeting he invited delegations and secretariat to a cocktail in the Palais des Nations. In his speech he gives a vivid account of his years in the group and the development of standardization. The secretariat would like to thank Mr. Staub  for his support  over many years and wish him all the best for the future.

The speech

You are all aware that this year I will participate in the meeting of the Specialized Section on Standardization of Dry and Dried Produce for the last time. February 28, 2003 will definitely be my last working day. I have invited you today not to bid an early farewell, but to express my thanks for your kind and trusting cooperation over the years.

To be honest, when my government sent me for the first time to the meeting on Dry and Dried Produce in 1984, I, coming from the fresh fruit sector, knew only  very little about the subject matter. At first sight, the standards resemble those for fresh fruit and vegetables. But I learned very soon that more than in the fresh sector, it is essential to consider traditions in international trade which have grown over years as well as regional specificities.

When, as a newcomer, I studied the rather complicated tolerance tables, I had an idea which I believed ingenious on how to simplify those complex tables. Being my usual outspoken self, I made my suggestion and Dr. Tanno of ICE instantly informed me that this particular matter had been dealt with ten and again five years ago, and he gave elaborate reasons why a simplification was impossible to implement. Feeling at once disappointed and knowing that I had exposed a weak point, I approached him during a coffee break to apologise and express that I envied him for his knowledge and experience. Dr. Tanno responded, dryly, of course: "If you had my experience, you would also be as old as I am!" 20 years later I can safely say that I have learned a lot; yet at the same time I must admit that I am far from fully comprehending the rather convoluted structures making up the international trade of Dry and Dried Produce.

I am sure that I speak not just for myself but for all the delegates when I say that our meetings outside of Geneva furthered our knowledge, in Reus, Spain, (1984) for example, in Hamburg (1989), which I was responsible to organise, in Istanbul (1997), or in Grenoble (1998) where I was knighted as the representative of the Group. The excursions to plantations, packing stations, research institutes and laboratories were not only informative but extremely helpful, too, as we were able to gain a tremendous amount of background knowledge which helped us to better consider the inevitable defects and damage which can occur when nuts and Dry or Dried Produce is cracked, peeled, dried, graded and packed.

I have met and come to estimate many ECE secretaries, such as Mr. Littmann, Mr. Cannon, Ms Jakab and now Mr. Heilandt, whom I would like to call "our Super Tom", because he especially has contributed to making our Group work more dynamic. I have met numerous chairmen, such as Mr. Augeai, Mr. Hirsch, Mr. B. E. Camp, and, last but not least, Mr Monastra, whom I have always admired for his smoothness in chairing our meetings.

Looking back I see that the global political situation is not the only thing which has improved in recent the years. Work within our group has also changed significantly. While, in the beginning years, delegates went their separate ways during breaks or in the evenings, they now gather, either in small groups or all together, to enjoy a glass of wine or dinner. Lunch breaks, inevitably long, or even coffee breaks are now used for intensive bilateral of multilateral talks which contribute much to the clarification of opinions. Meetings have thus become more substantial and also take less time to find a compromise.

The recently adopted revised standard for walnuts illustrates this point nicely. The standard is a compromise all producing countries can live with and it was adopted only after numerous dialogues prior to and during our meetings.

As Chairman of this Group I wanted to make sure that standards elaborated in Geneva do not become any kind of direct or indirect trade barriers. I also wanted to represent the spirit of the new Germany as an equal partner in the world community.

Producer interests should not be left unconsidered and minimum requirements and tolerances in each standard should allow a minimum use of pesticides, however, when formulating standard texts, consumer protection has always been my primary concern. With the help of UN Standards I aimed at providing consumers with quality products, safe and healthy, which they could enjoy, thanks to fair and objective controls, and would thus continue to demand. All parties involved willl ultimately benefit from the resulting increase in profits, health-conscious consumers as well as producers, exporters, importers, and industry as a whole.

It should remain our aim to encourage consumers, especially children and young adults, to eat more natural nuts and dry or dried fruits, the power snack for body, mind and soul if ever there was one.

A number of UN Standards did, others will attain the status of EC Standards.

Today more than in the past, the UNECE slogan of "STANDARDS FOR QUALITY" expresses an obligation for all parties concerned. During my term of office we initiated the adaptation of the Standard Layout for Dry and Dried Produce and its annexes for the determination of moisture content to new findings and methods globally developed during the past 30 years. In future, laboratories the world over will work with the new UN Guidelines exclusively. This will facilitate international trade and should exclude unjustified complaints.

This year the EC Commission will implement the recently adopted Annex II of the Standard Layout to the Brussels nut standards. One of the first things I proposed after taking office was to adapt outdated standard titles to more current formulations used by trade and industry. "Decorticated Nuts" became "Nut Kernels" and "Unshelled Nuts" became "Inshell Nuts", a result by the way, of one of those useful informal talks with major exporters during our meeting in Istanbul.

Time was too short to adopt all the projects I had in mind. What I consider missing is a world-wide and uniform sampling procedure to check inner and outer quality of produce during official and/or private controls by the industry. I have initiated a small working group to tackle the subject. I would like to see a respective guideline elaborated and adopted as soon as possible because its implementation � especially prior to first shipping � will ultimately increase food safety.

A chairman and the ECE secretary can only be as good as the delegates that constitute the plenary. You are, without any exception, a group that excels in substantial and constructive cooperation. I would like to thank you especially for that and for your patience and understanding in the face of my shortcomings. Thank you as well for the farewell presents you gave me. I think I did get the hint and promise to keep my promise.

Dear Bruno I wish you as the new chairman every success. May the secretary and the delegates continue to support the work on UNECE Standards in the spirit of the past years. For the benefit of free, fair and safe world trade and consumer protection may the standards maintain the high reputation that they already enjoy.

Will Staub and Germany	Will Staub and Germany
Will Staub and Italy and Spain (Vice-Chairman Mario Scianella and Multi-rapporteur and official photographer of the Specialized Section Pere Marzabal)	The "new" Chairman (Bruno Cauquil from France) and the "old" Chairman (Will Staub from Germany)
Will Staub and the United States	Will Staub and the United States
Will Staub and Turkey	Will Staub and Hungary
Will Staub with Finland and the Secretariat (Alissa Mayor)
Will Staub and the Secretariat (Tom Heilandt, Carol Cosgrove-Sacks, Alissa Mayor)	The Director of the Trade Division (Carol Cosgrove-Sacks) thanking Will Staub for his work.
Receiving the gift: Will Staub and David Priester	View from the 8th floor of the Palais des Nations