Food sector membership

• Codex alimentarius
• The Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries
• International Organization for Standardization
• Gulf Standardization Organization
• Arab Industrial Development, Standardization and Mining Organization
• FAO GM Foods Platform 
• ARAB GROUP FOR FOOD SAFETY
• الفريق الفني لمواصفات اللدائن
• Gulf Rapid Alert System for Food
• International Food Safety Authorities Network
• Eu-Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed
• international risk communication liaison group
• عضو في المنظمة الدولية للمعايير (أيزو)( ISO).
• عضو في هيئة التقييس لدول مجلس التعاون لدول الخليج العربي. (GSO)

Codex alimentarius

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) was able to chair the coordinating committee for Near East (CCNE) - one of the six regions - after unanimously winning at the elections of the presidency of the region. It is noteworthy that the coordinating Committee has 17 member states. The SFDA is also the focal point for the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and focal point is responsible to receive all incoming applications from the Codex. It includes 187 member states. The SFDA involved and participated in the activities, meetings and electronic work groups of the Codex.

The Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority participates in the work of the technical committees for the halal food standards and cosmetic products. The Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) has 43 member states and 3 observer states, and 18 technical committees in several different areas.

International Organization for Standardization

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority participates in the work of the technical committees for the food standards, devices and medical products. International Organization for Standardization is an independent international non-governmental organization with 165 members of the National Standards Organization.

Gulf Standardization Organization

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority participates in the work of the technical committees for the food standards, agricultural products, medical device products and cosmetic products, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was able to chair the technical committee for additives and food contaminants. It is noteworthy that the Gulf Standardization Organization includes in its membership 7 countries, namely the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the Sultanate of Oman and Yemen.

Arab Industrial Development, Standardization and Mining Organization

FAO GM Foods Platform

The FAO GM Foods Platform is a simple online platform to share information on safety assessment of foods derived from recombinant-DNA plants authorized in accordance with the Codex Guideline for the conduct of food safety assessment of foods derived from recombinant-DNA plants (CAC/GL 45-2003, annex III adopted in 2008). This Platform also facilitates the effective utilization of food safety assessment In GM products or others.

ARAB GROUP FOR FOOD SAFETY

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , represented by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority in the Arab Group for Food Safety, which is a high-level team consisting of representatives of organizations, bodies and various structures entrusted with food safety regulations and standards (including the relevant ministries) in the member states of the League of Arab States.

Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures

SPS enquiry center is the representative for Saudi Arabia in the WTO SPS, which receives notifications and inquiries from WTO members and initiate notifications regarding to Saudi Arabia>

Gulf Rapid Alert System for Food

Rapid alert center for food in the SFDA is the central point for the system, SFDA also is the national contact point representing Saudi Arabia which exchanging alerts regarding food products in the gulf markets and borders.

International Food Safety Authorities Network

Rapid alert center for food in the SFDA is the focal point for Saudi Arabia, which exchanges information regarding food safety and answers the network inquiries.

Eu-Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed

Rapid alert center for food in the SFDA is the contact point for Saudi Arabia as a 3rd country member in the EU-RASFF, which exchanges information regarding food products related to Saudi Arabia.

international risk communication liaison group

SFDA participates in the IRCLG/EFSA meetings. These meetings aim to support knowledge exchange and tools in the risk communication field.

Technical Barriers to Trade

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority participates in the notification of technical regulations for food, conformity assessment procedures and tobacco products.

Drug sector membership

• International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH)
• International Pharmaceutical Regulators Programme (IPRP)
• International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA)
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 
• The Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC)

Medical devices sector membership

• Global Harmonization Working Party (GHWP)
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
• Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Standardization Organization (GSO)
• The Arab Industrial Development, Standardization and Mining Organization (AIDSMO)

Global Harmonization Working Party (GHWP)

Global Harmonization Working Party is an international scientific organization that aims to develop regulatory systems and legislations among member economics. It includes 32 regulatory bodies in addition to a number of independent consultants with regulatory expertise from the United States, Europe and Japan. The organization is continuing coordination with a number of strategic partners , other organizations such as (APEC, WHO, OECD) and the International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF) aiming to establish harmonization and convergence platform for medical devices in accordance with international best practices, and helping emerging countries to build their regulatory framework .. GHWP is chaired by Eng. Ali Al-Dalaan, the Executive Vice President of the Medical Devices Sector since 2018. Eng. Ali has previously held leadership positions in the organization. He was the Co-chair of the scientific and technical work groups and head of the quality management working group from 2008 to 2014, and then Chair of scientific and technical work groups from 2014 to 2018.. During the Kingdom’s presidency of the organization since 2018, the member economics approved the proposal of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to change the name from Asian harmonization working party to global harmonization working party (GHWP) in order to achieve more harmonization and convergence with global countries and strengthen and develop the regulatory system for medical devices..Moreover, SFDA participates actively in all nine scientific and technical work groups and chairing two working groups (pre-marketing requirements - medical software, and the quality management system for medical devices: audit and evaluation)

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has been participating in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as a “participant” membership since 2013 in coordination with the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO). The SFDA has been joined in (16) technical committees in the field of medical devices, these committees are, for example, rubber and rubber products (TC 45), biological and clinical evaluation of medical devices (TC 194), quality management and corresponding general aspects for medical devices (TC 210), health informatics (TC 215). Also, the SFDA, supervises on the national work teams corresponding to the international committees, which include in its membership representatives of the relevant authorities from the governmental and private sectors.

International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has been participating an active member (Participant) in the International Electrotechnical Commission since 2014 in coordination with the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) in the International Technical Committee for Electrical Devices Used in Medical practice IEC/TC62, contains 4 sub-committees which are (common aspects of electrical equipment Used in medical practice (SC 62A), diagnostic imaging devices (SC 62B), radiotherapy, nuclear medicine and radiation dosimetry (SC 62C), other medical electrical devices (SC 62D).

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Standardization Organization (GSO)

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has been participating as an active member of the regional Standardization Organization for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf since 2012. The Standardization Organization aims to unify the various standardization activities and follow up their implementation and commitment to them in cooperation and coordination with the National Standardization Bodies in the member states, in a way that contributes to the development of their production and service sectors, the development of intra-trade, consumer protection, environment and public health, and the promotion of Gulf industries, products and services in order to support the Gulf economy, preserve the gains of member states, and contribute to reducing technical barriers to trade, in line with the objectives of the GCC Customs Union and the Gulf Common Market. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also holds the presidency and secretariat of the Gulf Technical Committee for Medical Devices and Supplies GSO/TC 11, as well as managing, organizing and participating in work programs.

The Arab Industrial Development, Standardization and Mining Organization (AIDSMO)

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) - Medical Devices Sector, is the presidency and secretariat of the Arab Technical Committee for Standardization of Medical Devices and Supplies (AIDSMO/TC4) since 2020, which includes in its membership the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Arab Republic of Egypt and the State of Palestine The Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, the Lebanese Republic, the Republic of Yemen, and the Republic of Somalia. The Arab Technical Committee for Standardization of Medical Devices and Supplies is affiliated to the Standards and Metrology Center in the Arab Organization for Industrial Development, Standardization and Mining, which includes in its membership 21 Arab countries and it is an organization affiliated with the League of Arab States . The committee is one of the fifteen committees responsible for working to unify standards and specifications among Arab countries to remove technical barriers and obstacles that hinder trade exchange between them, work to raise the level of quality, develop plans and programs for standardization of the medical devices and supplies sector, and follow up their implementation until the issuance of unified Arab standards with harmonization of international standards.