Amman, March 04 (QNA) - The State of Qatar is participating in the 37th Session of the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Regional Conference for the Near East and North Africa (NENA), with a delegation headed by HE Minister of Municipality Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiyah.
The two-day conference, which began Monday in Amman, will focus on accelerating the transformation of regional agrifood systems to achieve sustainable agriculture and food security in the midst of the multiple crises facing the region.
It will include the participation of a number of Their Excellencies Ministers of Agriculture, Environment and Municipality in the countries of the NENA.
Held every two years for relevant Ministers from the countries of the NENA, the conference aims to assess the current situation of regional agrifood systems, develop a plan of action and define the main priorities of the FAO's work program in the region.
It also discusses many other issues, the most prominent of which is accelerating the transformation of agrifood systems to make them more efficient, inclusive, sustainable and resilient.
Statements were delivered in the opening session of the conference by the Director-General of the FAO, the Independent Chairperson of the FAO Council, the Chairperson of the 37th session, the Chairperson of the Committee on World Food Security, and the spokespeople for the civil society organizations and the private sector.
Ministerial discussions were held to address a number of issues such as enabling comprehensive and sustainable rural transformation in the NENA, accelerating the shift towards the sustainability of markets, trade and consumption, achieving green agriculture, shifting towards efficient agricultural and food systems capable of withstanding climate change, proactive measures to confront the effects of rising crises and the forward-looking motives and incentives for the NENA.
The 37th session aims to formulate a regional understanding, determine a joint plan of action and emphasize the importance of support to implement the necessary measures to accelerate this transformation. The discussions focus on the global and regional framework of the FAO and its programs and priorities for achieving these foods.
The ministerial declaration and the regional conference report will be adopted during the conference, in addition to setting the date and place of the 38th session.
The first phase of the 37th session included a virtual meeting of senior officials from Feb. 5 to 8, 2024 to discuss regional challenges and priorities. (QNA)