Launch of the Executive Council of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development in Jeddah

"Okaz" (Jeddah)

The meeting of the 49th session of the Executive Council of the Arab League Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) of the League of Arab States (LAS) is being held on Thursday in Jeddah, in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture. Environment, Water and Agriculture, Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Fadhli, Minister of Agriculture of Palestine, and the Director General of the Arab Organization for agricultural development, Mr. Ibrahim Adam Ahmed Al-Dakhiri.

In his opening speech, Mr. Fadhli promised that the meeting would be an opportunity to discuss the most important issues facing the agricultural sector in Arab countries and to find ways to overcome these difficulties. to implement programs and projects of agricultural integration.

He thanked the Organization for the activities and programs carried out during the period following the previous session of the Council and for its efforts to improve the growth of the agricultural sector and to develop the means of production and to assist Arab countries to face the challenges they face despite limited opportunities. .

At the end of his speech, Al-Fadhli expressed the hope that this session will lead to practical decisions and recommendations that will help strengthen and develop Arab agricultural cooperation and adapt it to aspirations. of our Arab peoples.

For its part, the Director General of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (OADA) said that the organization had made considerable efforts to revise the work strategy in order to align it with the objectives of sustainable development 2015-2030, pointing out that the organization had made great progress in the development and modernization of the general environment of the organization's activities, Diversify the sources of financing of the Organization collaborate with the private sector, establish partnerships and jointly implement programs, use information and communication technologies, and enhance the visibility of FAO's efforts in its member countries and partners.

Dr. Al-Dakhairi explained that the organization has expanded its network of partners at the regional and international levels by activating bilateral and multilateral cooperation agreements signed with a number of international organizations and institutions. and regional, emphasizing that the organization was seeking to work in partnership with government sectors and the private sector. Development of agriculture and fisheries to implement joint activities and programs in an integrated way that benefits both parties. FAO provides technical expertise and provides funding to private enterprises and institutions .

The organization employs to take legal and regulatory measures to develop specialized units in the structural structure of the organization for its future work, to open up prospects for common Arab action , to complement the structure of the regional offices and to make them regional offices with a regional dimension.

"The FAO report on the food security situation in Arab countries confirmed that the food deficit had increased from US $ 39.4 billion for the period 2009-2015 to US $ 34.5 billion, a result of combined efforts of the Arab countries Arab food security and thanks to the strategies, plans and programs adopted by the Arab countries which have made it possible to reduce the food deficit in recent years and to seek to further reduce the food deficit in the Arab region, the management of resources water and land and their uses in agriculture should be seriously considered.

Dr. Sufian Sultan, Minister of Agriculture of the State of Palestine, made a speech in which he thanked the Kingdom for its hospitality and organized the work of the meeting to promote Arab action in the field of sustainable agricultural development and the improvement of food security. .

"Food security for all is one of the major priorities that various countries attach to their importance as long as the problem directly affects human life." This has compounded the problem. the scarcity of water, the limitation of arable land, the financial resources of some countries and the instability of international markets, because demand has become more than supply, leading to higher prices for certain materials and fluctuations, "emphasizing that solutions are based on joint action and cooperation, in the sense of all countries and Arab countries.

He called on Arab countries to redouble efforts to develop the agricultural sector, both agricultural and animal, as well as to increase agricultural production and coordination of the fight against agricultural and animal diseases and pests, causing serious damage to crops and livestock, as well as climate variability and desertification. The effects.

Dr. Sufian pointed out that developments on the international scene required supporting the organization's orientation in the development of its programs and plans to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, which ratified by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015, Stressing the need to maintain food security, to rationalize the use of natural resources of soil, water and energy, as well as use of modern technologies to increase production and reduce waste, as well as the conservation of plant and animal genetic resources.