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

Saudi Arabia 365 «Okaz» (Jeddah)

The session of the Executive Council of the Arab League for Agricultural Development (AOAD) of the League of Arab States (LEA) was held in Jeddah on Thursday, in the presence of the Minister of the Environment, Water and Agriculture, Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Mohsin 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 address at the opening ceremony, 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 challenges in order to implement programs and projects for 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 rehabilitation 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 (OADO) said that the organization had made great efforts to review the work strategy in order to align it with the objectives of sustainable development 2015-2030, pointing out that the organization had made much progress in the development and modernization of the general environment of the work of the organization, Diversifying 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 it was seeking to work in partnership with the government sectors and interested Arab and international private institutions. In the agriculture and fisheries development sectors, the organization provides technical expertise and funds to private companies and institutions to carry out joint activities and programs in an integrated and mutually beneficial manner.

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 joint efforts of the Arab countries The food security of the Arab countries and 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 reduce it in the Arab region, consideration should be given to improving the management of water and land resources and their use in agriculture.

For his part, Mr. Sufian Sultan, Minister of Agriculture of the State of Palestine, delivered a speech in which he thanked the Kingdom for his hospitality and organized the work of the meeting to promote joint Arab action in the field of sustainable agricultural development and strengthening of security. Food

"Food security for all is one of the major priorities that the various countries attach to the importance they deserve, since the problem directly affects human life." This problem is compounded by the scarcity of water and the limitation of arable land, The financial resources of certain countries and the instability of international markets, the demand having become more than the supply, have caused the rise of the prices of certain materials and the fluctuations ", stressing that the solution lies in 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.

Mr. Sufian emphasized that the evolution of the international scene required supporting the organization's direction in the development of its programs and plans to achieve the goals of sustainable development. by 2030, which had been ratified by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015, Emphasizing the need to maintain food security, rationalize the use of natural resources of the soil, water and energy, use modern technologies to increase production, reduce waste and preserve plant and animal genetic resources.