9 May 2016, Rome--- FAO's Regional Conference for the Near East opened today with agriculture ministers and senior officials as well as representatives from civil society organizations and the private sector gathering at the agency's headquarters to chart out a roadmap for future work on shared food security challenges. Some 150 participants at the conference, which lasts until 13 May, are set to discuss pressing issues related to agriculture, nutrition and rural development in the Near East and North Africa region.