11 June 2008, Rome -- FAO and the Government of the United Arab Emirates have signed an agreement to establish a new Subregional Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States and Yemen in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The office will comprise a multidisciplinary team of international experts in agricultural policy, land and water management, fisheries, plant production and protection, animal health and agricultural investment.

Under the agreement, the Government of the United Arab Emirates will provide the facilities and an annual contribution of US$2 million to ensure the smooth functioning of the office and the availability of adequate expertise to respond to the need for technical assistance of the member countries in the subregion.

The office will serve Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. It will be headed by a Subregional Coordinator who will also serve as the FAO Representative to the United Arab Emirates.

The agreement was signed by Dr Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, Minister for Environment and Water of the United Arab Emirates, and FAO Director-General Dr Jacques Diouf during the FAO High-Level Conference on World Food Security.

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Contact:
Salah Albazzaz
Media Relations, FAO
salah.albazzaz@fao.org
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Teresa Buerkle
Media Relations, FAO/Geneva
teresamarie.buerkle@fao.org
(+41) 22 917 27 70