Contributions

Saudi Arabia contribution

Under the FAO Trust Fund for Food Security and Food Safety, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia contributed $1 million at the end of 2002. This voluntary contribution confirms the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia support to FAO's pivotal role in agricultural development as it fights poverty, supports economic growth initiatives and promotes political stability throughout the world.

This FAO Trust Fund will be an important source of demand-driven funding and will complement current Trust Funds, which support key components of the Organization's Field Programme. The FAO Trust Fund programme focuses on operations at the expense of projects which address long-term structural needs of the poor (70 percent of whom are in the rural sector) in the areas of employment creation and income generation.

The FAO Trust Fund focuses on three areas of intervention - Food security, emergency prevention of transboundary animal and plant pests and diseases and Assistance in Project and Programme Studies to Increase Investment. FAO is currently preparing project profiles for donor consideration based on these areas. Special consideration is to be given to water scarcity in the Near East and North Africa regions.