Locust Group
The Locusts and other Transboundary Plant Pests and Diseases Group at FAO headquarters is responsible for assisting Member Countries throughout the world in managing migratory pests, mainly locusts, and diseases through early warning and early reaction. The Group consists of staff at FAO Headquarters as well as in Algiers, Algeria and Cairo, Egypt.
Locusts and other Transboundary Plant Pests and Diseases
The Locusts and Other Transboundary Plant Pests and Diseases Team has been working for several decades on locust management in collaboration with FAO staff at headquarters and within three Regional Commissions for Controlling the Desert Locust: CLCPRO in northwest and western Africa, CRC in the Near East, and SWAC in southwest Asia.
The team’s extensive experience includes developing and implementing the preventive control strategy and the Desert Locust global monitoring, information, and early warning system, both key components of FAO’s Strategic Programme. This expertise has since been extended to address other transboundary plant pests and diseases.
The team is composed of experts with a broad and specialized scope of work.
Who is who in Locusts and other Transboundary Plant Pests and Diseases Team (NSPMD)
Mr Shoki Al-Dobai
Team Leader of the “Locusts and other Transboundary Plant Pests and Diseases”, NSPMD; Senior Agricultural Officer
Main tasks and responsibilities:
- Supervision and coordination of the FAO work on Locusts and other Transboundary Plant Pests and Diseases, including the support and improvement of locust and transboundary pest and disease preventive control strategies and response to plant health emergencies.
- FAO Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in South-West Asia (SWAC): Executive Secretary
- Policy and technical advice: support to the three FAO Desert Locust commissions (CLCPRO, CRC and SWAC); technical advice to locust and plant pest affected countries.
- Management: day to day management of NSPMD, including programme of work and budget.
Duty station: Rome
Tel: (+39) 06 570 52730
E-mail: [email protected]
Mr Cyril Piou
Locust Forecasting Officer
Main tasks and responsibilities:
Support the FAO’s global desert locust early warning and forecasting system.
Analyze locust, environmental, rainfall, meteorological, and remote sensing data using a custom geographic information system and Locust Data Cube.
Facilitate coherent management of all Desert Locust reports received from affected countries.
- Ensure timely preparation of accurate locust situation assessments, summaries, and forecasts as monthly bulletins, supplemented by updates, briefs, alerts, and warnings.
Duty station: Rome
Tel: (+33) 6 01 52 13 97
E-mail: [email protected]
Mr Alexandre V. Latchininsky
Senior Locust Management Expert
Main tasks and responsibilities:
- Provide technical assistance to improve national and regional locust management in Caucasus and Central Asia.
- Plan and deliver advice and programme management support to member countries concerning Desert Locust preventive strategy (i.e. survey, monitoring, management, environment issues and contingency planning).
- Provide technical assistance on locust management in other geographical areas or for other locust pests.
Duty station: Rome
Tel: (+39) 06 570 50534
E-mail: [email protected]
Mr Fazil Dusunceli
Agricultural Officer (Plant Pathology)
Main tasks and responsibilities:
- Identify global, regional and sub-regional priorities to mitigate food security threats caused by transboundary plant diseases in close collaboration with decentralized offices.
- Design, coordinate and monitor projects and activities with focus on transboundary plant diseases and sustainable crop production.
- Provide technical support to projects on plant production improvement in Central Asia and Caucasus.
- Provide support for projects on "One Country One Product (OCOP)" and on "One Health".
Duty station: Rome
Tel: (+90) 312 307 95 00
E-mail: [email protected]
Mr Maged ElKahky
Agricultural Officer (Plant Pathology and Transboundary Insect Pests)
Main tasks and responsibilities:
- Developing and stewarding transboundary plant pests monitoring systems such as FAMEWS and SusaHamra.
- Providing technical assistance and supporting the implementation of projects on managing non-locust plant pests and diseases, including fall armyworm, Red Palm Weevil, Fusarium wilt of Banana, and Banana Bunchy top diseases.
- Supporting member states in improving their plant health emergency management capacities.
- Supporting and analyzing requests for plant health emergency responses.
- Support assessment missions for emerging plant pest outbreaks and develop appropriate action plans.
- Backstopping the administrative processes of the team by serving as Assistant Team Lead.
Duty station: Rome, Italy
Tel: (+39) 06 570 50409
E-mail: [email protected]
Ms Marion Chiris
Locust Programme Officer
Main tasks and responsibilities:
- Coordination, implementation and monitoring of the multi-funded Programme to improve national and regional locust management in Caucasus and Central Asia (EMPRES) and of the related projects.
- Liaison with resource partners and reporting.
- Fund-raising efforts for locust projects/programmes.
Duty station: Rome
Tel: (+39) 06 570 54525
E-mail: [email protected]
Mr Mahgoub Boshara
Agricultural Officer (Locust Management)
Main tasks and responsibilities
Support the locust management programs in the Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA) region.
Assist the Secretariat of the FAO Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in South-West Asia (SWAC).
Promote sustainable and environmentally sound locust control strategies.
Coordinate the Locust Pesticides Referee Group (LPRG) activities.
Facilitate regional knowledge sharing and collaboration.
Provide related technical support and advice.
Duty station: Rome
Tel: +39 3446292587
E-mail: [email protected]
Mr Bahromiddin Husenov
Agricultural Officer (Plant Protection/Locusts)
Main tasks and responsibilities:
- Support to GCP/INT/384/JCA project implementation to improve locust management in Central Asia, and more specifically:
Technical assistance on locust preventive strategy
Operational assistance for field activities.
Duty station: Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Tel: (+992) 93 512 6017
E-mail: [email protected]
Ms Greta Garavaglia
International consultant, Operations Expert
Main tasks and responsibilities:
- Ensure and follow up on the procurement of locust equipment in the countries covered by the Programme to improve national and regional locust management in Caucasus and Central Asia.
- Contribute to the organization and implementation of project activities in the framework of the Programme.
- Assist in monitoring project expenditures and in preparing financial and narrative reports.
Duty station: Luxembourg
Tel: (+352) 661 61 2011
e-mail: [email protected]
Ms Safa Gritli
Programme Assistant, GS Focal Point
Main tasks and responsibilities:
- Monitor the status of both Regular Programme and Projects budgets (including CRC and CLCPRO budgets) ensuring that funds are properly allocated and inform BH of any budget issues.
- Provide support to BH in the preparation of the PBR, PWB and Financial reports for Finance Committee and any other report for the division.
- Prepare all Projects’ budget revisions and extensions.
- Coordinate the full array of administrative and financial actions related to staff management, payments, and procurement to the team as well as CRC and CLCPRO commissions.
- Informing management and team members of process, procedures and timeframes to secure administrative services needed for programme execution.
- GS focal point and GS coordinator.
Duty station: Rome
Tel: (+39) 06 570 50500
E-mail: [email protected]
Mr Benson Ekakitie
Office Assistant
Main tasks and responsibilities:
- Assist the Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA), support in arranging/organizing surveys, meetings and trainings, prepare TAs and TECs, visas and relevant clearances.
- Support in arranging/organizing surveys, meetings and trainings, prepare TAs and TECs, visas and relevant clearances.
- Perform a variety of administrative duties, raising and extension of contracts, raising PO and PRs, assist in official correspondence with donors, member countries and FAO field offices.
- Maintain the CCA locust website
Duty station: Rome
Tel: (+39) 06 570 54724
e-mail: [email protected]
Field Staff (CRC)
Mr Mamoon AlSarai AlAlawi
Executive Secretary of the Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region (CRC)
Main tasks and responsibilities:
- Coordinate operational, administrative and financial aspects of the CRC and implement the recommendations of the sessions.
- Encourage member countries to implement the preventive control strategy, provide technical and organizational assistance to the National Locust Control Units and the Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA).
- Collaborate with the two other Commissions (CLCPRO and SWAC).
Duty station: Cairo, Egypt
Tel: (+20) 2 33316018
e-mail: [email protected]
Ms Lidia Naguib Abdel Shahid
Administrative Assistant (Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region – CRC)
Main tasks and responsibilities:
- Coordinate logistical preparation of CRC Sessions/meeting/workshops/ training courses.
- Provide financial support and monitoring of contribution and expenditure.
- Provide the CRC Secretary with administrative assistance relating to the activities of the Commission.
Duty station: Cairo
Tel: (+20) 2 33316000
e-mail: [email protected]
Field Staff (CLCPRO)
Mr Mohamed Lemine Hamouny
Executive Secretary of the Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Western Region (CLCPRO)
Main tasks and responsibilities:
- CLCPRO: implementation of the Commission policies, supervision of technical and administrative activities, advocacy to decision makers for implementation and sustainability of the preventive control strategy.
- EMPRES Programme in the Western region: supervision of coordination and implementation of technical and administrative activities, advocacy to the donors to contribute to the Program funding.
Duty station: Algiers
Tel: (+213) 21 73 33 54
e-mail: [email protected]
Mr Hichem Dridi
Programme officer (Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Western Region – CLCPRO)
Main tasks and responsibilities:
- CLCPRO Secretary Activities: regional trainings, expertise missions, follow up of the activities and projects with partners; monitor the System of National Locust Control Mechanisms of the Locust Control Units (SVDN), the Monitoring and Evaluation System (SSE) and the Pesticide Stock Management System (PSMS).
- Desert Locust information: contribute to the development of Desert Locust information tools and provide technical support to the locust information officers in collaboration with DLIS.
- UNDSS: focal point for CLCPRO and FAOR Algeria.
Duty station: Algiers
Tel: (+213) 6 67 82 62 04
e-mail: [email protected]
Mr Khaled Moumene
Agricultural consultant (Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Western Region – CLCPRO)
Main tasks and responsibilities:
- Provide technical support on monitoring the locust situation in the Western Region and in the implementation of regional training and research plans.
- Provide analysis of data from the Monitoring and Evaluation System of activities.
- Contribute to the implementation of the CLCPRO Communication Plan.