FAO Regional Conference for the Near East (NERC38)
Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, Senior Officers’ Meeting: 24 – 26 March 2026, Ministerial Meeting: 21 April, Regional Food Forum: 22 April
About The Conference
The FAO Regional Conference for the Near East (NERC), established in 1948 in Cairo, is FAO’s statutory governing body for the region. In accordance with Rule XXXV of the General Rules of the Organization, it provides a forum for consultation on regional priorities within FAO’s mandate, informs programme and budget planning, reviews performance, and reports to the FAO Council and FAO Conference. It meets once every biennium.
The 38th Session (NERC 38) will review 2024–2025 results and set priorities for the next biennium, focusing on resilient and climate-smart agrifood systems, desertification and drought, supply chains, bioeconomy and circular innovations, financing and resilience. It aims to provide clear regional guidance and strengthen partnerships to advance sustainable agrifood systems and food security in line with FAO’s Strategic Framework and the 2030 Agenda.
The 38th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for the Near East (NERC38)
NERC38 Sessions
Virtual Event
Analytical Support Tools for Evidence-Based Agrifood Systems Policies: Insights from the FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa
26/03/2026
This session will present the analytical support provided by the FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa (RNE) under...
Virtual Event
Global Partnership Programme for Transboundary Animal Diseases (GPPTAD): A Call to Collective Action
25/03/2026
Transboundary animal diseases (TADs), including avian influenza, African swine fever, footandmouth disease, lumpy skin disease, Rift...
Virtual Event
Strengthening Plant Health Systems to Safeguard Crop Heritage and Agrobiodiversity in the NENA Region
24/03/2026
The Near East and North Africa (NENA) region has exceptional agrobiodiversity and valuable crop genetic resources that...
Agenda Highlights
Regional Priorities
News
FAO Senior Officers’ Meeting strengthens regional commitment to sustainable agrifood systems
28/03/2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concluded the Senior Officers’ Preparatory Meeting of the 38th Session of the FAO...
Senior Officers’ Meeting kicks off Thirty-eighth Regional Conference for the Near East
25/03/2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) yesterday convened the Senior Officers’ Meeting (SOM) of the Thirty-eighth Session...
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Gaza Strip: FAO scales up conditional cash assistance to 1 000 more farmers, calls for liberalization of private sector imports of agricultural inputs
25/03/2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today scaled up conditional cash assistance to support reactivation of local crop...
FAO and Japan support strengthening laboratory analytical capacities for sustainable soil management
23/03/2026
The availability of reliable soil data constitutes a fundamental technical basis for informing agricultural policies...
FAO Highlights Near East and North Africa Priorities at the Global Plant Health Meeting
13/03/2026
The Regional Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for the Near East and North Africa participated in the 20th...
FAO Near East and North Africa marks International Women’s Day 2026 with regional webinar highlighting women farmers
10/03/2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in the Near East and North Africa commemorated International Women’s Day 2026 with a...
FAO and Ministry of Water Resources Inaugurate Model Projects to Enhance Irrigation Water Use Efficiency
17/02/2026
Amid growing climate challenges and increasing water scarcity in Iraq, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Iraq,...
MoA, FCDO and FAO commit to transforming the agri-food system of Syria
16/02/2026
The National Agriculture Strategy of the Syrian Arab Republic 2026-2030 will capitalize on agriculture as the country’s...
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Technical consultations set the stage for the 38th Session of FAO Near East Regional Conference
10/02/2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) convened a Regional Consultative Technical Meeting (RCTM) this week as part of the...
FAO convenes stakeholders in Cairo to validate prototype regional dashboard on healthy diets and sustainable agrifood systems in NENA
09/02/2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) convened a two-day Stakeholder Validation Exercise in Cairo on 4-5 February 2026 to...
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FAO Launches Regional Project to Green Agroforestry Economies through Non-Wood Forest Products
03/02/2026
Hammamet, Tunisia 29 January 2026, FAO officially launched the two-year regional project Greening Agroforestry Economies Strengthening Non-Wood Forest...
CRC, CLCPRO and FAO conclude advanced regional drone use training programme in Oman
02/02/2026
The Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region (CRC) and the Commission for Controlling...
Strengthening cooperation and capacity for fisheries management in the Mediterranean
30/01/2026
Fisheries scientists and managers from across the Near East and North Africa will gather in Alexandria, Egypt this month for a regional workshop aimed...
FAO Commissions Launch First Regional Drone Pilot Training Programme for Desert Locust Control Operations in Oman
26/01/2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), through the Desert Locust Control Commission in the Central Region (CRC) and the...
Building a Shared Vision for Sustainable Rangelands and Pastoral Communities in the Near East and North Africa
26/01/2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership with the Directorate General of Forests of the Ministry of Agriculture,...
Multimedia
Recent reports
Food policy monitoring in the Near East and North Africa region, 1st Quarter 2026 | Bulletin Empowering youth
2026
Global food markets showed slight recovery in early 2026, but ongoing geopolitical tensions and climate variability continue to pose risks to food security,...
Global Agrifood Implications of the 2026 Conflict in the Middle East Impacts on energy and fertilizer trade, and food security
2026
The escalation of conflict in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Middle East has sharply increased risks to global energy, fertilizer, and agrifood...
Agricultural Inputs and Commodity Price Bulletin in the Syrian Arab Republic November 2025– Issue #47
2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the Syrian Arab Republic monitors agricultural inputs and food commodity markets and releases the "Monthly...
Food policy monitoring in the Near East and North Africa region, 4th Quarter 2025 | Bulletin Building resilience to drought
2025
Global food markets remained broadly stable in late 2025, with the FAO Food Price Index easing slightly in November and staying below last year’s level....
Practical guide for the management of native tree and shrub nurseries in Saudi Arabia
2025
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) of Saudi Arabia have...
Mapping and proposal of action plan to promote investment for the transformation of agrifood systems in the Near East and North Africa region
2025
The transformation of agrifood systems in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region is critical to addressing food security, environmental sustainability,...
Near East and North Africa – Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2025 Statistics and trends
2025
The 2025 Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition reveals a stark deterioration in food security across the Arab States in 2024, where hunger...
Regional mapping of anticipatory action capacities in the Near East and North Africa agricultural sector
2025
The Near East and North Africa (NENA) region faces a growing number of complex, overlapping and compounding hazards that are undermining livelihoods,...
Gaza Strip: Time-critical support to farming households to help reactivate local agrifood production and restore conflict-affected livelihoods Project profile, October 2025
2025
With funding from the Occupied Palestinian Territory Humanitarian Fund, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is supporting...
Food policy monitoring in the Near East and North Africa region, 3rd Quarter 2025 | Bulletin Financing the transformation of agrifood systems for food security and nutrition
2025
The Near East and North Africa (NENA) region faces a fragile food security landscape, shaped by inequality, conflict, climate extremes, and price volatility....
Empowering women in Egypt's livestock and dairy subsectors A gender-transformative approach to climate resilience and economic inclusion
2025
This report, titled Empowering women in Egypt's livestock and dairy subsectors – A gender-transformative approach to climate resilience and economic...
Food safety and quality in the Near East and North Africa Mapping drivers, challenges and imperatives
2025
The FAO RNE has developed a comprehensive report that maps the food safety and quality landscape across the NENA region. Utilizing the One Health Approach...
Agricultural value chain assessment in Iraq 2024
2025
The objective of this report is to show the results of the overall programmatic food systems or value chain approach used, complementing the individual...
Reimagining sustainable returns on investment for planet and people A Near East and North Africa regional approach to ecosystem restoration and development solutions - White paper
2025
This white paper presents a strategic response to the environmental, social, and economic "poly-crisis" affecting the Near East and North Africa (NENA)...
Support economic growth through optimized agricultural value chains in the West Bank
2025
From 2016 to 2025, FAO supported 22 000 small-scale farming families in the West Bank—35 percent women—through a USD 19.9 million project aimed at boosting...
Dunum by Dunum With support from Canada, FAO has developed a model for optimizing agricultural value chains and transforming the West Bank agrifood sector
2025
We are summarizing the achievements of the Canada 406 project after nine years of operation. Now that the project has come to an end, we have designed...
FAO's four priorities - Regional office for the Near East and North Africa
2025
The Near East and North Africa (NENA) region is undergoing rapid transformation defined by both pressing challenges and emerging opportunities. From...
Food policy monitoring in the Near East and North Africa region, 2nd Quarter 2025 | Bulletin Digital solutions for small-scale farmers in the NENA region: opportunities and challenges
2025
In the second quarter of 2025, the food security situation in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region remained fragile due to ongoing conflict,...
2024 Highlights Report Regional office for the Near East and North Africa
2025
The Near East and North Africa (NENA) region continues to face complex and interlinked challenges, calling for coordinated efforts and targeted investments....