FAO Regional Conference for the Near East (NERC38)
Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, Senior Officers’ Meeting: 24 – 26 March 2026. Rome, Italy, Ministerial Meeting: 20 April, 2026
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
West Bank: FAO and Denmark announce scaleup in conditional cash assistance for crop cultivation to 2 400 Palestinian youth farmers
12/08/2026
Approximately 2 400 youth-led farming families in the West Bank have begun receiving conditional cash assistance to support cultivation of thousands...
FAO webinar highlights youth leadership in forestry and rangeland management across NENA and the Mediterranean
12/08/2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) convened a webinar to mark International Youth Day under the theme Different Contexts,...
Together, towards a sustainable food production value chain
27/07/2026
Syria is not starting from zero; it is starting from resilience. But resilience alone is not a development strategy. A functioning agrifood economy...
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Food security and child nutrition crises persist in Gaza despite fragile gains due to increased humanitarian assistance and commercial traffic
26/07/2026
New analysis released today shows improvements in food security and child nutrition across the Gaza Strip. However, the United Nations cautioned that...
West Bank: Ministry of Agriculture, FAO and Pandemic Fund partner to carry out emergency vaccination campaign against foot-and-mouth disease in livestock
22/07/2026
The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) has acquired nearly 50 000 FMD SAT 1 vaccine doses as part of a campaign against foot-and-mouth disease...
FAO empowers youth and women to advance cooperative development across the Near East and North Africa
21/07/2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) strengthened the capacities and leadership of youth and women in cooperative development...
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Gaza Strip: Scaleup in FAO’s conditional cash for farmers projected to help feed 100 000 people over the next year
16/07/2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) scaled up its conditional cash assistance program to support a total of 1 500 small-scale...
FAO and Sudan sign new Country Programming Framework to support agricultural recovery, resilience and food security
11/07/2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of the Sudan today signed
FAO convenes regional technical session to advance inclusion in agrifood systems across the Near East and North Africa
08/07/2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa convened a regional technical session...
FAO launches new online course to strengthen food safety capacities across the Near East and North Africa
30/06/2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has launched bilingual online course "Fundamentals of Food Safety in the...
Bridging regions, sharing solutions: Near East experience strengthens Latin America’s response to the Red Palm Weevil
25/06/2026
Rome/Cairo/Buenos Aires – Experts from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the Near East and North Africa (NENA), Europe and...
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Mediterranean countries strengthen joint action against transboundary animal diseases and emerging health threats
24/06/2026
Representatives from Mediterranean countries, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organization for Animal...
A Cup That Connects Cultures, Supports Livelihoods and Represents Hospitality: Celebrating International Tea Day
23/06/2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has hosted a vibrant celebration of International Tea Day, in collaboration with the...
FAO launches regional capacity development series to strengthen measurement and action on food loss and waste in the Near East and North Africa
22/06/2026
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa (RNE) has launched today its regional...
Multimedia
Recent reports
Hatchery, nursery and grow-out techniques for the flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus)
2026
This technical manual provides practical guidance on the hatchery production of the flathead grey mullet, Mugil cephalus, a high-value, low-trophic...
Voices of cooperators: A collective journey through the agrifood systems in the Near East and North Africa
2026
Voices of cooperators: A collective journey through the agrifood systems in the Near East and North Africa region brings together first-person stories...
The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2026 Blue Transformation: turning vision into impact
2026
The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2026 provides the latest evidence-based information and insights on challenges, opportunities and solutions...
Case study on the Digital Villages Initiative in Mauritania A potential scaling model towards rural digitalization
2026
Mauritania is entering a new phase in the digital transformation of its agrifood systems. Following a February 2026 mission by FAO’s Regional Priority...
Empowering small-scale farmers through digital innovation: Insights from the Near East and North Africa region
2026
The report Empowering small-scale farmers through digital innovation: Insights from the Near East and North Africa region examines how digital technologies...
Food policy monitoring in the Near East and North Africa region, 2nd Quarter 2026 | Bulletin The effect of conflict on the region’s food systems
2026
Global food commodity markets remained relatively stable during the second quarter of 2026, despite heightened underlying pressures stemming from higher...
Good practices for emergency preparedness, response and resilience in the Near East and North Africa region
2026
This brochure presents 14 good practices for emergency preparedness, response and resilience in projects implemented across the Near East and North...
Intercropping through conditional cash assistance in the West Bank Expanding food and fodder production on underutilized agricultural land
2026
Cultivable land in the West Bank remains significantly underutilized, particularly in olive orchards where low planting density leaves large areas available...
Innovating rural advisory services in the Arab region: A compendium of practices
2026
Innovating rural advisory services in the Arab region: A compendium of practices showcases innovative experiences that demonstrate how rural advisory...
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Meeting report on training and sensitizing communication practitioners Antibicrobial resistance (AMR) reporting and risk communication, August 13–14, 2025
2026
This report documents the proceedings and outcomes of a two-day technical workshop held on August 13-14, 2025, designed to train and sensitize communication...
Advancing sustainable locust management Central region annual report 2025
2026
This report provides a comprehensive and systematic overview of the technical activities, training programmes, workshops and field operations implemented...
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....
Strategic dialogue on cooperative development for rural and agrifood systems transformation in the Near East and North Africa region
2025
Agricultural cooperatives and other forms of collective action are key to addressing challenges faced by small-scale family farmers in the Near East...
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,...