Monday, 12 July 2021   |   11:00-13:30 (Cairo/Rome time)

BACKGROUND:

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development sets the stage for transforming our world through the achievement of 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity, and to strengthen universal peace. It recognizes that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. All countries and all stakeholders, acting in collaborative partnership, are called to implement this plan.

Transforming the world’s agri-food systems, the way we produce, process, distribute and consume food has been identified as one of the key avenues to achieving many targets of the 2030 Agenda. This means better production, better nutrition, and a better environment, for a better life.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Its goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active and healthy lives and that food is produced in a sustainable way. With over 194 member states, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide. The FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa (NENA) supports the 19 countries of the region in achieving these goals.

Agenda

OPENING

Introductory remarks by QU Dongyu - FAO Director-General (15 minutes)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

HRH Prince Naif Bin Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Kabeer - Chairman Al-Marai Group (15 minutes)

PANEL DISCUSSION #1:

How can public-private engagements provide large-scale solutions for addressing regional priorities and achieving the SDGs in the Near East and North Africa Region (45 minutes)

MODERATOR:

Beth Bechdol - Deputy Director General of FAO

THE PANEL IS COMPOSED OF:

HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud - Founder and Chief Executive Oficer, KBW Ventures - Founding Chairman, KBW Investments

Ayman Amin Sejiny - CEO/General Manager-Islamic Corporation for the development of the Private Sector - Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)

Soud Ba'alawy - Executive Chairman Enspire (DIFC) Ltd.

Alzbeta Klien - CEO/Director-General, International Fertilizer Association (IFA)

Peter Bakker - CEO, World Business Council for Sustainable Development

Questions and answers (15 minutes)

PANEL DISCUSSION #2

Green and inclusive technologies and investments in Agriculture – what is the potential? (45 minutes)

MODERATOR:

Ismahane El Ouafi - Chief Scientist, FAO

THE PANEL IS COMPOSED OF:

Beatrice Maser - Regional Director of IFC for MENA Region

YousefHamidaddin- CEO, AgriTech Accelerator (Jordan)

Moez El-Shohdi - President of the Food Banking Regional Network Reggie Lee - Director of Partnerships, Grow Asia Association Chandra Singh - Director Business Development, Elite Agro

Questions and answers (15 minutes)

CLOSING

Closing remarks by AbdelHakim Elwaer - Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative of FAO’s Near East and North Africa Regional Ofice (RNE) (10 Minutes)

Languages: Simultaneous translation in Arabic, English and French.

Registration link: https://fao.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_c5oaaqyjRg26p0W6aHmXHA

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