Twenty-Fifth FAO Regional Conference for the Near East (NERC)

20/03/2000-24/03/2000

The Twenty-Fifth FAO Regional Conference for the Near East was held at the Conference Hall of LeMeridien Commodore Hotel at Al-Hamra area in Beirut, Lebanon, from 20 to 24 March 2000 at the kind invitation of the Government of Lebanon.

The FAO Regional Conference for the Near East is held once every two years, in the years in which the FAO General Conference does not meet in regular session. The attendance of the Regional Conference is usually, at Ministers of Agriculture level. Observers from countries outside the Region, international, regional and Arab Organizations are also invited to the Conference.

The functions of the Regional Conference are to hold consultations at a high level, to identify the special problems of the Region and the priority areas which could be taken into account in preparing the Programme of Work and Budget for the next biennium, and the long term programme of the Organization. Furthermore, the agricultural and food situation of the region would be reviewed with the objectives of arriving at group harmonize actions and recommendations for improvements in food security and sustainable development of agriculture at national, sub-regional and regional levels.

The Regional Conference may make recommendations on priority subjects and expressed needs for technical assistance in agricultural and rural development in the region to Member Nations in the Region, to FAO Conference and Council, to the FAO Regional Office and FAO technical departments.