Food Secure Arab World Conference

A technical paper written by a team of experts from FAO, WFP, and UNDP with comments and input from WHO, UNOCHA, UNICEF, and AOAD. An international consultant was responsible for the overall editing and process facilitation. 

Focus: review of the socio-economic status of households in countries bordering the southern basin of the Mediterranean (Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, oPt, Syria, Tunisia) plus Jordan. 

The sub-region depends significantly on imports , while local production of fresh and nutritious foods meets a large proportion of the domestic demand. 

Social protection is well-established but given the current vulnerability context, is set to be of even greater importance in the future.

Poverty is at the core of the food security problem in the sub-region. The poor spend anywhere from 35 to 65 percent of their income on food. 

Food security is predominantly an access issue in the sub-region.

Unemployment rates are high; despite high levels of urbanization the service industry is lagging behind, and many people depend on informal jobs. 

The potential of the rural and off-farm economy is not fully exploited as an engine of growth. 

The negative sentiments in the global economy and uncertainty of the local socio-political environment will have impact on the sub-region’s investment climate. 

Over the past fifteen years, the sub-region has made significant progress in reducing infant and child mortality but have achieved less homogeneous results in addressing child malnutrition.

hidden hunger is prevalent in the countries of the sub region especially for nutrients including Iron, Iodine, Zinc, Calcium, vitamin A, vitamin D etc.