The Regional Office for the Near East of the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO/RNE) will organize in collaboration with the Libyan Agricultural Research Centre a regional workshop on Weed Risk Assessment. 

The workshop will take place at Al Bayda, Libya from 22-25 March 2009, with the participation of thirteen member countries of the Near East Region: Egypt, Algeria, Eritrea, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and Yemen. 

The workshop aims at informing the participants about the new FAO procedures on weed risk assessment and post-entry weed risk management as tools for plant protection in their respective countries. The participants will carry out some practical exercises within the frame of the workshop and will have the opportunity to exchange information and views about exotic plants and weeds that were introduced in their countries in the past. 

The 4-day workshop will include presentations on the weed assessment in each of the participating member countries, followed by discussions, in addition to the International convention for reducing the pest problems and role of plant quarantine. Lectures will also be given on the interactions between biological, environmental and social factors, and the potential invasiveness of a weed in a new environment, and how these factors should be incorporated to weed risk assessment and limitations for prediction of such a model.