The Regional Office for the Near East of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, (FAO) will officially launch Nerakin-RAIS (Near East Rural and Agricultural Knowledge and Information Network – Regional Agricultural Information System) Regional Network during the 11th General Conference of the Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East and North Africa (AARINENA), which will be hosted by H.E. the Minister of Agriculture & Agrarian Reform, Syria from 12-14 October 2008. 

The General conference will be attended by the Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative of FAO/RNE, Director of International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) Chair and twenty four high level of National Agriculture Research System (NARS) delegates in addition to 40 representatives from inter-regional fora counterparts organizations in Africa and Asia regions and European Research Area - Agricultural Research for Development international organizations. 

Nerakin-RAIS is a platform for knowledge sharing and collaboration for development as an initiative initiated, developed and facilitated by FAO. 

The main objective of the Network is to strengthen the capacity of the Ministries of Agriculture and Agricultural and Rural Research Institutions for effective information management and knowledge exchange in support of rural and agricultural development in the Near East and North Africa Region. 

Nerakin-RAIS is now accessible on http://www.nerakin.net . It has a regional gateway and national portal for rural and agricultural knowledge and information for seventeen countries in the Near East and North Africa Region.