@FAO - Assistant Director-General and Regional representative Abdessalam OuldAhmed (archive)

05 May 2017, Rabat Morocco - The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in cooperation with the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) convened today the Food Security and Nutrition Session within the 2017 Arab Forum for Sustainable Development (AFSD). The Forum is assembled under the theme: “Advancing Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Eradicating Poverty and Promoting Prosperity in a Changing Arab Region”.
The Arab Forum for Sustainable Development is the primary regional mechanism for the review and follow up of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Arab Region.

It is observed that the Region continues to face numerous challenges in achieving food security and nutrition and in preserving its fragile natural resources base including shrinking freshwater resources, climate change, population growth, high dependence on imports and the impact of conflicts and crisis.

“The sustainable development goals provide new impetus for enhancing cooperation at national level among all stakeholders and at regional level” Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, FAO Assistant- Director General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa declared during the session. He called for collaboration, partnerships, and joined up commitments and actions) as “they are needed more than ever to eradicate hunger and malnutrition and advance the SDG2 in the Arab Region.”

The FAO Regional Office for Near East and North Africa and ESCWA, have joined efforts to support the implementation of the SDGs in the Arab countries, The two UN agencies are collaborating on addressing water scarcity and climate change and are working on a joint publication entitled: “ARAB HORIZON 2030: FOOD SECURITY-Prospects for Enhancing Food Security in the Arab Region”,

The publication provides recommendations and policy options to support member countries to achieve food security by 2030.

Mr. Ould Ahmed stated that “the Sustainable Development Goal to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture (SDG2) recognizes the inter-linkages among supporting sustainable agriculture, food security and reducing poverty”.

FAO plays a fundamental role in developing methods and standards for food and agricultural statistics, and in providing technical assistance that can help countries achieve the SDGs.

H.E Mohammad Bin Abdullah Al-Rumaihi, Minister of Municipality and Environment, Qatar and Ambassador Amira Gornass, CFS Chair were the keynote speakers in the Food Security and Nutrition Session of the 2017 Arab forum.