@fao rne Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, Mahmoud Solh and Pasquale Steduto during the meeting

April, 19, 2016 -- Mr. Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa, received Mr Mahmoud Solh, Director-General of the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), and Mr. Kamel Shadid, Assistant ICARDA Director-General for International Cooperation. Mr. Pasquale Steduto, FAO Deputy Regional Representative and FAO Representative in Egypt, attended the meeting.

During the meeting, both entities explored ways to enhance cooperation between the two organisations on several issues of mutual concern, especially on FAO's three initiatives in the Middle East and North Africa: The Water Scarcity initiative, Sustainable Small-scale agriculture for inclusive development, and Building resilience for enhanced food security and nutrition. They also discussed efforts to create innovative mechanisms and scientific research applications to confront potential drought risks.

"FAO and ICARDA share many objectives and work closely together to eradicate poverty and hunger," said Abdessalam Ould Ahmed. "We also cooperate to ensure improved food security through research and easily applicable technologies in the region, which has great capabilities and growth potential. Our cooperation helps address the growing challenges the region is facing."

For his part, Solh said that ICARDA will participate in the 33^rd session of the FAO Regional Conference for the Near East (NERC33), which will be held in Rome, Italy, from 9 to 13 May, 2016.