@fao rne Hussein Gadain

Cairo, 14 August 2016: The Egyptian office of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) announced its support for the Near East and North Africa Media Award for journalists raising awareness about food security, hunger and poverty eradication efforts. The award was recently announced as part of FAO's efforts to address these problems and promote awareness on major challenges facing the region. 

In April, the FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa (NENA) announced the launch of the first round of the award with the purpose of disseminating FAO’s message to the general public in the region through appealing in-depth news reports and features. The award seeks to highlight FAO’s achievements in its three Regional Initiatives on water scarcity, small-scale family farming  for inclusive development, and building resilience for food security and nutrition.

The Award also aims at increasing public awareness on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in relation to FAO’s mandate of ending poverty  and hunger and achieving food security and improved nutrition for all. and promote sustainable agriculture; (SDG6) ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all; (SDG7) ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all; (SDG12) ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns; (SDG14) conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development; (SDG15) protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. 

Dr. Hussein Gadain, FAO representative to Egypt, said: “FAO implements many activities and hold events as part of its efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger and achieve food security. Therefore, we urge and encourage all journalists in Egypt to apply for the award and submit contributions that underline these efforts as well as key issues serving the desired goals, such as agriculture, nutrition, fisheries, and the sustainable management of natural resources.”

He added: “In May, FAO concluded the 33rd Session of the Regional Conference for the Near East, during which many issues and challenges were discussed. The conference set a roadmap for the future of agriculture and food security in the region. Also, the Port State Measures Agreement on illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing came into force on June 5. All these hot topics should inspire journalists to produce creative contents that would help convey the message to the public in a simple way.”

Moreover, the award encourages creative communication through the 2016-2025 UN Decade of Action on Nutrition, adopted recently by the United Nations General Assembly and seen by FAO as a major step towards mobilising efforts to fight hunger and improve nutrition worldwide.

Journalists can participate individually or collectively by directly contacting and coordinating with FAO’s Regional Communication Office (RNE), which will act as a secretariat of the award.

Journalists can submit contributions to the biennia competition in Arabic, French, or English. The winner will be announced in September 2016. In the first round, the award will be presented during the celebrations of the upcoming World Food Day 2016, themed “climate is changing; food and agriculture must too”, on October 16.

The award’s jury will consist of renowned journalists and FAO staff.

Interested journalists can contact the secretariat of the award via email

[email protected].