FAO participation in the Arab Forum on Sustainable Development 2025

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) played a prominent role at the Arab Forum for Sustainable Development (AFSD) 2025, held in Beirut this April. The event marked a strong demonstration of regional cooperation and commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The three-day Forum, organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA) in partnership with the League of Arab States and other UN agencies, convened a wide range of stakeholders under the theme "Restoring Hope, Raising Ambition”.

With just five years remaining until the 2030 deadline, the Forum provided a critical platform to evaluate progress amid the Arab region’s ongoing challenges—including protracted conflicts, rising poverty, deepening food insecurity, fiscal constraints, and the escalating impacts of climate change.

FAO's participation focused prominently on the critical role of women in agrifood systems throughout the Arab region, highlighting pathways toward gender equality in the sector.

Special Session: Reimaging the future of women in food systems

© UNESCWA

Co-organized by FAO, UNESCWA, the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) and the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, a special session, titled, "Re-imagining the future of women in food systems: harnessing science, technology, and partnership to advance the SDGs", featured on the second day of the Forum’s agenda.

Opening the session, FAO Representative in Lebanon, Veronica Quattrola, presented compelling data on gender disparities. Women in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region perform 4.7 times more unpaid care work than men—marking the highest female-to-male ratio globally. Despite their critical contributions to food security, women in the region own less than 7% of agricultural land. Ms. Quattrola emphasized the urgent need for policies promoting individual and joint land registration, raising awareness of land rights and access to community-based legal aid and enhancing women’s access to and leadership in local land institutions. She also highlighted the importance of increasing investments in sex- and age-disaggregated data to inform policies on women’s access to resources, nutrition, and climate resilience.

Raed Hattar, Deputy Director General of AOAD, underscored the importance of addressing the health, nutritional, economic, and social conditions of rural women, particularly amid ongoing regional crises. He emphasized the need to harness country-level partnerships to implement national action plans effectively.

Reem Nejdawi, Chief of the Food and Environment Policies Team at ESCWA, reinforced that closing gender gaps not only improves women’s well-being but also reduces hunger, boosts incomes, and strengthens community resilience.

Regional solutions

© UNESCWA

A dynamic panel moderated by FAO and UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, Senior Coordinator Khaled Eltweed featured women leaders from across the region who shared inspiring, on-the-ground examples of empowering women through agrifood systems:

• Dina Najjar, Gender Scientist and Research Coordinator at ICARDA, Morocco, addressed the gender digital divide, noting that limited access to technology restricts women’s productivity and economic opportunities.
• H.E. Inaya Ezzeddine, Member of the Lebanese Parliament, Chair of the Women & Children and 2030 Agenda Parliamentary Committees and National Food Systems Convener for Lebanon, outlined policy updates aimed at improving women’s access to resources and investing in women’s education and skills particularly on leadership and entrepreneurship, which are helping to build resilience and promote economic empowerment.
• Dounia Baroud El-Khoury, Founder and President of the Women's Association of Deir El Ahmar (WADA), Lebanon discussed women’s critical contributions to drought management and sustainable rural development, drawing on her experience and collaboration with Lebanon’s Ministry of Environment and FAO WeCaN Network.
• Samar Ahmed Abu Safia, Expert on Women’s Participation and Empowerment in Agriculture, Gaza, joined virtually to discuss the impact of conflict on women and highlighted the “Green Camps” project, which supports urban agriculture and food sovereignty among displaced families by helping them grow vegetables in campsites.
• Ms. Naema Abu Yahya, Greening the Desert Project, Jordan, presented the Permaculture Sustainable Livelihood Programme, which empowers rural women through training in sustainable agriculture, including innovative techniques like the chicken tractor system for integrated waste management, composting, and poultry production.

Cross-Cutting SDG Contribution

Beyond the special session, FAO played a key role in the SDG-specific thematic discussions aligned with this year’s High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) review, including:

SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), where FAO underscored the importance of investing in youth employment within agrifood systems through work-based learning, mentorship programs, peer support and market access initiatives. [Read statement] SDG 5 (Gender Equality), during which FAO highlighted that women’s secure access to land ownership was a priority for the NENA region, as it is an area where women remain significantly disadvantaged, undermining their income, well-being, and food security. It also highlighted how conflict and protracted crises further deepen food insecurity, disproportionately impacting women and girls. [Read statement] SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), where FAO advocated for an integrated One Health approach to prevent biological threats to animals, plants, and aquaculture, including zoonotic infections and antimicrobial resistance. [Read statement]

AFSD Knowledge Fair

At the AFSD Knowledge Fair, the FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa showcased its impactful work across the region through an interactive exhibition. The exhibit featured videos highlighting FAO’s initiatives, interactive stories powered by FAO data, and publications that spotlight good practices in areas such as gender equality, sustainable fisheries and more. Visitors also tested their knowledge with an informative quiz on FAO’s role in achieving the SDGs.