“Transforming Food Systems to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals” the theme for the 35th FAO Regional Conference for the Near East, presented by the Sultanate of Oman. A new Ministerial Declaration was endorsed, after debating on innovative policy solutions where 30 FAO Members along with delegates from civil society, academia, the private sector and partner organizations.
The historical Ministerial Declaration was supported by the Ministers from the Near East and North Africa (NENA). This Declarations jelled a bedrock to stabilize the association throughout the regions to provide a deep-rooted result when it comes to food and agricultural challenges and also aims to recover from impacts from Covid-19 and food system transformation.
The Ministerial Declaration puts the spotlight on how the government, private sectors, communities and civil society’s works hand in hand can together take care of poverty and hunger, establish on healthy dietary practices among all and focus on issues like climate change, water scarcity and cross-border infections and pests. It perceives the call to prepare support financially and technically and participation in funding innovations and investments in water management, agriculture, food value chains and associations that will lead towards these solutions.
General QU Dongyu – the FAO Director-General, in the Regional Conference mentioned four important aspects which will jump start agricultural transformation, inflame the growth of the economy and revolutionize the food system of the region. Well-constructed policies will give birth to a permissive environment, new innovations in processes and agricultural in takes, investments targeting public and private sectors and important agricultural activities.
The Near East and North Africa has recognized the gravity of fishers and farmers from a small-scale families, the women playing a vital role in the food value chain and the demand for employment opportunities in agriculture for the youth.
