Regional workshop on agricultural statistics in the Near East and North Africa
Tuesday–Wednesday, 7–8 October 2025 (11:00 AM – 2:00 PM Cairo Time)
07/10/2025 - 08/10/2025
As part of Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) ongoing efforts to strengthen agricultural statistical systems in the region, FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa (RNE) is organizing a virtual workshop on 7 - 8 October 2025, bringing together senior focal points from National Statistical Offices and Ministries of Agriculture across Near East and North Africa (NENA) countries.
Workshop objectives
Review the current structure and functioning of national statistical systems in food and agriculture;
Identify key statistical gaps and challenges;
Discuss the type of support needed from the FAO Regional Statistician to enhance agricultural data collection, analysis, and dissemination;
Explore ways to improve reporting on relevant Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators;
Prepare for a regional workshop at the end of the year, where countries will present:
The current status of their agricultural statistical systems;
Existing data gaps;
Perspectives on improving statistical systems and data quality;
Plans for statistical activities for the 2026–2027 biennium, including priority areas for technical support and collaboration.
Agenda
Day 1 – Tuesday, 7 October 2025
Time | Title | Speaker |
Opening & Workshop objectives | ||
11:00 – 12:00 | Welcome remarks | Mr. Abdulhakim Elwaer (Assistant Director General and Regional Representative of the FAO RNE) |
Overview of workshop goals and structure | Mr. Firas Yassin (RNE Statistician) | |
Presentation “The importance of strengthening agricultural statistical systems in the region” | ||
Expected outcomes | ||
Review of National Agricultural Statistical Systems | ||
12:05 – 13:00 | Country Presentations Focus: Institutional arrangements; Coordination mechanisms; and Data flows | 2-3 countries (TBD) Moderator: Mr. Firas Yassin |
Q&A and reflections | ||
Identifying gaps and Support needs | ||
13:05 – 14:00 | Group discussion on statistical gaps and challenges | 2-3 countries (TBD) Moderator: Mr. Firas Yassin |
Sharing country experiences | ||
Discussion on technical assistance and priority areas for FAO support | ||
Day 2 – Wednesday, 8 October 2025
Time | Title | Speaker |
Improving SDG indicator reporting | ||
11:00 – 12:00 |
Overview of FAO’s SDG indicators in food and agriculture
| Mr. Firas Yassin (RNE Statistician) |
Reporting challenges and data gaps
| ||
Country experiences and best practices
| ||
Planning the End-of-Year Regional Workshop | ||
12:05 – 13:00 | Objectives, format and country contributions Agreement on structure, timeline and roles | Mr. Firas Yassin |
General discussion and voting | ||
Country Perspectives & Way Forward | ||
13:05 – 14:00 |
Preliminary ideas for end-of-year workshop presentations
| Mr. Firas Yassin |
Open discussion | ||
Closing remarks | Mr. Ahmad Mukhtar (RNE Senior Economist and Regional Priority Leader-OiC) | |