FAO and the AOAD drive efforts for palm protection and red palm weevil control

Cairo, July 4, 2021- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today signed a letter of agreement with the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) to help achieve its regional strategic objectives. AOAD Director General His Excellency Ibrahim El Dukheri attended the signing.

The framework of cooperation between the two organizations will include several projects and studies in the region, including a study on the socio-economic impact of the red palm weevil and the damage that the pest causes to the palm sector in a number of countries. The first phase of the study will cover Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

The joint action will involve not only fighting the red palm weevil but also collecting data from the two countries to improve the strategy of combating the harmful pest in the other countries of the region.

During the signing ceremony, Abdul Hakim El Waer, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa, discussed with professor El Dukheri ways to work together within the framework of the new FAO initiative “One Country One Commodity”, which seeks to support each country’s focus on improving its output based on its most distinguished commodity.

The two sides also agreed to renew the existing memorandum of understanding between FAO and the AOAD and to draw a road map for cooperation between the two organizations to develop sustainable agriculture and food chains, with focus on supporting the One Health Program with regard to livestock and plant health. They agreed on a number of measures and projects to develop the cultivation of dates and olives in the Arab region

The new agreement between the two organizations aims to work #hand_in_hand to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and lay a foundation stone for regional action to achieve FAO’s four new sustainability initiatives within the framework of the 4 betters: better production, better nutrition, better environment and better life, without leaving anyone behind.