FAO launches first Virtual Regional Consultative Technical Meeting

1 July 2020, Cairo, Egypt – The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched today the first of a series of Virtual Regional Consultative Technical Meetings (RCTM) in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region.

The RCTM is convened in anticipation of the 35^th session of the FAO Regional Conference for the Near East (NERC), to discuss the region’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on agriculture and food security. The meetings will define the manner in which member states, together with FAO and concerned partner institutions, can collectively contribute towards mitigating the pandemic’s impact on the countries of the region.

“During this regional consultative meeting, we will discuss both the challenges, opportunities for recovery and for building back better our food system on the principles of inclusiveness and sustainability, focusing on four major thematic: trade, value chains and resilience,” said Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for NENA, during the meeting.

“The results of our meeting are expected to be brought to the attention of the ministers of agriculture at the Near East Regional Conference,” he added.

Today’s meeting highlighted the impact of Covid-19 on food imports and exports in the region and opportunities for intraregional trade.

With attendance of 320 participants from 29 countries, the meeting was opened by Dr. Ahmed AlBakri, Undersecretary for Agriculture at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in the Sultanate of Oman and with the participation of Dr. Yussuf Jhail, Chairperson of the Near East Regional Group and Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for NENA.

The meetings will run over the course of 4 days, each focusing on a different theme:

1 July 2020 – Managing trade as a key element of the region’s food security strategies 

2 July 2020 – Protecting and enhancing agriculture and local value chains

15 July 2020 – Building resilience to multiple shocks – addressing Covid-10 in fragile contexts

23 July 2020 – Building back better: shaping the response

The recommendations and the way forward agreed upon will be announced once the RCTMs have been concluded.