FAO signs statement on the Urgent Need to Address Food Security Challenges in the Arab Region

13 October 2022, Cairo, Egypt – “The signing of this statement is an extension of the long-term partnership between Members States of the Arab Initiative to End Hunger, which seeks to advance joint efforts to achieve zero hunger in the region,” said Abdulhakim Elwaer, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa.

This statement came today during the signing of the statement on the Urgent Need to Address Food Security Challenges in the Arab Region, which took place in the League of Arab States in Cairo, Egypt.

Members of the Arab Initiative to End Hunger signed the statement, which include the League of Arab States (LAS), the Food and Agriculture Organization Regional Office for North Africa and the Near East (FAO-RNE); the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA); the World Food Programme(WFP) Regional Bureau Cairo; the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Regional Office in Egypt; the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD); the Arab Center for the studies of Arid zones and Dry lands (ACSAD); the Arab Water council (AWC); the Arab Federations for Food Industries (ARABFFI); the Food Bank Regional Network (FBRN); and the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN).

“I commend the great effort made by the Member States of the Arab Initiative to End Hunger, which is the culmination of a successful partnership to support the Zero Hunger Initiative that has gotten us here today as we sign this important statement,” said Nada El Agizy, Director of Sustainable Development and International Cooperation in the League of Arab States.

“We recognize the food security challenges facing countries in the Arab region as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing Ukraine crisis further worsening the food security situation in the region,” added Elwaer, highlighting main points in the statement.

The statement also highlights the exacerbating impact of climate change on the already stressed agricultural resources, particularly water, which are negatively affecting lives and livelihoods.

Member States are called upon to take several short-term actions, including strengthening social protection and safety nets to provide food and other assistance to the most vulnerable, providing direct support to boost food production for critical staple commodities, and engaging with different stakeholders in the design and implementation of shock response measures.

The statement also called Member States to adopt “The Arab Regional Strategic Framework and Action Plan for Zero Hunger,” which emphasizes enhancing agriculture and water productivity to at least double its yields by 2030, promoting integrated rural development to close the urban-rural gap, promoting a strategic shift towards healthier, affordable, and more sustainable diets, and achieving lasting peace and mitigating the effects of conflicts.

FAO and the Arab League are working collaboratively on several regional challenges, such as water scarcity, drought management and achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal 2.