FAO strengthens regional cooperation on pest surveillance and early warning in NENA region

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), through its Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa, convened the first meeting of the Regional Technical Panel on Pest Surveillance, Monitoring and Early Warning, which held online, and brought together national experts to discuss the panel's role, working arrangements and approach to assessing national capacities and priorities in pest surveillance and early warning.

The panel comprises 27 nominated experts from 13 countries and is one of five technical panels established to support the implementation of the Near East and North Africa Plant Health Strategy 2025–2035. It provides a platform for countries to share technical expertise, address common challenges, and identify areas where regional cooperation can support national plant health systems.

Plant pests continue to threaten agricultural production and food security across the region. Their spread across borders, together with changing climatic conditions, makes reliable surveillance and early warning increasingly important. Detecting pest threats early, collecting accurate information and communicating findings in time are essential to help countries take appropriate preventive and control measures.

Understanding national capacities and identifying priorities

During the meeting, members were introduced to the proposed national assessment framework, which covers five areas: institutional arrangements and technical capacities; general surveillance and specific pest surveys; pest data management and use; early detection, warning and communication; and regional cooperation and information exchange.

The assessment will look at how countries plan and conduct pest surveys, manage and use surveillance data, and verify and communicate information on emerging pest threats. It will also consider the application of relevant International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs), institutional coordination and the resources needed to maintain effective national surveillance systems.

Rather than focusing only on whether systems and procedures are in place, the assessment will examine how they function in practice. This will help countries identify their strengths, gaps and priority needs, providing a clearer basis for national improvements and regional cooperation.

“Early detection is only useful when countries can act on the information they collect. We need to understand how national surveillance systems work in practice, where the gaps are, and what can be improved,” said Yosra Ahmed, Agriculture Specialist (Plant Protection) at FAO's Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa. “The panel will help us identify national priorities and areas where countries can benefit from working together, so that regional actions respond to their actual needs.”

From national assessments to regional action

The panel's work forms part of the implementation of the Near East and North Africa Plant Health Strategy 2025–2035, endorsed during the high-level meeting held in Bari, Italy, in May 2025. The Strategy provides a common framework for countries to strengthen plant health capacities and cooperation in addressing current and emerging pest threats.

Following the first meeting, panel members will review the proposed assessment tool and coordinate with relevant national institutions to support a consolidated assessment of their countries' capacities and needs.

The findings will be discussed through subsequent panel meetings to identify shared priorities and areas where regional cooperation can offer practical support, including improvements in surveillance approaches, pest information management and early warning.

This work will feed into the regional workshop scheduled to take place in Amman, Jordan, from 13 to 15 December 2026, where national priorities and proposed interventions will be further discussed to inform the development of the Regional Plant Health Action Plan.

The process is expected to provide a clearer picture of surveillance and early warning capacities across participating countries and help shape practical regional actions based on identified national needs.