The situation in Gaza, coupled with protracted crises in Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, is of "great concern," the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, said Monday as he addressed the 37th session of the FAO Regional Ministerial Conference for the Near East and North Africa (NENA).

The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, was received today in Amman by His Majesty Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. 

H.E. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, received the Director-General of FAO, QU Dongyu, in Cairo.

QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), made a field visit to one of FAO’s projects to empower rural women in Sheikh Masoud village about 200 kilometers south of Cairo. 

The Mediterranean region – represented by Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and Türkiye – has today been named one of seven new UN World Restoration Flagships under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration in recognition of country efforts to restore degraded ecosystems.

Conflict and hunger are inextricably linked to one another. Conflict often leads to severe humanitarian crises, resulting in heightened levels of hunger in specific regions. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) plays a crucial role in addressing these challenges, often operating on the front lines alongside other UN and stakeholder partners to preserve lives and livelihoods.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) has received concurrence from the Member States on the Programme Priorities for the 2024-25 biennium, focused on accelerating the transformation of  regional agrifood systems to ach...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Global Forum on Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS), have launched today the Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS), working towards the acceleration of Rural Advisory Services (RAS) and inclusive and sustainable rural transformation.

“Today, FAO and the private sector have a shared goal – to explore innovative, scalable, and sustainable solutions for the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region,” said Beth Bechdol, FAO Deputy Director-General, during an interactive dialogue held today by FAO with key private sector players to collaborate, share insights, and collectively shape the future of agrifood systems in the region.  

Prior to the Ministerial Segment of the 37th session of the Near East Regional Conference (NERC37), FAO is organizing an interactive dialogue with the private sector on “Engaging the Private Sector in Accelerating Agrifood Systems Transformation in the Near East and North Africa”.

Amman, Jordan 4-5 March 2024
The importance of transforming agrifood systems to embed more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable systems that promote better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development (EAPD) have signed today a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening efforts in promoting south-south and triangular cooperation (SSTC) to boost the transformation of agrifood systems, improve food security, and support the global efforts towards the 2030 Sustainable Agenda.

The last quarterly bulletin in 2023 focuses on the critical importance of increased investments in the transformation of regional agrifood systems. FAO was a strategic partner in organizing the 2023 World Investment Forum in Abu Dhabi last October, with nine sessions dedicated to the theme “Investing in Transforming Agrifood Systems”.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is deeply alarmed by the deteriorating food security situation in the Gaza Strip, where the entire population of about 2.2 million people is now facing acute hunger, according to a new report published on Thursday by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) global initiative.

AFRAS is dedicated to promoting networking, cross learning, experience sharing and knowledge management on extension and rural advisory services (RAS) in the Arab region. The forum is envisaged to operate under the umbrella of the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS), hence joining the array of existing regional networks of RAS across the globe. 

FAO organized the technical meeting to strengthen national capacities for surveillance and managing the cactus cochineal in the Mediterranean region, as well as the general meeting of the FAO-ICARDA International Technical Network on Cactus (CactusNet) in Marrakesh, Morocco, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and forests, Morocco, and the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. 

A new study from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Investment Centre in collaboration with the World Bank and launched during a virtual event today, unveils a variety of climate-smart policy actions and investment options set to shape Egypt's agrifood system's future.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) sounds the alarm about the escalating food security crisis in the Sudan, urging immediate and collective action to avert an impending humanitarian catastrophe.

During a dedicated COP28 side event, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched a new study on the links between Climate change, migration and rural adaptation in the Near East and North Africa region. The study provides an evidence base for policymakers and practitioners working across the Near East and North Africa (NENA), by reviewing and synthetizing empirical evidence on the climate-migration-adaptation nexus in the region.

According to the report, the number of undernourished people was 59.8 million in 2022, or 12.9 percent of the population, well above the world average of 9.2 percent. This represents a 75.9 percent increase since 2000. Hunger was the highest in low-income countries and the least developed Arab countries, where almost every third person suffered from undernutrition. Undernourishment in conflict countries was almost four times higher than in non-conflict countries.