FAO Near East regional conference convening in Sana’a [Archives:2006/928/Front Page]
By:Amel Al-Ariqi
SANA'A, March 12 ) The means of controlling trans-boundary animal diseases, positive and negative impacts of genetic crops, Near East region fisheries and drought mitigation are all critical issues being discussed at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 28th Near East Regional Conference.
The March 12-16 conference convening in Sana'a began yesterday with a meeting of senior agricultural officials from 23 member countries, in addition to observers and international organizations.
Throughout the conference, members will discuss several agenda topics such as redrafting laws organizing marketing systems to meet new economic and social changes, as well as modernizing the means of monitoring quality.
Participating members also will report on agricultural conditions in their countries and investment in the region's agricultural development, as well as the private sector's role. Additionally, they will debate on a pre-selected pressing issue in the region, which is the implication of recent developments in the global and regional trading environment for food security and agricultural development in the Near East.
In this regard, Prime Minister Abdul-Qader Ba-Jammal held talks Saturday with FAO general director and regional representative, Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Berthini. Talks focused on mutual cooperation between Yemen and the FAO in fields of food security, agricultural and fishery development. According to Saba News Agency, they also discussed FAO participation in preparing special studies on the fertilizer industry and marketing fishery and agricultural products.
The 28th conference was preceded by a session of the Near East Agriculture and Land Water Use Commission (ALWUC), which convened in Sana'a March 7-9. Fourteen participating Near East region states attended, as well as observers from other countries and regional and international organizations.
The commission discussed several matters including a report on FAO action to implement ALWUC's third session recommendations.
Additionally, participants reviewed two documents dealing with the Near East region's top priority issues: plant protection and a plant quarantine system to enhance plant health and food safety and promote agricultural exports, and ways to improve agricultural water productivity.
The FAO General Conference established ALWUC as a statutory body open to all Near East region countries, as well as observers from outside the region and concerned regional and international organizations. The commission's objective is to serve as a regional forum for identifying and discussing priority issues and responding to member countries' specific needs.
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