The United Arab Emirates will chair the 38th session of the Food and Agriculture Organisation Regional Conference for the Near East, hosting a key ministerial meeting on April 21 in Al Ain, as the region confronts mounting food security and sustainability challenges.
The conference, held alongside the second Emirates Agriculture Conference and Exhibition, underscores the UAE’s growing role in shaping sustainable agricultural and food systems across the Near East and North Africa. Operating under the theme “Innovating for Transforming Agrifood Systems,” the event aims to align regional priorities and strengthen cooperation over the next two years.
More than 200 representatives gathered for the Senior Officers’ Preparatory Meeting, chaired by Mohammed Saeed Al Nuaimi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment. The session focused on strengthening supply chains, diversifying food sources, improving logistics, and advancing innovation to boost resilience.
Al Nuaimi highlighted the increasing strain on food systems driven by climate change, water scarcity, land limitations, and geopolitical pressures, calling for coordinated and swift responses. He reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to leveraging technology and innovation to support sustainable agriculture.
FAO Assistant Director-General Abdulhakim Elwaer stressed the urgency of collective action, noting that overlapping crises are disrupting supply chains and threatening livelihoods across the region.
FAO data shows that 77.5 million people in the region faced hunger in 2024, while 40 percent experienced moderate or severe food insecurity. With agriculture consuming around 85 percent of freshwater resources in the world’s most water-scarce region, the need for reform remains critical.
Outcomes from the preparatory meeting are expected to guide ministerial discussions and support coordinated efforts toward more resilient agrifood systems.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
