The Workshop was very well received by participants. It was an occasion to share experiences and views on the challenges being faced by countries in the Near East Region in achieving the goals of sustainable rural and agricultural development. The conclusions were that, although many policy reforms have been carried out with positive results, the need remains for a suitable institutional and technical capacity for responding to the requirements of formulating, analysing, adjusting and monitoring policies for agricultural and rural development within the context of a changing domestic and international environment. The following set of recommendations was proposed:
1. The participants called on the countries of the Region to draw lessons from their own experiences and establish links within the Region among institutions rendering policy analysis and to exert the maximum efforts to upgrade their technical and institutional capacities and they welcome the forthcoming launching of the Near East and North Africa Network for Agricultural Policies (NENARNAP).
2. Efforts are urgently needed to develop adequate institutional and technical capabilities to establish priorities within well articulated policy options as part of a strategic framework for sustainable agricultural development and food security at the national and household levels.
3. It was admitted that there is no blue print for organizational set up for policy analysis institutions and hence models for institutional reforms and strengthening should be viewed as country specific depending on each country specific political and socio-economic situation.
4. Policy analysts in the Region are required to update their knowledge and capacities to provide timely and sound analysis of the above mentioned issues. In such analysis, recent paradigms and contemporary knowledge/know-how should be closely considered within the changing socio-economic and political environment at the national, regional and international levels. This could be done through networking, distance learning and on-the-job capacity development.
5. The concerns of all stakeholders could only be taken into consideration by adopting a participatory approach throughout the policy formulation, analysis and monitoring cycle.
6. There is need to ensure proper and adequate communication between decision-makers and policy researchers and policy analysts. Means of communication should be closely considered
7. FAO and other partners in development are asked to continue working closely with the countries of the Region in identifying needs and developing the institutional and technical capacities of governments and other stakeholders in the area of agricultural policies analysis. This is of particular importance for the following main policy domains:
natural resources use and management;
sustainability and environmental issues;
trade liberalization, comparative advantages and competitiveness of agriculture;
agricultural investment;
the changing role of the state, improving rural people's organization, improving the organizational set-up of policy analysis, market and marketing institutions, property rights, enhancement of the pro-poor orientation of rural financial services;
WTO implications and negotiations including the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA), the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS), the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and the recent developments in Cancun and their repercussions on agricultural development;
promotion of intra-regional agricultural trade and trade facilitation;
organic farming; and
agricultural safety net programmes.
8. The issue of sustainability of institutional functioning after withdrawal or reduction of donors/partners in developments participation was underlined and it was noted that the issue is well taken in the case of Syria. The participants were called upon to pay further attention to this issue in all countries of the Region.
9. Countries may seek technical support for institution building for improving and strengthening agricultural policy formulation and analysis and for preparing bankable projects for technical support for consideration by FAO and concerned partners of development. FAO can help in this process within the available resources, rules and regulations.
10. Technical assistance provided by partners in development to countries of the Region could be more cost effective if it benefited from the newly established Near East and North Africa Network for Agricultural Policies (NENARNAP).
11. There is need for strengthening the capacities in agricultural policy analysis and agricultural planning. Both tasks (agricultural policy analysis and agricultural planning) are needed to support the achievement of the agreed upon strategic objectives of attaining sustainable agricultural development and food security.
