FAO Director-General and Director-General of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development underscore strong partnership

14 October 2019, Rome - FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu met today with Dr. Ibrahim Adam Ahmed El-Dukheri, Director General of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development, Mr Mustafa Saadi Abbas Al-Juboori, representing the League of Arab States to FAO, to discuss ways to further strengthen the strong partnership between the three Organizations.

They agreed to continue enhancing regional cooperation on many regional initiatives, in particular the key one of water scarcity, which is a crucial issue in the Near East and North Africa region, to achieve more concrete and sustainable solutions and the achievement of the SDGs.

The parties also explored ways to work more closely together on future opportunities of common interest, including the modernization of the region’s diet, G20 issues and the establishment of an effective roadmap of activities for the region.

The FAO Director-General presented the Organization’s new Hand-in-Hand Initiative, welcomed by the Director General of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development, and outlined the important role played by cooperation within the initiative.