FAO Director-General and Lebanese Minister for Agriculture outline the importance of new Hand-In-Hand Initiative

1 October 2019, Rome - FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu met today with H.E. Hassan Lakkis, Minister for Agriculture of Lebanon. They agreed to maintain the constructive relationship established between Lebanon and the Organization and to work more closely together on agricultural development, the removal of obsolete pesticides and the agricultural strategy for 2021-2025.

The parties highlighted the opening of the 11^th Subregional office for the Meshreq (SNM) in Lebanon, which will be inaugurated in 2020, as an important step to further strengthen on the ground support to the country and the sub region as a whole

H.E. Hassan Lakkis expressed appreciation for the continued support provided by FAO to Lebanon, especially in the area of technical expertise.

The FAO Director-General provided an overview of the UN agency’s new Hand-In-Hand Initiative, which prioritizes targeted work that benefits people in the world’s most vulnerable regions, stressing the importance of food system valorization to support production and exportation in Lebanon.

The Minister for agriculture welcomed the Hand-In-Hand Initiative as an excellent opportunity for his country, given the specific situation and the impact of conflicts in nearby countries, mainly Syria and Palestine. The two agreed that through this initiative Lebanon would build an ideal business model where support from International Financial Institution (IFI) such as the World Bank and the technical support of FAO can support the achievement of the agriculture development strategy. 

Lebanon and FAO reconfirmed their commitment with the signing a Letter of Intent between FAO’s General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) and Lebanon, as part of a visionary initiative “Concerted Action for Lebanon”. The initiative will launch a collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and FAO Lebanon, which aims to establish practical steps to develop the Lebanese fisheries and aquaculture sectors.