36th FAO Regional Conference for the Near East
by Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
08/02/2022
36th FAO REGIONAL CONFERENCE FOR THE NEAR EAST
Ministers Meeting Side Event: Water, Energy and Food in the Context of COP-27 and COP-28
High Level Panel Question:
“How can agriculture and food systems form the solution to address climate risks in the NENA region?”
Remarks
By
Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
As prepared
8 February 2022
Excellences,
Dear Colleagues,
1. Agrifood systems are heavily affected by the climate crisis, and the Near East and North Africa Region is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
2. It is critical that we transform agrifood systems to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable.
3. To achieve this, we need to implement innovations in information, data, digitalization and technologies, responsible investment,
4. We need to enhance institutions and policies and strengthen partnerships.
5. The next two UN Climate Conferences hosted in the region will provide critical opportunities and consistent momentums to put the global spotlight on the water-energy-food nexus in addressing the region’s most urgent issues holistically.
6. Underscoring the important interactions and trade-offs between food, energy and water.
7. The SDG 2 target to end hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030 will not be achieved if we do not increase water productivity and build up water-saving society,
8. And widely develop and disseminate renewable energy to help rural people improve their livelihood and adapt to the climate crisis.
9. If we don’t act quickly, crop yields in this region could be reduced by 20% by 2050, with the greatest impacts on rain-fed farming systems;
10. And livestock will be threatened by reduced water resources, land degradation and reduced availability of feed.
11. The Arabian Sea is among the marine areas with highest predicted increases in temperature and reduction in precipitation by the end of the century, which will greatly affect fisheries.
12. The climate crisis is also a multiplier of poverty, and can lead to forced migration, especially in areas of social unrest.
13. To ensure food security and nutrition we need to address water scarcity, land and soil degradation, as well as social, economic and environmental concerns.
14. There are already many inspiring actions across the region, such as the Greening Middle East and Greening Saudi Arabia initiatives,
15. As well as positive progress in the 2007 Arab Declaration on Climate Change.
16. We must build on these efforts, as well as the 2019 Cairo Declaration, to accelerate the integration of climate change in agriculture policies, and vice-versa.
17. FAO will continue to support countries to attract climate finance and implement climate-resilient innovation across agrifood systems,
18. Including through the Green Climate Fund, the Global Environment Facility and the Adaptation Fund.
19. We also need to increase private sector participation.
20. In leading the water-food-energy nexus, FAO collaborates with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and we co-led the Technical Working Group on "Technology, Innovation and Data" with UNIDO and UN-Habitat.
21. FAO participated at the UN High-level Dialogue on Energy last year, and last month I joined the UN-Energy Principals meeting where I stressed the importance of including the water-energy-food nexus in the Plan of Action towards 2025.
22. FAO continues to support Members to implement COP26 commitments, like the Global Methane Pledge, the Global Adaptation Programme and the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate.
23. Let us continue to work together in an efficient, effective and coherent manner to ensure that the energy-food-water security is a priority for COP27 in Egypt in 2022 and will continue to be a priority at COP28 in the United Arab Emirates in 2023.
24. Exploiting the potential from agrifood systems for the sustainable development, offering a package of solutions for development of green and climate resilient agriculture, etc. are fundamental to achieving better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for all, leaving no one behind.
25. Thank you.