FAO holds high-level meeting to discuss regional priorities amidst ongoing crises and devise roadmap for agrifood system transformation

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today has convened with senior country member officials during the Regional Consultative Technical Meeting (RCTM) to discuss regional priorities amidst ongoing crises, in preparation for the 37th session of the FAO Regional Conference for the Near East (NERC).

The RCTM will discuss the potential courses of action recommended to accelerate the transformation of agrifood systems in the Near East and North Africa Region and define the manner in which member states, together with FAO and concerned partner institutions, can collectively contribute towards a more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems in the countries of the region.

“This meeting is set to provide an assessment on the economic and social impact of the protracted and recent crises on agriculture value chains, food security and nutrition in the countries of the region, and lessons learned and planned actions to accelerate the agrifood systems transformation,” said Abdulhakim Elwaer, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Near East and North Africa.

It is envisaged that the deliberations of the regional consultative technical meeting would culminate in a regionally-owned road map on effective transformation of agrifood systems in the region, and on the elements needed to accelerate the transformation of agriculture and food systems for better production, nutrition, environment, and life, leaving no one behind.  The road map document would subsequently be presented during NERC 37.

In the context of poly-crises the NENA region is facing, it is imperative to transform the agrifood systems to make these more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable. This has been recognized and covered in the previous two Regional Conference (NERC-35 and 36). However, the progress in the past few years had been hampered inter alia by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Recover and Restart actions that the NERC-36 recommended, are being implemented however, to hasten the transformation of the agrifood systems, there is a need to change the gears by relying on the various accelerating actions, tools, policy plans and enabling platforms. This could be achieved through discussion and agreement upon a shared regional agenda.

In this regard, NERC-37 aims at endorsing and launching an effective Regional Agrifood Systems Transformation Roadmap (2024-2027). The Regional Roadmap would include the elements for accelerating the agrifood systems transformation (towards more inclusive, efficient, resilient and sustainable food systems) with clearly defined pathways and action plans engaging the member states and FAO.