The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) sounds the alarm about the escalating food security crisis in the Sudan, urging immediate and collective action to avert an impending humanitarian catastrophe.

During a dedicated COP28 side event, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched a new study on the links between Climate change, migration and rural adaptation in the Near East and North Africa region. The study provides an evidence base for policymakers and practitioners working across the Near East and North Africa (NENA), by reviewing and synthetizing empirical evidence on the climate-migration-adaptation nexus in the region.

According to the report, the number of undernourished people was 59.8 million in 2022, or 12.9 percent of the population, well above the world average of 9.2 percent. This represents a 75.9 percent increase since 2000. Hunger was the highest in low-income countries and the least developed Arab countries, where almost every third person suffered from undernutrition. Undernourishment in conflict countries was almost four times higher than in non-conflict countries. 

To enhance strategic thinking and actions to transform agrifood systems towards a sustainable, resilient and inclusive future, our regional office is engaging in a Regional Foresight Exercise (RFE). It will contribute to regional and country-level programming exercises, providing a forward-looking framework to support policy-making processes of Members in the region; and enhancing institutional capacities on strategic foresight exercises at regional, sub-regional and country level. It builds on the FAO global strategic foresight exercise and its findings, which are contained in the recent FAO flagship report  The future of food and agriculture – Drivers and triggers for transformation. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Regional Office for the Near East, in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD),  held a virtual meeting for the members of the Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS) on December 6, 2023. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched today the Water Scarcity Initiative (WSI) in the Near East and North Africa Region, which has been collectively developed and will be implemented jointly with five international core partners, namely, ESCWA, ICARDA, ICBA, IWMI and UNICEF. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is conducting a 5-day training workshop for technical officers in charge of Desert Locust control from East Africa and the Middle East, aimed to enhance preparedness of their countries to effectively respond to desert locust outbreaks and invasions. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will hold its next Regional Conference for Africa in Rabat, hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco. The 33rd Session of the Regional Conference for Africa (ARC33) is a major opportunity for African countries to discuss practical solutions for food security and improving agricultural production.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has convened today the 12th Session for the Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which will continue for three days.

The RECOFI leverages its core strengths to promote the development, conservation, rational management and best utilization of living marine resources and improving the sustainable development of aquaculture in the member countries. The Commission continually reviews the state of these resources, including abundance and the level of fisheries exploitation.

A conference was held on investment opportunities in the Tunisian olive oil sector to share the results of the activities and define the next steps of a ten-year cooperation program between the EBRD and the FAO to stimulate the economy of the sector and promote rural development opportunities. 

Minister of Agriculture, Abbas Hajj Hassan, and FAO Representative in Lebanon, Nora Ourabah Haddad, signed a project agreement today funded by the Government of Canada (CAD$20 million).

Under the auspices of His Excellency Eng. Abdulrahman Al-fadhli, Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture (MEWA), the first international forum for sustainable agriculture, was launched in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the theme “Agricultural development and optimal use of natural resources”. The forum aims to discuss and address challenges, explore new innovative solutions for a more sustainable future in agriculture, and draw global attention to the most recent technological advances in the agriculture sector. The forum will bring together experts from the industry, policymakers, thought leaders, and participants worldwide. 

November 20-25, 2023: In partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources, and Fisheries, the Commission for the Fight against the Desert Locust in the Western Region (CLCPRO), a specialized executive body in combating the Desert Locust in West and Northwest Africa, under...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) have launched today the RedSeaFish project, to promote sustainable fisheries management in the Red Sea Large Marine Ecosystem.

“The RedSeaFish project provides a collaborative framework to preserve and protect whole ecosystems efficiently while also providing opportunities for coastal Arab and African Red Sea countries to benefit sustainably from the services they render,” said AbdulHakim Elwaer, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched today the THRIVE Academy in partnership with the Centre for Resilience and Sustainable Development (CRSD) at the University of Cambridge. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has signed today a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) to foster the development of agriculture, forestry and fishery focusing on aspects related to science, technology, knowledge, culture and heritage, among the two Organizations’ Members.

 Following the outbreak of conflict in Sudan in April 2023, plunging nearly half the population into a humanitarian crisis, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) distributed nearly 10 000 tonnes of seeds to 1 million farming households – or 5 million people – in time for the critical planting season from June to September 2023. This was made possible thanks to the generous support of its resource partners and in collaboration with dedicated local implementing partners. 

Rabat, 15 November , 2023 -The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Near East Plant Protection Organization (NEPPO), in collaboration with the National Office of Food Safety (ONSSA) at the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests are organizing a regional workshop on the production, conservation, and utilization of certified propagation materials for fruit trees in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) in Rabat, Morocco, this week.

''I join the Secretary-General and my colleagues in the IASC in calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire''

The 3^rd quarterly issue of the Food Policy Monitoring Bulletin presents how Arab countries protect farmers from shocks by setting up multi-hazard early warning systems and natural disaster risk management institutions.