11 May 2018, Rome--- FAO's 34th Regional Conference for the Near East and North Africa, which has been attended by ministers and other top officials from more than 30 countries, came to an end.

While peace remains the main prerequisite for countries in the Near East and North Africa to achieve Zero Hunger, the region also faces other challenges affecting its already limited resources to produce food. FAO initiatives to support the region include the Regional Water Scarcity Initiative, Small Scale Farming, which recognizes the importance of creating farm and off-farm employment, as a major source of income in rural areas, Building Resilience for Food Security and Nutrition, to develop coherent and evidence-based policy and programmes to meet countries' food security and nutrition demands whilst building resilience and promoting sustainable agriculture.