Near East and North Africa Region reviews Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources
09/07/2024
Kuwait City. On 9 July 2024, Regional consultations on the review of the Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture commenced in Kuwait. More than 50 participants from the Near East and North Africa region, including National Focal Points for Plant Genetic Resources to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and to the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, have met to discuss their priorities for the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources or food and agriculture.
The consultation was opened by Dr Meshan Mohamed Al-Otaibi, Director-General of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), who reminded participants of the challenges the Region faces with regard to food production. He invited consider “expanding the conservation and sustainable use of crops critical for countries in the Region and to respond to the needs of a growing population“.
The regional consultations are held to review and revise the Second Global Plan of Action in response to the findings of The Third Report on the State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. A first draft of the Third Report was launched in July of last year on the occasion of the 19th Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The periodical reports on the state of the world’s plant genetic resources and the rolling global plan of action prepared under the guidance of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture support the implementation of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
Ahmad Mukhtar, FAO Regional Office for Near East and North Africa, stressed at the opening that “all countries of the region share the common goal to increase crop production. However, the stark reality is that many people from the region still lack access to healthy diets”. He stressed the urgent need to enhance crop innovation and use, particularly in relation to water efficiency, to ramp up food production and availability.
Dan Leskien, Secretariat of FAO’s Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and Francisco Lopez, Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, welcomed the ongoing collaboration between the Commission and the Governing Body of the International Treaty in the finalization of the Third Report and the organization of regional consultations on the review of the Second Global Plan of Action on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
The regional consultation is supported by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science. It is also attended by experts from the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) and the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD).