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Transboundary Plant Pests and Diseases

Somalia joins FAO Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region

The new Member will boost regional efforts in locust control and management
03/11/2023

3 November 2023, Rome – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) welcomes the Federal Government of Somalia to the Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region (CRC) as its 17th member.

Somalia's geographical location, historical significance in locust control, and contributions to the Locust Central Region Commission make it a crucial player in combating locusts in the Horn of Africa. Its membership in the CRC is a strategic step that will help to improve locust control efforts in the region.

“Somalia is pleased to become a State Party to this important agreement for the establishment of this Commission. The Government of Somalia is committed to working with the other Member States of the Commission to control the desert locust in the Central Region and to mitigate the devastating effects of this pest on our agriculture and food security,” said His Excellency Ahmed Madobe Nunow, Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation of Somalia.

Boosting regional preparedness efforts

 

Somalia's membership is driven also by learning from lessons of the last desert locust upsurge (2019-2022) and the benefit of the locust preventive control strategies promoted by the FAO's Desert Locust Commissions. Since 2020, Somalia has made a great progress to build the national institutional and technical capacity for locust control with support from FAO and partners.

 

“We are proud to welcome Somalia to the Commission. This is an important milestone to integrate Somalia in this regional coordination body. Somalia being a key breeding country for locust, having it in the Commission will not benefit only Somalia but neighbouring countries as well by reinforcing the monitoring and early warning in the region. Having the country under the umbrella of CRC will sustain the level of preparedness and achievements made in the past years,” said Shoki AlDobai, Team Leader for FAO’s Locusts and other Transboundary Plant Pests and Diseases.

Collaborating to fight against the locust

The fight against locusts requires a comprehensive approach. The Commission offers a collaborative approach in strengthening the cooperation and coordination between Member States by supporting the strategy of prevention to detect early signs of locust populations, and provide rapid intervention to eliminate locust infestations before they can cause damage to crops.

Taking a holistic approach, the Commission has invested in introducing new monitoring and control technologies ensuring the efforts have a lasting impact and make a real difference in the fight against locusts.

About CRC

 The FAO Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region (CRC) was established in 1967 under Article XIV of the FAO Constitution and is made up of 16 member states in the Near East and the Horn of Africa. These countries include Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, UAE, and Yemen.

The Commission seat is in Cairo, Egypt, the primary mandate of the CRC is to promote national, regional, and international cooperation and coordination within the region, with a particular focus on capacity development related to desert locust survey and control.

To ensure its normative functions as a regional coordinating body for desert locust plague prevention and disaster risk reduction, member states make annual contributions to the CRC Trust Fund. The rural communities within the region and beyond are the primary beneficiaries of CRC's work, which directly contributes to FAO's corporate strategic objectives to address member countries' needs to achieve sustainable crop production intensification and improve preparedness for and effective response to food and agricultural threats and emergencies. Ends 

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