Streamlining their respective priorities and the SDGs - FAO RNE and ICARDA expand their collaboration for three more years

Cairo – The International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), agreed on extending their strategic partnership until 2020, aligning FAO strategic programmes, ICARDA’s priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals.

This decision was announced during a joint technical meeting they held at the premises of FAO Regional office for the Near East and North Africa in Cairo.

The meeting was an opportunity to exchange information regarding ICARDA’s new strategic plan (2017-2026) and FAO’s regional priorities on water scarcity, resilience and small-scale family farming.

Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa welcomed this strategic partnership “which will definitely drive tangible results in one of the most arid regions.”

He added: “ICARDA’s mandate and FAO strategic programme share a lot of similarities in the region, and this partnership will serve the hungry and the poor, and enable both entities to better meet their set goals and objectives in line with the SDGs.”

Mr. Aly Abousabaa, ICARDA’s Director General, stressed on the importance of “building on the successful relationship with FAO and the cooperation in supporting sustainable agricultural development and management of water and land resources to enhance food security and improve livelihoods of the Near East and North Africa Region.”

He added: “with our clear strategic plan for the next decade, we will be able to activate an ambitious action plan which will boost our cooperation in various areas.”

FAO and ICARDA’s renewed partnership will incarnate their mutual desire to cooperate in agricultural research and development, and human capacity building.

In the past three years, FAO and ICARDA were active at many levels in the region, scaling-up of improved water management technologies and practices, holding various capacity building workshops, the latest was a joint two-day-event to address rural gender inequalities and accelerate women’s empowerment in rural communities across the Middle East and North Africa region, held in Egypt with more than 40 participants representing various governmental agencies, agricultural institutions, policy makers, media and international organizations.

For photos, please click here.

About ICARDA

The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is a global agricultural research organization working with countries in the world’s dry and marginal areas to deliver sustainable systems solutions that increase productivity, improve rural nutrition, and strengthen national food security. ICARDA is a member of CGIAR, a group of 15 international agricultural research centers that produce public goods science. www.icarda.org

For more information, please contact:
Andrea Gros – ICARDA Head of Communications: e-mail: [email protected] twitter: @icarda
Mariam Hamed – FAO Regional Media Relations: email: [email protected]