Kuwait and FAO Partnering for sustainable food security and resilience in the region

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Kuwait and FAO

Partnering for sustainable food security and resilience in the region

Kuwait joined FAO in November 1961 and has enjoyed long years of cooperation and partnership culminating in the signing of the joint declaration of intent between FAO and Kuwait in 2013 for the opening of a permanent FAO Office in Kuwait.

The declaration also highlighted the joint commitment of FAO and Kuwait to meet three of the Millennium Development Goals: reducing hunger and poverty by half by 2015, securing environmental stability, and establishing global partnership for development. The Office will enhance upgrading of human resources, the management of national expertise and staff and efforts to develop the extension sector, particularly given its importance for food security in Kuwait.

Matching FAO’s technical expertise to Kuwait’s development priorities

FAO assistance to Kuwait to meet the challenges the country faces in its efforts to create sustainable improvement in food security has three strategic priority areas:

Structural challenges relating to high population growth; extreme shortage of land and water resources for food production; changing patterns of consumption, and the consequent major reliance on imported food.

External global and regional developments, including increased volatility of global food prices, fluctuations in world supply, the threats of climate change, and wars, conflicts, and political instability.

Internal political challenges, especially food programmes and agricultural subsidies based on supporting both consumers and producers.

Regional priorities for cooperation between FAO and Kuwait have been defined, since Kuwait is one of the member states of the Subregional Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council States and Yemen. These focus on three main areas:

Rehabilitation of natural resources in areas damaged by the first Gulf War, making use of the UN Special Compensation Fund.

Strengthening the capacity of the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources in issues relating to trade, including matters concerning the World Trade Organization.

Providing technical assistance along with strategy formulation for sustainable agriculture, and the subsequent programmes and projects in all sub-sectors, including crops, livestock, fisheries, and forests.

9/2015

Appreciation for Kuwait’s role in achieving food security

In 2013 FAO lauded Kuwait for achieving its anti-hunger goals for 2015. This reflects the pioneering food security strategy in Kuwait, since only 38 states, including Kuwait, have achieved the goal of ending hunger before the deadline set by the UN as one of the eight Millennium Development Goals.

Confronting emergencies and crises

Kuwait hosted Phase Two of the Subregional Programme to Build Capacity for the Evaluation of Fish Stocks in the Gulf Cooperation Council States and Yemen. The country

made an expert available to assist with training that benefited the staff of the Public

Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish

Resources.

COntACts

Subregional Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council States and Yemen

FAO Representation

Building 4C/4 (3rd Floor), Street No. 6 PO Box 62072 Abu Dhabi

Phone number: + 971 6586774 Email: [email protected]

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Small-scale Agriculture for Inclusive Development in the Near East and North Africa

This initiative provides a coherent framework to promote smallholder agriculture as a means to reduce poverty in the countries of the

Near East and North Africa. The initiative facilitates coordination at the institutional level between member countries to promote political and institutional frameworks appropriate to the elimination of hunger and the enhancement of food security and nutrition.

Regional Initiative on Water Scarcity in the Near East and North Africa

Launched by FAO to support countries in coordinating their policies, governance, and practices relating to the management of this strategic resource. Within the framework of the Regional Initiative on Water Scarcity in the Near East and North Africa, countries have developed a cooperative strategy for the sustainable management of water used in agriculture. It is implemented through regional partnerships among stakeholders.

In cooperation with the Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa and FAO headquarters, the Subregional Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council States and Yemen sent a high-level delegation to Kuwait in May 2014 to offer technical assistance to the Kuwaiti Investment Authority. The delegation came in response to the request of the Kuwaiti Investment Authority to discuss FAO support in drawing up a Kuwaiti investment strategy for food security. In light of the above, the Subregional Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council States and Yemen contributed to drawing up the related project document, which was presented to the Kuwaiti Investment Authority by the FAO Regional Office.

Cooperation through Regional Initiatives

Building Resiliance for Food Security and Nutrition in the Near East and North Africa

This initiative offers support to regional countries to improve food security and nutrition while promoting social inclusion. Kuwait is one of the main states implementing this initiative, which aims to build the capacity of families, communities, and agricultural systems to pre-empt the negative impact of man-made and natural disasters, deal with them when they happen, and recover in the aftermath.

“We have a golden opportunity to end hunger in our lifetime.

This would be the greatest legacy we could leave to future generations.”

José Graziano da Silva FAO Director-General