Egypt’s Agriculture and Land Reclamation Minister Sayyed El-Quseir, on behalf of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, participated in a ceremony organized by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to celebrate World Food Day at its headquarters in Rome, Italy, Egypt’s Ambassador to Italy Bassam Radi said.
Radi added that the World Food Forum reflects the organization’s interest in water issues and their connection to agriculture, and this is what the Egyptian delegation was keen on during its meetings in the forum.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said: “This year’s theme “Water is life, water is food. – Leave no one behind” makes the vital connection between water and food: Without water there is no food. And there is no food security without water security.”
“But rapid population growth, urbanization, industrialization, economic development and the climate crisis have all taken a toll on our water
He went on to say “Governments, the private sector, academia, civil society and all partners need to collaborate better towards a water secure future.”
“Governments need to prioritize water in policy and planning, across sectors and along the water-food-energy-ecosystem nexus,” he said.
He added: “Innovative solutions need to be co-developed with partners, including the private sector.” He further stressed the need to increase the engagement of the private sector, saying “The private sector needs to become water stewards, ensuring that water use is equitable, environmentally sustainable, and economically beneficial.”
In the same context, the Agriculture Ministry and FAO issued a joint statement, in which the Agriculture minister lauded the existing co-operation between the ministry and all international organizations and development partners concerned with agriculture and food security, led by FAO.
The minister further noted a number of projects are being implemented to raise the level of food security, achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development states that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and stimulate financing to support climate change adaptation projects in the field of agriculture, the most recent of which was cooperation in launching the Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST) initiative at the Conference of the Parties (COP26) which was held in November 2022 in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh.
Source: The Egyptian Gazette
