Bahrain-UN Agencies Coordination, Follow-up Committee reviews joint food security projects

Manama, July 29 (BNA): The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for International Affairs, Dr. Shaikh Abdualla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, affirmed that the Kingdom of Bahrain has an advanced status in granting food security, thanks to the Kingdom's adoption of a national strategy for sustainable agricultural development aimed at enhancing the role of agriculture, livestock and fish production. He noted that this aims at achieving comprehensive development and attracting foreign investments in various production sectors while preserving environmental and biological balance, in addition to encouraging the use of technology in the light of Bahrain Economic Vision 2030. This came as the Undersecretary chaired the meeting of the Coordination and Follow-up Committee between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Nations agencies, which was held at the Ministry’s General Court, in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources, Ministry of Works, Municipal Affairs and Urban Planning, Shaikh Mohammed bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Khalifa, and the Resident Coordinator for United Nations activities and Representative of the Secretary General in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Amin El Sharkawi, as well as representatives of the committee and governmental bodies concerned. During the meeting, four new joint projects between the Agriculture and Marine Resources Agency of the Ministry of Works, Municipal Affairs and Urban Planning and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) were reviewed within the framework of the strategic partnership between the Kingdom of Bahrain and United Nations agencies for the years 2018-2022. The Undersecretary praised the various projects presented, which aimed at achieving food sustainability through exchanging experiences to build national capacities and identify the best relevant international practices in this regard. He added that these projects support the achievement of the sustainable development 2030 goals in order to meet the aspirations of countries and citizens. Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, pointed out that the Kingdom of Bahrain, under the leadership of His Majesty, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, has taken great steps in diversifying the national economy to improve the quality of services, living standards and create suitable jobs, as well as making pioneering efforts to contribute effectively to supporting international efforts to end world poverty and protect the environment. He also praised the cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and (FAO) organization aimed at achieving a common vision for the future of the agricultural, animal and fish sectors. He pointing out the importance of technical cooperation between the two sides to support development efforts in promoting more sustainable and healthy food systems, achieving more digital investment in the agriculture sector and sharing knowledge and experiences in this field. UN Resident Coordinator stated that the partnership framework has developed relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Nations agencies and organizations. He noted that in today’s meeting, it was agreed to discuss several priority projects FAO's participation in issues related to food security, animal disease control and sustainable development of the aquaculture sector in the Kingdom. He also expressed his hope to establish a branch of FAO in Bahrain in order to implement these projects in the coming years.