Kuwait enhances partnership with FAO: Minister
Kuwait’s Minister of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs, and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Mohammad Al-Jabri said Saturday that his country has effectively enhanced its partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Kuwait’s active participation in the 40th Session of FAO Conference, themed “climate change, agriculture, and food security,” has contributed to boosting ties with the Rome-based organization, Jabri said on the sidelines of the conference, which concluded earlier, adding that such a partnership would benefit national development in the country.
He also welcomed the conference’s outcomes geared towards enhancing global sustainable development, noting that the conference was held in light of ongoing harsh circumstances facing several countries around the world such as famine, lack of food security, and humanitarian disasters due to continued conflicts and wars. The event approved FAO’s 2018-19 action programs with an estimated budget of $1.005 billion, Jabri noted, adding that the participants praised FAO’s attainment of the 2030 agendas for sustainable development, and the promising success seen through the Ministerial Conference on water scarcity in the near East and North Africa region, in which Kuwait had an effective participation.
Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti minister affirmed his country’s keenness on participating regularly in FAO’s conferences due to their significant role in determining the international directions and policies of food and agriculture, in addition to being a main international platform for reviewing latest advancements in food and agricultural fields, and exchanging opinions and ideas in that regard.
He also confirmed Kuwait’s strong commitment and conviction to support FAO’s goals, noting that Kuwait is one of the proactive countries to reach all of the “Millennium” development goals, and World Food Summit’s goals, and attain its national food security within the scheduled period. Kuwait’s active participation at FAO’s events stems from the country’s real desire and keenness to benefit from the organization’s notable international role and efforts, Jabri said.
FAO’s massive and unique technical, scientific, political, and organizational expertise in the agricultural, economic, social, and environmental development fields would eventually back Kuwait’s ambitious projects aimed at attaining food security, and implementing sustainable development, said the Kuwaiti minister. The minister has also mentioned his meeting today with FAO’s Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva, in presence of Kuwaiti Ambassador to Italy Sheikh Ali Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, Faisal Al-Hasawi, General Director of the General Authority for Agriculture and Fisheries Affairs, Yousef Juhail, Permanent Representative to FAO, and Abdussalam Ould Ahmad, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa to FAO.
The meeting highlighted FAO’s special appreciation of Kuwait’s efforts in the regional and international arenas, in addition to its UNSC membership that empowers the Gulf country to be a genuinely effective in the sustainable development and humanitarian action fields, he said.
They also discussed a number of important subjects related to enhancing a number of vital sectors in Kuwait such as agriculture, food production and safety, in addition to ways to solve water scarcity and pollution in the country, he said. KuwaitFAO cooperation would contribute in enhancing natural and human resources in the country, and in qualifying Kuwaiti cadres to work in national institutions, added Jabri. He also commended the fruitful effort exerted by Ambassador Sheikh Ali Al-Khaled in deepening cooperation ties with FAO and other UN organizations in Roma, and in providing Kuwaiti youngsters with opportunities to work for FAO and UN bodies in Italy.
Meanwhile, Jabri met with Khaled AlKhashram, the first Kuwaiti accountant to work for FAO, and spoke with him about his experience in working for the UN organization. Jabri expressed keenness to follow AlKhashram’s career at FAO and help him to overcome all obstacles that might face him now or in the future in order to encourage other young ambitious Kuwaiti graduates to work for international organizations and institutions to improve their skills and benefit their country with the experience they gained while working abroad. — KUNA