Qatar Hosts Workshop on GCC Food Security Strategy

Doha: Hosted by the State of Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Municipality, the "GCC food security strategy" workshop began on Monday. The two-day workshop is organized by the agricultural and food security sector at the Ministry of Municipality in cooperation with the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) with the participation of representatives from the government and private sectors and companies in the GCC countries. In his opening speech, Director of the Food Security Department Dr. Masoud Jarallah Al Marri emphasized that this meeting represents a significant opportunity to bring together specialists, technicians, decision-makers, and representatives of the private sector concerned with food security in the GCC countries for the purpose of consultation and exchange of views and ideas on the food security strategy for the GCC countries and to come up with recommendations that will contribute to the preparation of a unified Gulf strategy for food security that meets the aspirat ions and needs of all member states. He expressed the State of Qatar's appreciation for the efforts of the GCC General Secretariat to implement the recommendations and decisions of the Agricultural Cooperation and Food Security Committee, which aim to enhance food security in the GCC countries by strengthening cooperation between member states to ensure the transformation of national food systems into healthy, sustainable systems capable of withstanding crises. He stressed the importance of continuing fruitful cooperation and effective coordination to ensure the achievement of the desired goals, as the issue of food security requires concerted efforts and continuous collaboration. Dr. Masoud Jarallah Al Marri stressed the great interest that the State of Qatar pays to developing the economic sectors in general and the agriculture and food security sector in particular, as it is one of the important and vital sectors concerned with achieving food security for all residents. He noted the National Food Securit y Strategy 2018-2023, which has contributed significantly to developing the food security system in the State of Qatar, through implementing its basic pillars, the most important of which is developing and increasing local production of agricultural food commodities in a sustainable manner, diversifying sources of foreign trade to avoid exposure to any potential risks that may arise in cases of crises and emergencies, and forming a strategic stockpile of food commodities in the country, taking into account preserving the Qatari environment and developing it sustainably and preserving it for future generations, and preserving natural resources, especially those related to land and water. He pointed out that, in continuation of the achievements of the State of Qatar in food security issues, the new version of the National Food Security Strategy has been prepared and is expected to be launched soon, to coincide with the National Vision of the State of Qatar 2030, and the recommendations and opinions of stakehol ders in food security issues have been taken into consideration. Concluding his speech, he expressed the State of Qatar's aspiration to continue joint cooperation and coordination among member states to enhance responsibility and combine efforts, and discuss regional difficulties and challenges to find appropriate solutions and address the issues facing the region, including increasing challenges in terms of food security, water scarcity, and climate change, in addition to identifying appropriate priorities and options to enhance and build sustainable food systems and achieve food security. The workshop included a session on its first day to discuss aspirations, challenges, opportunities, and areas of cooperation, as it addressed various topics related to food security, including local production, food trade, agricultural investment at home and abroad, private sector participation, loss and waste, risk and emergency management, as well as research, development, and innovation. On the second day, the worksh op will discuss the vision, mission, proposed strategic objectives, the type of strategy, and governance of strategy implementation. It will also discuss initiatives at the Gulf and local levels, as well as the roadmap for strategy implementation and the next steps. Source: Qatar News Agency