With the participation of Syria, meetings of the 46th session of IFAD Council begin

With the participation of Syria, the 46th session of the Board of the Governors of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) kicked off today at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in the Italian capital, Rome.

In a speech, the Syrian Minister of Agriculture Muhammad Hassan Qatana explained the need for the world to make the agricultural and food systems more efficient, sustainable, inclusive, and resilient, praising the cooperation between Syria and the Fund and the successes that have been achieved in projects related to improving the livelihood of the population and rural areas, starting with reclamation projects and ending with the livestock development project.

Minister Qatana stated that the challenges facing the world in general and the Near East region in particular regarding the issue of food and food security in light of the successive crises and climate changes have negatively affected not only food supplies and prices, but also production requirements such as energy and fertilizers, which requires thinking about facing these challenges.

Qatana pointed out that the exceptional circumstances that faced Syria during the terrorist war caused great damage to the agricultural and irrigation infrastructure, notong the grave challenges facing the Syrian people who seek to restore their lives and food security, and are still prevented from investing their resources and developing their agricultural systems due to the unilateral coercive measures that violate international law.

Qatana pointed out that the International Fund for Agricultural Development is one of the most important funds that can be used to finance a number of development projects, within the framework of the strategy for developing the agricultural sector in Syria for 2023-2030.

It is noteworthy that 171 countries are participating in the meetings of the 46th session of the Board of Governors of the International Fund for Agricultural Development “IFAD” held under the title “Accelerating Action to Achieve Food Security.”