Global food security meet to begin today

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA UNDER the patronage of Heir Apparent His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, the International Conference on Food Security in Dry Lands (FSDL) will begin in Doha on Wednesday.

The conference is likely to be inaugurated by HH the Heir Apparent. It will focus on three thematic areas — food security; demand and management of water resources and responsible agricultural investments.

Organised by the National Food Security Programme (QNFSP) along with a consortium of national, regional and international partner institutions, the two-day conference will take place on the Qatar University campus.

More than 400 participants from 50 nations will take part in the event. Around 40 highlevel officials including ministers and undersecretaries; heads of regional and international organisations; and national public institutions are registered to participate in the discussions.

Conference President and Executive Chairman of QNFSP Fahad bin Mohamed al Attiya described the global meeting as “a groundbreaking event that seeks to address some of the most daunting challenges dry land countries face in their search for food security”.

The deliberations during the conference will cover 12 parallel technical sessions and a “ministerial dialogue on dry land agriculture in a changing climate”. The events will shed light on current trends and strategies to boost food production and improve food security in dry lands countries. FSDL will culminate with a ‘Doha Declaration’ reflecting the basic consensus of the participants.

Around 30 conference papers, analytical studies and presentations will be tabled throughout the various sessions. Participants will include a diverse blend of stakeholders across all sectors including ministers, government officials, policymakers, development experts, scholars, researchers and representatives from financial institutions, farmer associations and civil society organisations from across the world.

“The FSDL conference is an ideal prelude to the 2012 UN Climate Change Conference (COP18/CMP8) that will bring 194 nations to Doha from November 26 to December 7, 2012,” said Attiya. “The global challenge of climate change is already amplifying water and food production stresses for the dry land regions of the world.”

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