The World Green Economy Organization organized a high-level Ministerial Meeting to discuss the framework of the partnership initiative on South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Agricultural Development and Enhanced Food Security (SSTC-ADFS), which is jointly supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC). The high-level meeting was held on 23 rd October in Emirates Towers in Dubai.

The high-level meeting witnessed the presence of HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman, World Green Economy Organization, HE Gilbert F. Houngbo, President International Fund for Agricultural Development , HE Jorge Chediek, Director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation and Envoy of the Secretary General on South-South Cooperation, Mr. Edem Bakhshish, Chief, Division for Arab States, Europe & CIS, UNOSSC; Mr. Abdelkarim Sma, Lead Regional Economist, Near East, North Africa, Europe and Central Asia Division, International Fund for Agricultural Development, Mr. Ahmed Faruk Diken, Regional Coordinator, MENA & Europe, Reverse Linkage, Islamic Development Bank and several other VIPs and dignitaries.

“The path from the Rio+20 World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2012 to the recent passage of the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate Change Agreement has seen strong levels of commitment by the international community to shift to a green economy – an economy that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. Green economy solutions address both opportunities and risks, especially when it comes to sustainable natural resources management, which is particularly relevant for the agricultural sector. The global demand for food will drastically increase in the coming years, and the way the population is growing, natural resources for agriculture will come under rising pressure from urbanization and industrialization. In addition, climate change is another factor that is serving as a major challenge for the growth of this sector,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer.

Stressing the importance of resource efficiency, HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer said, “We as decision makers have to identify policies and practices to meet increasing demands for food and resources while minimizing environmental and social pressure. The only way forward to meet the growing demand is adapting a green economy solution, and to do this, we need to strengthen our efforts and improve regional and global ties between countries, to exchange experiences and proven practices.”

“This meeting today is an opportunity to discuss practical examples and request SSTC-ADFS initiative to partner with the World Green Economy Organization to contribute to promotion and knowledge sharing for sustainable development. Having access to platforms as The World Green Economy Summit, will not only reinforce our commitment to sustainability, but also help us identify practical steps to facilitate global knowledge exchange on green economy for agricultural development and enhanced food security,” concluded HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer.

Organized to promote a multi-stakeholder dialogue, the meeting was held along the lines of the World Green Economy Summit 2018, that underlined the outcomes and partnership initiative on South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Agricultural Development and Enhanced Food Security, as well as discussed the strategic importance of youth as the key source of innovation and green entrepreneurship. The meeting also discussed examples of green economy solutions that help foster Agricultural Development and Enhanced Food Security.

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