Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, today reiterated the UAE leadership’s keenness to drive joint efforts aimed at building sustainable food and agricultural systems in GCC countries during her participation in the 32nd Meeting of the GCC Agricultural Cooperation Committee.
Minister Almheiri commended the pioneering work of the Committee and expressed her hope that its decisions usher in a new phase of collaboration in GCC member states to achieve the objectives of their governments and peoples.
She stressed the importance of continuing to forge new partnerships and increasing the scale of existing joint projects among GCC countries to enhance food security, which has become a priority on the local, regional, and global levels. She also thanked the GCC Secretariat General for its dedication to pursuing this objective.
The Minister noted that the topics explored in the meeting had gained a paramount importance due to their impact on the food security in the region. These included the developments in the work of the Permanent Committee for Agricultural Systems and Policies, the Permanent Committee for Livestock, and the Permanent Committee for Fisheries.
Among the main points on the agenda were the Unified Legislative Framework for the Management of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, the Agricultural Quarantine Act, the Development of Sustainable Date Palm Production Systems in the GCC Countries project, the GCC Early Warning Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases, a proposal to improve the competitiveness of agricultural products from the GCC region, and the regulation and control of export and import of live aquatic animals and plants and their products.
Participants also discussed nontariff barriers and the GCC’s cooperation with Jordan and Morocco.
Source: Emirates News Agency