Agriculture and Land Reclamation Minister Alaa Farouq discussed with UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt Elena Panova means of boosting cooperation between the Agriculture Ministry and specialized UN agencies working in the agriculture sector.
The minister further noted that there is fruitful cooperation between his ministry and several UN bodies, including the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Program (WFP), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to implement agricultural and rural development projects and projects related to sustainable food system (SFS).
Farouq underlined the successful projects that have been implemented between the Agriculture Ministry and UN bodies in Egyptian villages in the agricultural area.
He expressed keenness on strengthening this cooperation in the coming period, with the view to supporting small farmers and developing rural women and youth.
The minister stressed the importance of cooperation with private sector in Egypt and African countries and its contribution to beef up trade and investment to achieve food security for African countries.
He underlined measures taken by the Egyptian government to improve the investment climate in all sectors, including the agriculture one.
For her part, Panova reviewed the UN’s strategy and framework for cooperation with Egypt, which includes five main axes; climate, resource sustainability, education, health, and migration, as a working mechanism for UN agencies over a five-year period, starting from 2023 to 2027.
The UN official said she looks forward to boosting cooperation with the Agriculture Ministry to achieve comprehensive development in the agricultural sector and food security in Egypt.
At the end of the meeting, the two sides agreed on organizing ministerial-level meetings with African countries, under the sponsorship of Egypt’s Agriculture Ministry, and with the participation of stakeholders from UN agencies and the private sector in African countries and Egypt.
The meetings aim at discussing a mechanism for cooperation among African countries and the contribution of the private sector to investment in these countries.
