April 28, 2018 United Arab Emirates:  The UAE, ably deputized by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), participated in the first Jordan International Agricultural Forum and the 35th session of the General Assembly of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) in the Dead Sea region, Jordan on April 25 and 26. 

The UAE’s deputation was presided by His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and comprised of high-level officials from the Ministry as well as representatives of the private sector.

His Excellency Dr Al Zeyoudi attended the Forum and associated exhibition and held bilateral meetings with several Arab ministers concerned with environment and climate change to discuss further areas of cooperation in agriculture, livestock and fisheries.  

While addressing the AOAD General Assembly on behalf of the UAE, Al Zeyoudi said: “Since the UAE was founded by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Man of the Environment, it has adopted trends and policies supportive of agricultural growth.

Through these policies, we strive to play our part in environmental protection and natural resources conservation, as well as drive agricultural growth by identifying the mechanisms for optimizing the use of modern technology in agriculture.”

His Excellency Al Zeyoudi added that to meet sustainability challenges, the UAE leadership has devised Vision 2021 which targets achieving sustainability in various sectors, namely environment protection, natural resources conservation, agriculture, and biodiversity.

He pointed out that the UAE has not only focused on increasing the area of arable land by traditional methods, but also established an integrated innovative system that ensures the resources necessary for improving productivity as well as increasing arable land are in place.

He elaborated that the UAE is adopting smart agricultural systems that are significantly more efficient in consuming natural resources and conserving the energy, such as hydroponic and organic farming. 

The two-day forum discussed working papers on food security and sustainable agriculture in light of water scarcity as well as climate change, domestic and external investment, marketing, agricultural transformation and job creation.

On the sidelines of the Forum, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations held several meetings with partners.