Yemen participates in FAO’s regional conference

AMMAN-SABA
Yemen’s ambassador to Jordan, Dr. Jalal Ibrahim Faqirah, participated Monday in the opening of the 37th Regional Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for the Near East and North Africa, held in the Jordanian capital Amman from March 4th to 5th, 2024.

In his speech, the ambassador highlighted the important issues concerning our country regarding food security and nutrition in the context of conflict, limited resources, and impacts of climate changes.

He reviewed the efforts made by the Presidential Leadership Council under the leadership of President Dr. Rashad al-Alimi and the policies implemented by the government to provide services to the Yemeni people.

He also mentioned the exceptional circumstances our country is going through due to the war imposed by the terrorist Houthi militias and the disasters they have caused to the Yemeni people, who are now experiencing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
The ambassador called on Yemen’s development partners, particularly the Food and Agriculture Organization, to cooperate with the Yemeni government in its efforts to transform agricultural and food systems towards achieving food security.
He emphasized the need to mobilize support and necessary resources to enhance livelihoods and gradually shift efforts from humanitarian assistance to development, focusing on productive sectors.
He stressed the importance of supporting their efforts to meet the needs of the Yemeni people in the face of the difficult circumstances Yemen is going through.
He emphasized the necessity of providing the required funding to end present and future hunger as one of the goals to be achieved by 2030 and to be included in the recommendations of the 37th Session of the FAO conference.
The ambassador also pointed out that the percentage of workers in the agriculture and fisheries sector in Yemen constitutes 75% of the total workforce in the country. He highlighted that the destructive war waged by the terrorist Houthi militias has resulted in the destruction of the agriculture and fisheries sectors and spread poverty among workers in these sectors.

The ambassador mentioned the environmental disaster caused by the sinking of the ship Rubymar, which led to mass fish mortality, further exacerbating the suffering of workers in the fisheries sector.

He affirmed the need to build the capacity of the agriculture and fisheries sectors and support the survival of Yemen’s agricultural system to cope with the negative consequences of climate change.

The ambassador emphasized the importance of assisting the government in its efforts to establish a national and local food security information system to support decision-makers in making strategic decisions and policies.

He also emphasized the importance of supporting the government in developing and investing in the fisheries sector and conducting a fish stock assessment by forming a team to visit Yemen and identify the necessary requirements for conducting the assessment.

He highlighted the significant impacts of the terrorist Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden on fishermen and the fishery sector.