Abu Dhabi: The government entity responsible for agriculture, food safety and food security affairs, Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) recently organized a workshop in collaboration with the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS).
Titled “Regional Training Workshop on Strategic Planning and Policy Development in Food Security”, the event hosted representatives from 27 nations across the globe.
The workshop strived to train concerned government officials of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states in developing strategies and legal frameworks for food security.
Hosting the workshop reflects ADAFSA’s keenness on promoting food security system in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. This also comes in line with the National Food Security Strategy 2051, which aims to establish the UAE’s position as a world-leading hub in innovation-driven food security, make the UAE the world’s best in the Global Food Security Index by 2051 and among the top 10 countries by 2021.
Mr. Saeed Al Bahri Al Ameri, Director-General of ADAFSA, remarked during his opening speech of the workshop.
The ADAFSA Director-General further added that the topics addressed at the gathering and best practices related to policy-making and strategic planning in food security are very important for the authority to achieve global leadership in food security and ensure that all people have access to safe, nutritious and adequate food all times.
Mr. Al Ameri urged the participants from Islamic member countries to benefit from the workshop and exchange experiences and knowledge to develop integrated approaches to meet challenges in food security today and into the future.
ATTENDEES
The workshop witnessed participation from group legislators, strategy developers, policy analysts, and program planners to share the best food security policy-making and planning practices.
THE EVENT
The workshop reviewed the OIC member states’ experience and international good practices in food security governance. Participants were updated about the existing legislation and strategies of particular countries, whether OIC or non-OIC member countries, by providing the hard copy of these documents.
Moreover, the event intended to build the capacities of participants in basics and practices of developing strategies, improving legislation, and creating government inter-sectoral mechanism for food security.
The training also raised participants’ awareness about essential aspects of addressing cross-sectoral issues that impact the state of food security, including agriculture development, private sector empowerment, involvement of third parties, innovations, climate resilience, and others.