Meeting ends with Doha Declaration

The International Conference on Food Security in Dry lands (FSDL) has concluded with a Doha Declaration which called upon governments to allocate 10% of budgetary resources for agriculture and food production.The event held on Wednesday and Thursday, under the patronage of HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, also stressed the need to establish a permanent secretariat for FSDL under the Qatar National Food Security Programme.A ministerial dialogue which saw the participation of 13 ministers expressed support to Qatar’s initiative at national, regional and international levels to establish a Global Dry Land Alliance (GDLA).It was acknowledged that an urgent need exists to ‘promote sound policies for agricultural and rural development.’ The discussions highlighted the need to establish, with the support of FAO, the World Bank, Unesco and others, an information system in the field of agricultural production for food security and the trading of commodities between markets and countries in dry lands.It was recommended that early warning systems be put in place at national and regional levels to minimise the negative impacts of droughts, floods, desertification, and pests.Presenting the Doha Declaration to the gathering, the chairperson of the drafting committee, Salah Abdel Moumen, Egypt’s minister of agriculture and land reclamation, called for the spirit of collaboration and co-operation experienced at the conference to continue beyond.Speaking at the closing session, executive director of the Global Dry Land Alliance, Bader al-Dafa underlined that the conference and its Doha Declaration will enhance the ongoing efforts to establish GDLA.Miguel Moratinos, co-chair of the drafting committee, reminded delegates that the conclusions of the FSDL conference and the recommendations from the ministerial dialogue, in particular, could now be held up against the discussions on agriculture at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Doha to ensure that the desired negotiated outcomes are secured. The Doha Declaration also supports climate change goals and calls for responsible investment and financing of agricultural adaptation measures necessitated by climate change. In his closing address, QNFSP executive chairman, Fahad al-Attiya, reaffirmed that the GDLA would continue to work tirelessly and with renewed focus until its ultimate goal of eradication of food insecurity would become a reality.