The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) actively participated in the International Seminar “Parliamentary Networks on Food Security Challenges”, held at the headquarters of the House of Councillors in Rabat, Morocco from 30th October till 1st November 2019.
The seminar was organized by the Association of Senate, Shoora, and Equivalent Councils in Africa and Arab World (ASSECAA), in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in cooperation with PAM, and kindly hosted by the House of Counselors of the Kingdom of Morocco.
The seminar was attended by 29 ASSECAA Member Councils, as well as 5 Arab and Islamic, 3 African and 4 European and International Organizations. The conference aimed at achieving an effective, goal-oriented dialogue, a fruitful exchange of information between the various parliaments on food security issues and recommendations to pave the way for consistent efforts with governments and various relevant sectors. In addition, the seminar aimed at contributing to global efforts to achieve sustainable development goals, in particular the second goal of combating hunger by 2030, improving food security and promoting sustainable agriculture.
PAM delegation was led by Hon. Karim Darwish, PAM Vice-President and President of the PAM 2nd Standing Committee on Economic Social and Environmental Cooperation, and included Prof. Francesco Capozzi, University of Bologna, Member of the PAM High-level Academic Platform.
In his speech, Hon. Darwish stressed the vulnerability of the Mediterranean region in terms of food insecurity and the challenges regarding food security, as a critical element of political stability and social peace in the Mediterranean region and Africa. In this regard, he also referred to the steadily growing population, and thus emphasized the particular urgency of this problem. To tackle this issue, he highlighted the need to develop national industries and invest in food production, including agriculture, fishery and power, as a main obstacle to investments in Africa.
Additionally, Hon. Darwish emphasized the outstanding importance of limiting the impact and causes of climate change as a major contributor to food insecurity. He ended his speech by drawing the attention to a meeting in Geneva in June 2020, where PAM and WTO will jointly convene a parliamentary meeting on trade. Regarding this meeting Hon. Darwish extended an invitation to all participants to share best practices in terms of food security supply.
As a senior member of the PAM Academic Platform, Prof. Capozzi presented the PRIMA research project, which aims at ensuring sustainable water management for dry and semi-dry Mediterranean areas, sustainable farming systems under Mediterranean environmental conditions, and Mediterranean chairs for regional and local development through research, innovation and joint solution development.
As outcome of the meeting, participants issued a joint Declaration on Food Security, in which close cooperation and coordination, especially on the spheres of education, scientific research, possession and transfer of technology, enhancement of food security, economic exchange, sustainable development, as well as sustained coordination through permanent institutional channels, in order to promote food security, were agreed upon.