Ammon News -

His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal, President of the West Asia-North Africa Institute (WANA), underlined the importance of adopting interdependent systems to draw up long-term food policies and link food security with water, energy and agriculture and the sustainable use of resources.

Speaking during a virtual seminar organized yesterday by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and WANA under the title: "Reimagining Food Security in the Arab Region Post-COVID-19", Prince El Hassan renewed the call to establish a regional socioeconomic council that represents collective thought, to unify procedures and achieve multilateral solidarity, pointing out that solidarity achieves survival.

"If we want 2021 to lead to results, we must maintain and explain priorities," His Highness said, stressing that the primary investment is investing in human capital to ward off harm and banish fear.

He noted that two-thirds of people affected by hunger live in countries afflicted by conflict, which have weakened productive infrastructure, disrupted food value chains and led to abandoning agricultural lands due to damage or population displacement.

On research efforts in food security, Prince El Hassan pointed to the need to revive the agricultural and research processes, indicating that "figures do not make the future, but the human and his dignity is the guarantee of a decent future."

ESCWA Executive Secretary Rola Dashti emphasized the importance of food security and its close association with human security, social justice and green economy, expecting the food security problem in the region, in particular and the world in general, to worsen due to the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic.

Arab Organization for Agricultural Development Director-General Ibrahim Al-Dukhairy said in remarks that "pan-Arab food security needs a structural transformation in the development approach," noting that the aspired transformation requires innovation, cooperation, solidarity and coordination.

The meeting was part of the 4th Sustainable Development Dialogue in the Arab Region launched by the ESCWA.