CAIRO (MEMO) – The
Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, has called for activation of an integrated management of food, water and energy security problems in the Arab region, warning that food security in particular is “deteriorating” in an alarming way.
This came during the opening of the Environment & Development Forum: The Road to Sharm El Sheikh Climate Change CoP27, held in cooperation with the Environment Ministry and with the participation of senior officials and experts representing 30 countries.
The official spokesman for the Arab League Secretary-General, Gamal Rushdie, said Aboul Gheit stressed on the importance of the forum to enrich the Arab debate on the issues of water, climate change, energy and food.
Aboul Gheit said the forum represents a unique opportunity that highlights the importance of the Arab region being an important global source of energy, despite suffering from severe water poverty.
He noted that energy, water and food suffer from overlapping problems that require a holistic approach to solve them in order to build national and Arab capacities in these areas.
Aboul Gheit warned of the deteriorating food security in the Arab region due to global developments, noting that the issue will be discussed at the level of Arab foreign ministers.
“The Arab League has presented a strategic study on ways to enhance Arab food security which will be submitted to the next Arab summit in Algeria,” he said.