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Mariam Almheiri Urges GCC Agriculture Ministers to Sign Emirates Declaration on Resilient Food Systems, Sustainable Agriculture, and Climate Action

by Swati Gupta

September 29, 2023 21

Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, has called upon the ministers of agriculture from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations to endorse the Emirates Declaration on Resilient Food Systems, Sustainable Agriculture, and Climate Action. She emphasized the importance of supporting the UAE’s efforts to strengthen food systems, mitigate climate change, reduce global emissions, and contribute to the eradication of global hunger during COP28, which the UAE is hosting this year.

Mariam Almheiri addressed the 34th meeting of the GCC Agricultural Cooperation Committee, held at the Advisory Board of the GCC Supreme Council headquarters in Muscat, Oman. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Saoud Hamoud Ahmed Al-Habsi, Oman’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Water Resources.

During her speech, Almheiri stated, “The UAE aspires to make COP28 the most inclusive and influential COP to date and drive actionable solutions to creating a sustainable future for all of humanity by focusing on practical implementation. COP28 is an excellent opportunity to promote the GCC’s collective efforts in mitigating climate change and preserving the environment.”

She further elaborated on the COP28 Food Systems and Agriculture Agenda, outlining the UAE’s endeavors to mobilize international governments to endorse the Emirates Declaration on Resilient Food Systems, Sustainable Agriculture, and Climate Action.

Almheiri explained, “Through this, we are urging national governments to invest in sustainable food systems with several key objectives: reducing the carbon footprint of traditional food systems – responsible for a third of global emissions, and minimizing water consumption. Additionally, we seek to strengthen food production to combat world hunger, which impacted 783 million people last year.”

The Minister highlighted that the UAE had shared the initial draft of the Declaration with all Agricultural Ministers globally through diplomatic channels, with the aim of developing the final draft and sending it to various world leaders for signature in early October.

Almheiri concluded her address by emphasizing the significance of the Declaration in underlining the UAE’s commitment to mobilize global action to address shared challenges, such as water scarcity, desertification, and the shortage of arable land. She called upon GCC Member States to actively contribute to the success of these endeavors by endorsing the Declaration.

Almheiri also highlighted the UAE’s efforts to bolster food security through the National Strategy for Food Security and its initiatives to reduce food loss and waste through the Ne’ma initiative. The UAE aims to reduce food loss and waste by 50 percent by 2030.

She further acknowledged the UAE’s pioneering projects in the field of modern agriculture and innovation-based food security implemented throughout the country.

Almheiri expressed gratitude to the Sultanate of Oman for chairing this year’s meetings of the Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council and for hosting the Advisory Board of the GCC Supreme Council meeting. She also commended the GCC Secretariat General for its role in fostering joint coordination and action to achieve common objectives.