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11-13 September 2023 – Cairo - FAO launched the Global Action on Green Development of the Special Agricultural Products (SAPs): “One Country One Priority Product” (OCOP) in September 2021 to address the current and recurring challenges of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition as well as to contribute to the development of smallholders and family farms, amongst other strategic objectives. Following a call for expression of interest, 10 countries in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) joined the OCOP initiative to develop their selected SAPs – carob in Morocco, coffee in Yemen and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, dates in Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, harissa in Tunisia, figs in Algeria, olive in Syria and pulses in Lebanon. Subsequently, the regional launch of the OCOP initiative in NENA was conducted in June 2022, with the presence of over 700 participants, including government representatives, private sector, research institutions and FAO Country Offices. Within this framework, the development of a sustainable value chain for each SAP can play an essential role in ensuring food security and nutrition, more effective use of underutilized resources, and supporting farmers’ livelihoods and economic growth, while protecting the environment and biodiversity for present and future generations.
In November 2022, FAO launched the OCOP country projects by identifying the first-round demonstration countries to lead the implementation of the OCOP initiative at the country level and in farmers’ fields. The first-round demonstration countries include: Malawi, representing Africa in promoting banana; Bangladesh, representing Asia and Pacific in promoting jackfruit; Uzbekistan, representing Europe and Central Asia in promoting sweet cherry; Trinidad and Tobago, representing Latin America and the Caribbean in promoting cocoa; and Egypt representing Near East and North Africa promoting date palm. Moreover, FAO Regional Office for Near East and North Africa (FAO-RNE) developed a regional project under the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP). This project supports the governments of six countries – Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia and Yemen in analysing the status of the value chains and designing upgrading strategies for the priority products.
To consolidate the collaborative efforts in all OCOP potential project countries to promote the exchange of best practices among the various support mechanisms and to facilitate the successful implementation of the OCOP initiative in all five regions, FAO is organizing the regional launch events and workshops on the implementation of OCOP country projects in each region. To this end, the FAO regional launch event and workshop on the implementation of OCOP country projects in Near East and North Africa will be organized in Cairo, Egypt, from 11-13 September 2023.
A field visit to a farm in Wadi Natroun
Photo credit must be given: ©FAOEgypt / Mohamed Kamall