Statement by Dr. Magdi Latif, KIMO, RNE

Opening Ceremony of AARINENA 11th GENERAL CONFERENCE

Monday 2 July 2012

Dr. Ibrahim Hamdan, AARINENA Executive Secretariat

Distinguished Delegates of NARS and Focal Points of RABNENA,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

On the behalf of FAO Regional Office and in particular FAO Regional Representative and Assistant Director General, it is a great honour and pleasure for me to see and meet all of you and to participate in and provide contribution to the Regional Workshop on Agricultural Biotechnology Network for strengthening regional cooperation and knowledge sharing.

Science and research based agricultural systems have delivered real benefits and innovations to farmers, processors and consumers through the development and implementation of new knowledge and technologies. Agricultural development in NENA region, continue relatively susceptible inclined by the ineffective and incompetent exchange of knowledge and information. Building and strengthening the capacity to access and exchange information, and to convert it into useful knowledge and innovation, is very essential for the development objectives of poverty eradication, food security, sustainable agricultural development and NRM and increased productivity and competitiveness.

One of the avenues that could be used to achieve significant contribution is (1) to facilitate the development of Regional agricultural biotechnology thematic knowledge network driven by NARS in NENA for strengthening biotechnology knowledge and information sharing and exchange, and (2) to strengthening Stakeholder Capacities in information and communication management for ARD (ICM4ARD) and coherence in information for ARD (CIARD) and Agricultural Knowledge for All

Within this context I am delighted to see that AARINENA in collaboration with FAO, GFAR and ICARDA has established Regional Technical Networks on NOT ONLY THE Agricultural Biotechnology BUT ALSO Date-Palm, Cotton, Olive, Medicinal & Aromatic plants, and Water Use Efficiency for technical cooperation which become more and more important means of action.

SINCE DECEMBER 2007 FAO is WORKING CLOSELY WITH AARINENA IN BUILDING RABNENA as a regional platform for biotechnology knowledge sharing, exchanging and dissemination which are elements in a broader theme of knowledge management.

The main objective of the Network is to strengthen regional cooperation in agricultural biotechnology and innovation, to facilitate biotechnology knowledge sharing and information exchange for stakeholders at national and regional levels that will support strengthening performance of farmers and agrarian businesses, and to build the capacity of the Ministries of Agriculture and Agricultural Research Institutions for effective biotechnology information management and knowledge exchange in support of rural and agricultural development in the region.

I am pleased to inform you that During this workshop RABNENA will be launched it’s a new phase of development and I would like to congratulate AARINENA and all member countries participating in this regional workshop on the official launching for RABNENA regional network during this workshop. Through RABNENA, FAO is contributing and playing an instrumental role in improving accessibility and exchange of BIOTECHNOLOGY information, knowledge and innovations for agricultural development and food security improvement at national and regional levels in the Near East and North Africa region through strengthening information infrastructure and building common standards and platform for BIOTECHNOLOGY knowledge exchange and information management.

The principal message I would like to emphasize here in this workshop is: The lack of ICM planning and development means: (i) biotechnology outputs are not disseminated effectively, (ii) biotechnology research and development resources are wasted, (iii) the public image of NARS is poor due to lack of credibility and (iv) In the extreme, NARS institutions may become obsolete. Therefore decision-makers of NARS should focus on investing in biotechnology information and knowledge for development through building capacities of their institutions (Institutional RE-structures, People, Content, and Technology)

At this stage we are hoping to see that NARS in member countries is fully committed to support the appropriate sustainability for RABNENA through its regular programme budget

At this stage we also are hoping to see that YOU AS member countries Representatives participating in this workshop are fully committed to support the

appropriate sustainability for RABNENA through their serious contributions for content development in this important platform.

Before concluding my statement, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your interest, commitment and dedication for content development to improve visibility and ensure sustainability

I wish you a pleasant stay in Egypt during this workshop. hope all the best for all participants and I wish you a highly successful workshop.

Thank you.