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Participation of the PABSEC in the High-Level Conference on Food Industry for a Sustainable Food Security, Cairo, 22-23 October 2023
Ms. Roberta Alma ANASTASE, Member of the PABSEC Romanian Delegation, Chairperson of the Legal and Political Affairs Committee of the Assembly, accompanied by Mr. Daniel DULCA, PABSEC Deputy Secretary General, participated in the High-Level Conference on Food Industry for a Sustainable Food Security, which took place in Cairo, on 22-23 October 2023.
The event was organized by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), with the support of the German Development Cooperation and the League of Arab States, and was held at the Headquarters of the League of Arab States.
The Conference was attended by parliamentarians, ministers, high-level officials, representatives of NGO’s and think tanks involved in the food industry and its purpose was to discuss the current state of the food industry, the strategies to enhance its resilience and pathways to foster sustainability.
These issues have become particularly pressing, given the global context of skyrocketing energy prices, staggering inflation rates and supply chain disruptions that have led to volatile prices and food shortages.
On 22 October, the participants visited several important benchmark companies in the food industry of Egypt. The visit provided an opportunity for a comprehensive understanding of the measures and initiatives which should be implemented in order to ensure sustainable and resilient food systems, underlining the role of technology in optimizing food production and reducing waste.
On 23 October, Mr. Nasser Kamel, the Secretary General of the UfM, opened the event, alongside with Mr. Khaled Almanzalawi, Deputy Secretary General of the League of Arab States and Mr. Christian Berger, the Head of the EU Delegation to Egypt. They highlighted the urgency of ensuring food security across the region and the necessity to strengthen the cooperation for fighting against hunger.
Ms. Yasmine Fouad, the Minister of Environment of Egypt, underscored the importance of the circular economy and drew attention to the initiatives promoted at COP27, which took place last year, under the presidency of Egypt, such as Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST).
This important event brought together high-level speakers who shed light on some relevant topics such as: State of play of Food industry in the region (Demand and supply, support to the Food industry, food trade policies and other main challenges faced); etc.
The recommendations of this Conference will be compiled into an outcome document that will guide the future work of the UfM, aimed at supporting its Member States’ food security efforts.