The Executive Council of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) will hold its regular session (49) in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Thursday, 28 March 2019. The meeting will be held under the patronage of His Excellency Engineer Abdulrahman bin Abdul Mohsin Al Fadhli, the Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, in the presence of their Excellencies the representatives of the Member States of the Executive Council (Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Lebanon, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Somalia, and Morocco).

The Director General of AOAD H.E Prof. Ibrahim Adam El Dukheri, said that the Council will discuss a number of items on the agenda of the Council regarding the progress of work in the field of implementing the projects and activities included in the work plan of AOAD, implemented by the General Administration during the period between the two sessions of the Executive Council 48 and 49 and to discuss the progress made in the harmonization of the Arab Strategy for Sustainable Agricultural Development for the Decade (2005-2025) with the Sustainable Development Goals (2030). The Council will also discuss the work of the Arab Strategy for Aquaculture (2017-2037), adopted by the Arab Summit in Amman in 2018. The agenda of the Council also includes topics of great importance to cope with changes such as the second phase of the regional program to control transboundary animal diseases in the Arab and African regions, with the aim of improving trade between them.

 Moreover the meeting will discuss the situation of monitoring the food security in the Arab region, and activating the Arab Office for Animal Health and activating the International Council for Dates in Saudi Arabia. The Council also will discuss the establishment of units and centers within the AOAD’s organizational structure, including the Arab Center for Entrepreneurship and the Arab Olive Office, and other administrative and financial issues that would promote the work of AOAD and cope with global changes.