28 February 2014: The 32nd UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) regional conference for the Near East and North Africa (NENA) saw the adoption by country delegates of a regional strategy on food security and nutrition, expansion of the FAO regional Initiative on Water Scarcity.

The conference, which took place in Rome, Italy, from 24-28 February 2014, addressed a range of topics including: the state of food and agriculture in the NENA region; the regional water scarcity initiative; the gender gap in agriculture and rural sector in NENA; reduction of food losses and waste in the NENA region; priorities of FAO activities in the region; decentralization issues and decentralized offices network; and the multi-year programme of work (MYPOW) for the Near East regional conference.

In advance of the conference, FAO underscored that water scarcity is one of the most urgent issues facing the NENA region, with freshwater availability in the region expected to drop by 50% by 2050. The conference, with 160 delegates from 21 regional FAO member States, as well as from civil society, other intergovernmental organizations and the private sector, also called on FAO to address: water scarcity; building resilience for enhanced food security and nutrition; and supporting small-scale agriculture. The regional budget for FAO programmes for the period 2014-2015 is US$45.8 million, with expected additional voluntary contribution of US$95.5 million. [Regional Conference Website] [Provisional Conference Agenda] [FAO Press Release]