FAO and ECA train experts for better food security monitoring in Morocco

Rabat, 10 December 2018The Economic Commission for Africa (Office for North Africa) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) initiated today in Rabat (Morocco) a three-day national workshopon food security assessment in the context of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.

“SDGs have become the main reference for national development policies and programmes, however, their follow up and implementation still require huge efforts. This workshop aims precisely to respond to the government’s request for technical support, especially regarding the production of sufficient and reliable data to measure food security indicators”, said FAO Representative in Morocco Florence Marie Rolle.

“Climate change is generating a number of food security related challenges in North Africa. In order to meet them, countries need general and multisectoral approaches and forward looking and evidence-based policies that can help them strengthen the resilience and sustainability of their food production systems, said Marieme Bekaye, Economist in charge of environment and sustainable development at the ECA Office for North Africa. “This objective can only be achieved by improving the availability of national statistical data, which is key for efficient policy monitoring, policy orientations and the distribution of resources”, she added.

The training will be carried out by experts from the FAO statistics division and will focus on various dimensions including as the occurrence of malnutrition, moderate and severe malnutrition, measured through the Food Insecurity Access Scale. By evaluating individuals’ access to proper nutrition, the FIES can be included in different kinds of surveys, which provides an opportunity to strengthen the links between agriculture, social protection, health and nutrition, therefore contributing to a better understanding of the causes and consequences of food insecurity.

This workshop is organized in accordance with the 2018-2019 sub-regional roadmap for the follow up and support to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Objectives (SDGs) in North Africa adopted in March 2018 at the Sub Regional Coordination Meeting for North Africa.

Beneficiaries include representatives of several organizations and institutions based in Morocco, including the Arab Maghreb Union, the High Commission for Planning, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests; Health, General Affairs and Governance and the High Commission for Water and Forests and the Fight against Desertification.

Communication Team
Economic Commission for Africa
Office for North Africa
Tel: +212 (0) 537 548 749
Email: filali-ansary@un.org; cea.an.coms@gmail.com