ESCWA contributes to SHARAKA Conference

Upon invitation from the Gulf Studies Program at the College of Arts and Science, Qatar University, ESCWA Regional Advisor on Environment and Water, Ralf Klingbeil, participated in the conference “EU-GCC Regional Security Cooperation - Lessons Learned and Future Challenges” organised by the EU-funded SHARAKA project for “Enhancing Understanding and Cooperation in EU-GCC Relations” between 28 and 29 October 2013 in Doha, Qatar. The conference addressed a number of security-related issues relevant to EU-GCC relations including energy and food security. Klingbeil presented a paper entitled “Food Security, Water Security, Improved Food Value Chains for Sustainable Socio-economic Development” that addressed these issues in the Middle East North Africa region. Following the conference, the ESCWA Regional Advisor visited national and government institutions and initiatives in Qatar to explore their respective activities and investigate opportunities for closer cooperation with them. These institutions included the Ministry of Environment, the Qatar National Food Security Programme, the Qatar Foundation, the Qatar Statistics Authority, and the Global Dry Land Alliance.