Co-organized by the Permanent Missions of Morocco and Israel to the UN, the meeting took place on the sidelines of the 54th session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development.

This event, which also coincided with the celebration of Earth Day, was marked by the participation of the ambassadors of several countries, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for 2021 Food Systems Summit, Agnes Kalibata, Head of Israel’s International Development Agency (MASHAV), Eynat Shlein, and the Director General of the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI), Mohamed Methqal.

Speaking on this occasion, the Moroccan ambassador to the UN noted that this Moroccan-Israeli initiative testifies to the driving role that cooperation can play in the field of sustainable agriculture, climate change, management of water, renewable energies and trade cooperation.

"As we prepare for the Food Systems Summit next September, now is the time to work on strong partnerships and accelerate much needed action," said Hilale. "In fact, if there is one lesson we can learn from the global COVID-19 crisis, it would be to turn it into an opportunity to rebalance and transform our food systems and plant for the future," he pointed out.

In this regard, the ambassador stressed that in Morocco, under the visionary leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, agricultural science has acquired enormous potential and has increased the yields of farmers to produce more food with less water and energy. He also cited the Morocco’s Green Plan, a national agricultural strategy launched in 2008 that has helped boost agriculture and make it the main engine of growth in the national economy, creating jobs and reducing poverty.

"Morocco's vision on agriculture aims to ensure national food self-sufficiency and opens up the possibility of exporting quality agricultural products to the world," Ambassador Hilale said.

He underlined in this context that Morocco and Israel have agreed to cooperate in several sectors, including food industry, applied research in industry, green technologies and renewable energies, which can all contribute to intensify existing initiatives, and benefit a wide range of countries, particularly in Africa, in the area of agriculture and agro-industry.

For his part, the Israeli ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, noted that the year 2020 "has taught us the urgency and the importance of bringing up the issue of food security, and the technologies that will help us achieve this important goal, which is at the top of the global agenda".

In this regard, he said that Israel was proud to present at the United Nations level a resolution on agricultural technologies for sustainable development. This resolution, he explained, will help focus the world's attention on technologies that can help developing countries feed their own people and help them advance in many development areas.

Referring to the Food Systems Summit scheduled next September, the diplomat said the Summit will reinforce the important message that "we must all work together to completely transform the way the world produces, consumes and thinks about food”.

For her part, Agnes Kalibata congratulated the permanent missions of Morocco and Israel for the organization of this event which coincides with Earth Day.

"Morocco and Israel are living examples of what innovation can achieve in the agricultural sector," said Kalibata, who also praised in this regard the various initiatives and cooperation action of the Kingdom in favor of the countries of the African continent, in particular through the Initiative for the Adaptation of African Agriculture (AAA), launched by Morocco and which aims to reduce the vulnerability of Africa and its agriculture to climate change.

Referring to the 2021 Food Systems Summit, Kalibata noted that this theme remains closely linked to all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), stressing that this world summit will mark a turning point for the achievement of the SDGs.

For her part, the head of MASHAV, Eynat Shlein, noted that as the world faces rampant food insecurity, exacerbated by climate change and other environmental problems, it is more essential than ever to adopt a new approach to agriculture.

In this regard, she noted the importance of opting for new modern and efficient farming techniques, as well as for better management of soils and water resources.

Shlein expressed Israel's readiness to share its expertise and experience in this area, especially with African countries, citing in this regard the assistance provided by her country last year to Ethiopia in the fight against desert locust through the use of drones to track them down and better target them with pesticide treatments.

For his part, Mohamed Methqal recalled that agriculture is an important sector for Morocco, in the sense that it accounts for nearly 40 pc of the national GDP.

He also underscored the importance of South-South cooperation, considered by His Majesty King Mohammed VI as a major pillar of the Kingdom's foreign policy.

To contribute to this effort, AMCI has partnerships with some 170 partner countries, particularly in the sectors of agriculture, irrigation and water management, he said. The agency also conducts technical training programs in the agricultural sector as well as capacity building programs within the framework of triangular cooperation, he added.

Speaking on this occasion, several ambassadors of United Nations member countries, representing in particular the African and American continents, commended Morocco and Israel for this initiative and for their leadership on the crucial issue of agriculture and food security.

They also welcomed the level of cooperation between their respective countries and the Kingdom of Morocco, whose action and initiatives in favor of the countries of the African continent and the South were praised and welcomed on this occasion.