His Excellency Eng. Saif Al Shara’a Assistant Undersecretary for Agriculture and Animal Affairs at the Ministry of Environment and Water, stated in his key note speech that organizing this meeting comes in line with the ministry’s targets in achieving its strategic goals for the prevention from agricultural pest and infectious animal diseases and reduce their effects on people and the environment.

Al Shara’a added that the dangers of the desert locust are still high despite the international efforts to combat them, causing loss in crops, negative economic effects and famine in a number of countries in the horn of Africa where are the desert locust originate.  He pointed out the most of the countries vulnerable to the desert locust have limited natural resources specially water, therefore  it is important to combine all regional and international efforts to combat this dangerous endemic, and ensure that field surveys are continued, in addition to promoting regular monitoring and early detection programs in the region and areas prone to the endemic.  In addition to implementation of effective control programs to limit the winter breeding of the pest and control its effects on the food production and global food security.

At the conclusion of his speech Al Shara’a said that the ministry corporates with the regional partners across international organizations and agricultural scientific centers to exchange information, knowledge and training. This meeting aims to enhance corporation between countries and build the capacity for monitoring, surveying, early detection and rapid response, to reduce the effects of the pests that is considered a serious threat to the stability of many societies.

Mr. Adrianus Speakers, FAO Regional Office Coordinator for the GCC and Yemen, said that the agricultural emergencies and transients pest are one of the major issue that the FAO focuses on through its strategic goals especially the desert locust, he added that the FAO support the international efforts to combat the desert locust, through the global monitoring, and early warning from the Dessert Locust Emergency Center, in addition to facilitating international corporation and provide technical support to the countries in addition to providing support in emergency operations.

 Speakers praised the efforts of the Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region and being able to control the desert locust despite the many challenges that have been face in the past 50 years, In which the FAO supports the countries in the region and supports their efforts in combating the pests effectively. He also confirmed UAE and MOEWs efforts in hosting this meeting confirms the future objective of the ministry to train and qualify the technical team in the member countries to raise the level of readiness  in the occasion the spread of the dessert locust endemic in the region’s countries, though the chances are minimal

During the meeting many crucial topics have been discusses, most importantly the level of readiness of the member countries to combat the desert locust, activation of contingency plans to avert the threats of locusts, methods to strengthen the capacity of countries. The meeting also reviewed the financial governance in terms of locusts and discussed enhancing the implantation of effective control plans to manage locusts pesticides, in addition to the implantation of environmental health and safety programs to combat the desert locust, and the regular activities that the commission is holding and the work plan for the coming years.

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