FAO: Near east region faces unprecedented escalation in water scarcity

Conflicts are impeding the fight against hunger in the Near East region, where growing food insecurity is compounded by rising water scarcity and a challenging natural resource situation that is exacerbated by climate change, FAO Director-General Graziano da Silva said today.

    He stressed how recent significant progress in curbing hunger - 15 out of 19 countries in the region achieved the MDG hunger goal - is being eroded by the impact of strife in countries such as Iraq, Syria and Yemen, as well as in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

    Despite the progress made by individual countries in reaching the Millennium Development Goals, however, the number of undernourished in the broader Near East and North Africa region doubled between 1990 and 2015, while the prevalence of undernourishment increased by 30 percent, Graziano da Silva noted.

The situation was particular serious in Syria where 6.5 million people have been internally displaced while more than 4.8 million have fled to neighbouring countries and elsewhere. Half of the Syrian population that remains in the country is in need of food assistance. 
Graziano da Silva made the remarks during a meeting of agriculture ministers attending FAO's Regional Conference for the Near East taking place at the Organization's Rome headquarters this week. 
"The Conference offers a great opportunity to reflect on how to move forward to overcome the many challenges ahead," he said, noting how FAO has been working with its partners to strengthen the food security and resilience of the most affected populations, "not only to mitigate impacts but to set the foundations for post-crisis recovery". 
Among the most serious challenges facing the Near East region is "an unprecedented escalation in water scarcity" with the average availability of fresh water per capita standing at just 10 percent of the world average. 
Factors contributing to this include growth of urban populations, which diverts water away from agriculture with negative consequences for food security and the rural economy. 
In addition, climate change "exacerbates existing vulnerabilities to natural hazards such as drought," the FAO Director-General said. 
In this context, Graziano da Silva noted however, that three regional initiatives targeting "Building Resilience for Food Security and Nutrition," "Small-Scale Agriculture for Inclusive Development", and "Water Scarcity" have started to show positive results. Introduced in 2014 these initiatives respond to priorities for the Near East and North Africa identified by FAO Members in the region. 
The FAO Director-General concluded his address at today's high-level session by calling for bigger efforts in resource mobilization in the region to overcome the challenges posed by political instability and insecurity. 
This week's FAO Regional Conference for the Near East, which began on Monday and ends on Friday is being attended by agriculture ministers and senior officials from 25 countries as well as representatives from civil society organizations and the private sector.

Source: QNA