The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa (NENA) in partnership with ICA Africa and ICA-AP are organizing a Regional Dialogue for Cooperative Development in the NENA Region which serves as a follow-up to the Asia-Pacific Cooperative Ministers’ Conference held in April 2024 in Jordan.

This collaboration aims to improve the enabling environment for coop development, enhance their capacities to transform food systems and contribute to food security, nutrition, and sustainable development in the region. The FAO and ICA have a longstanding collaboration at global, regional, and country levels, and this initiative represents a further step towards making cooperatives and other forms of collective action key actors in achieving the 2030 Agenda.

The Regional Dialogue will focus on two activities – a virtual technical roundtable and an in-person dialogue.  The technical roundtable is a preparatory step towards the upcoming in-person Regional Dialogue which is being planned in October 2024. This virtual roundtable will bring together a diverse group of experts, including representatives from the ministries of NENA countries, FAO Regional and Country Offices, ICA Africa and ICA-AP Regional Offices, as well as other distinguished experts and practitioners from international institutions, national cooperative movements, producer organizations, and NGOs.

The theme of the roundtable is “Strategic Dialogue on Cooperative Development for Food Security and Rural Transformation in the NENA Region” and is scheduled for 30 September 2024.