Guaranteeing food security, resilience, and sustainability in the Euro-Mediterranean region

23 October 2023, Cairo – The Union for the Mediterranean, with the support of the German Development Cooperation, partnered with the League of Arab States to organise the High-Level Conference on Food Industry for Food Security. Titled “Towards More Resilient Regional Supply Chains and a More Sustainable Food Industry,” the event took place at the League of Arab States headquarters in Cairo.

The conference, which kicked off a day after visits to Egyptian food sector companies, brought together participants from across the Euro-Mediterranean region to discuss the current state of the food industry, strategies to enhance its resilience, and pathways to foster sustainability. These issues have become particularly pressing given the global context of skyrocketing energy prices, staggering inflation rates, and supply chain disruptions that have led to volatile prices and food shortages.

UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel opened the event alongside League of Arab States Deputy Secretary General Khaled Almanzalawi and Christian Berger, the Head of the EU delegation to Egypt. They highlighted the urgency of ensuring food security across the region and strengthening cooperation to fight against hunger.

Both SG Kamel and Dr. Abdelkader El Khissassi, the UfM Deputy Secretary General for Economic Development and Employment, reiterated the UfM’s commitment to continue to contribute to these goals in collaboration with key partners and stakeholders.

Yasmine Fouad, the Minister of Environment of Egypt, underscored the importance of the circular economy and drew attention to initiatives promoted at COP27, which took place last year under the presidency of Egypt, such as Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation-FAST.

The recommendations of this Conference will be compiled into an outcome document that will guide the future work of the UfM aimed at supporting its Member States’ food security efforts.