Pasquale Steduto (R), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Strategic Program Coordinator in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region, is interviewed with Xinhua in Cairo, Egypt, on July 17, 2017. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched on Monday a regional project for water efficiency and sustainability in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region. The projects, named "Implementing 2030 Agenda for water efficiency/productivity and water sustainability in NENA countries," is meant to help member countries in implementing the 2030 Agenda and contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 6 (SDG6). (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
CAIRO, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched on Monday a regional project for water efficiency and sustainability in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region.
The projects, named "Implementing 2030 Agenda for water efficiency/productivity and water sustainability in NENA countries," is meant to help member countries in implementing the 2030 Agenda and contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 6 (SDG6).
The beneficiaries of this project are Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia.
The project is implemented in cooperation with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).
"This is a region with the most scarce water resources," said Pasquale Steduto, FAO Regional Strategic Program Coordinator in NENA, adding that this project is formulated in line with the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, particularly on the domain of water.
The project will also help member countries in achieving SDG 2 by ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition and increasing the capacity for agriculture productivity, he said.
The goals will be reached by establishing a robust water accounting system, implementing a series of interventions to increase water efficiency and productivity in selected farming systems as well as ensuring sustainable, socially equitable and human-rights based development.
