ICARDA
News
INTERNATIONAL
CENTER FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN THE DRY AREAS
P.O. Box 5466, Aleppo, Syria
Phone: (963-21) 2213433, 2213477, 2225112, 2225012
Fax: (963-21) 2213490, 2225105; E-mail: ICARDA@CGIAR.ORG
5
June 2003
For
more information contact:S.Varma@cgiar.org
ICARDA,
ESCWA Sign Memorandum of Understanding
ICARDA
and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA),
based in Lebanon, have formalized their cooperative relationship in a Memorandum
of Understanding that should spur exchange of information, research, capacity
building, and joint projects.
Dr Mervat Tallawy, Under-Secretary General and Executive
Secretary, ESCWA, and ICARDA Director General Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy signed
the document at Center headquarters on 27 May.
"This Center has enjoyed many years of productive
cooperation with ESCWA. This memorandum recognizes this relationship officially,
and points to specific areas of mutual interest where we hope to expand and
enhance our collaboration for the good of farmers and farm communities in the
dry areas of West Asia," said Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy.
In-coming
Board Chair Dr Margaret Catley-Carlson welcomes Presentation Day guests who
"by their presence signaled their support to ICARDA's work." Seated
from left to right: H.E. Mr Osama Adi, Governor of Aleppo; Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy,
ICARDA Director General; H.E. Noureddin Mona, Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian
Reform, Syria; and Dr Robert Havener, out-going Board Chair of ICARDA.
ICARDA's
(www.icarda.org) mission is to improve the welfare of people and alleviate
poverty through research and training in dry areas of the developing world
by increasing production, productivity, and nutritional quality of food, while
preserving and enhancing the natural resource base. ICARDA is a Future Harvest
Center.
ESCWA and ICARDA will promote cooperation in research through exchange of
visits, consultations, and joint studies in areas of mutual interest, including
but not limited to:
- efficiency of water
use in West Asia
- socioeconomic and policy
analysis related to livelihood strategies and natural resource management
in West Asia
- and information technology
and knowledge management.
ESCWA and ICARDA will
also cooperate in providing specialized training "in areas of mutual
interest that will benefit from ICARDA researchers' expertise and the experience
of ESCWA staff."
Under the terms of the memorandum, the two organizations will collaborate
in developing joint research proposals and in soliciting funding from external
donors.
Dr Tallawy was at ICARDA to participate in the Center’s Presentation
Day, held on 26 May.