Wednesday 17 / December / 2025
Muscat: Acting in cooperation with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources on Wednesday organised a workshop to discuss the draft framework of the Oman-FAO Country Cooperation Programme for the period 2026-2030.
The workshop, titled “Promoting Innovation for Food Security”, saw the participation of representatives of government departments, private sector establishments, universities, research institution and civil society organisations.
The workshop was held under the auspices of Eng. Ali bin Mohammed Al Abri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources for Water Resources.
The workshop aimed to discuss the features of the third version of the Country Framework Document for Cooperation with the FAO. It underscored the need to ensure consistency with national development priorities and enhance integration between sectors related to food and water security and sustainable agricultural and fisheries development—notably within the context of the rapid pace of environmental, climatic and economic challenges.
In a speech at the workshop, Dr. Mahira Ali Al Zadjali, Director of the Strategic Planning Department at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, said that ongoing cooperation between the Sultanate of Oman and the FAO has set a model of international partnership that is based on knowledge and good planning
Such cooperation, she observed, has contributed to the development of national policies, capacity building and the preparedness of various sectors to deal with environmental, climatic, health and economic challenges.
For his part, Dr. Thaer Yaseen, FAO Representative in Oman (ad interim), affirmed that the 2026-2030 Country Cooperation Programme Framework constitutes a strategic document that reflects the Sultanate of Oman’s development priorities, the 11th Five-Year Plan and the United Nations Framework of Cooperation for Sustainable Development.
He explained that the framework embodies the commitment of the FAO to streamline the transition towards the application of more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable food and agricultural systems in line with the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-2031.
Meanwhile, Dr. Nashwan Abdul-Razzaq, Senior Project Adviser and Project Manager for the preparation of the Country Programme Framework in the Sultanate of Oman, said that the Country Programme Framework forms a strategic planning measure that is implemented by the FAO in cooperation with governments to determine priorities for technical support and relevant guiding programmes in line with national strategies and sustainable development goals.
He pointed out that the framework, which coincides with the implementation of the 11th Five-Year Plan, focuses on basic pillars, including agriculture, fisheries and sustainable food systems that are resilient to climate change.
Emphasis is also laid on the sustainable management of water resources, empowering rural communities and developing public policies and the institutional environment in line with sustainable development goals, Dr. Nashwan added.
