Second Regional Technical/Planning and Steering Committee Meetings
he GEF/UNDP funded Dryland Agrobiodiversity project organized its second regional technical planning meeting in Zahle, Lebanon, 10-13 July 2000. Dr Mahmoud Solh, ICARDA's Assistant Director General for International Cooperation, chaired the opening session. Opening remarks were made by Dr Mustapha Yaghi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI), Dr Hani Daraghma, Representative of UNDP/GEF, and by Ms Dima El Khatib, who spoke on behalf of the UNDP Resident Representative in Lebanon. Dr Solh made a statement on behalf of ICARDA, IPGRI, and ACSAD. Dr Khalil Khazzaka, Director General of LARI and ICARDA Board member, attended the opening session.

work for the second year for the National and Regional Components. The program also allowed for discussions in specialized working groups on the activities and progress achieved in the agro-ecological/ botanical survey and the socio-economic survey. Standardization of methodologies and harmonization of activities were stressed to ensure the regionality of the project.
        Special thanks and appreciation are due to the host country and the Project Coordinator and Project Manager in Lebanon for all the efforts, input and excellent arrangements provided to the meeting and to make the visit to Lebanon of all participating delegations such a useful and enjoyable one.
        ICARDA staff in Terbol and Beirut are to be thanked and congratulated for the nice and efficient logistics made available for the meeting and for their endless presence and assistance during the whole activity.
        The Steering Committee Meeting was held on 14 July 2000 at the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI). Management issues were discussed and the need to ensure the regionality of the project was stressed. The Committee adopted the recommendations made at the Technical Planning Meeting. Dr Solh thanked the members for their frank and valuable comments, and assured them that ICARDA and the cooperating institutions -- IPGRI and ACSAD -- will focus on the regionality of the project activities through a thematic group approach.

        Thirty-seven scientists from the national programs of Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the Palestinian Authority attended the meeting. Also present were UNDP representatives for these countries, 11 scientists from ICARDA, IPGRI, and ACSAD, the Regional Coordinator for ICARDA's West Asia Regional Program and the Director, Government Liaison office of ICARDA for Syria.
        The GEF/UNDP project aims to preserve the agrobiodiversity relating to wild and cultivated species of globally and regionally important crops and fruit trees, through the active participation of all involved stakeholders. Project sites and monitoring areas were carefully selected in each of the four countries where in situ conservation techniques will be tested with the full participation of the local communities.
        Dr Solh set out the objectives of the meeting: to review the achievements of the first year, and to discuss the plan of

        Dr. Hani Daraghma thanked all the members for their valuable input, and the Lebanon team for their arrangements and hospitality. The National Project Coordinators, Dr Abdel Nabi Fardous (Jordan), Dr Shaker Joudeh (Palestinian Authority), Dr Ghassan Al-Nabulsi (Syria, on behalf of Dr Walid Tawil), and Dr Khalil Khazzaka (Lebanon) expressed their willingness to continue their full support for the success of the project. They thanked ICARDA, IPGRI, and ACSAD for their technical support, and UNDP/GEF for their financial support. It was agreed to hold the third regional technical and planning Meeting in Syria in early September 2001.