I C A R D A    N e w s

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
Website: www.icarda.cgiar.org
For more information contact: Dr Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
 
 
12 May 2005
JICA-supported Training Program for Iraq
Mr K. Nagasawa (right), Resident Representative of JICA in Syria; Dr Samir El-Sebae Ahmed, Head of Human Resources Development Unit, ICARDA; and Dr Theib Oweis, Director, Managing Scarce Water Resources Mega-Project, ICARDA, opened the first training course within the framework of the JICA-supported Third Country Training Program for Iraq and other CWANA countries on 8 May at ICARDA headquarters. The course brought together 25 participants: Iraq, 15; Syria, 5; Egypt, 1; Morocco, 1; Sudan, 1; Kazakhstan, 1; Uzbekistan, 1.
ICARDA and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a Memorandum of Agreement on 8 May 2005 for a five-year JICA-supported Third Country Program for human resource development in Iraq, Syria and other CWANA countries. Mr
K. Nagasawa, Resident Representative of JICA in Syria, signed the agreement on behalf of JICA; Mr B. Sibai, Deputy Head of the Syrian State Planning Commission, on behalf of the Government of Syria; and Dr Samir El-Sebae Ahmed, Head of the Human Resources Development Unit, on behalf of ICARDA.

This project will support the following three training courses every year: Water Management for Improved Water-use Efficiency in the Dry Areas; Integrated Crop and Livestock Production; and Agricultural Biotechnology. Each of these courses will involve 15 participants from Iraq, 5 from Syria, and 5 from other CWANA countries.

The first training course within this project on “Water Management for Improved Water-use Efficiency in the Dry Areas” was inaugurated on 8 May 2005 and will continue up to 16 June 2005. Opening the course at ICARDA headquarters, Mr. Nagasawa expressed JICA’s appreciation for ICARDA’s active role in the joint efforts to develop human resources–"the backbone of agricultural research." He said the Government of Japan attaches great importance to agricultural research and capacity building in the region. Welcoming the participants Dr Samir El-Sebae Ahmed thanked both JICA and the Syrian Government for their participation in this project and for their continuous support to ICARDA in fulfilling its noble mission of reducing poverty through increased food production. Before introducing the course schedule, Dr T. Oweis, Director of Mega-Project 1 on Managing Scarce Water Resources, also thanked the participants and both JICA and the Syrian Government for their support.

About ICARDA: Established in 1977, ICARDA (www.icarda.cgiar.org) serves the entire developing world for the improvement of barley, lentil, and faba bean; and dry-area developing countries for the on-farm management of water, improvement of nutrition and productivity of small ruminants (sheep and goats), and rehabilitation and management of rangelands. In the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region, ICARDA is responsible for the improvement of durum and bread wheats, chickpea, pasture and forage legumes and farming systems; and for the protection and enhancement of the natural resource base of water, land, and biodiversity.

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) (www.cgiar.org) is a strategic alliance of countries, international and regional organizations, and private foundations supporting15 international research centers that mobilizes cutting-edge science to promote sustainable development by reducing hunger and poverty, improving human nutrition and health, and protecting the environment.
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