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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 Website: www.icarda.cgiar.org |
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Media
contact:
Dr Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
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24 November 2005
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ICARDA
Chosen as Regional Focal Point for AnGR in the Near East
At the opening session, Dr Salwa Amber, FAO Representative in Syria, welcomed the participants and said she was delighted to start her work as the FAO Representative in Syria by opening this workshop. "The focus of the AnGR regional program is capacity building." She wished success to the participants in developing an effective work plan. Addressing the opening ceremony, ICARDA Director General, Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, highlighted the importance of animal production to the livelihood of the people in the region. Animal genetic resources conservation and management needs increased investment, he said. The region accounts for about 26% of sheep, 37% of goats and 70% of camel produced worldwide. He noted the need for various countries and stakeholders in the region to work together to draw a new map of genetic resources conservation based on precise knowledge. He said ICARDA's mandate includes the improvement of sheep and goats in CWANA, so there is a need to coordinate regional and sub-regional efforts in conserving and preserving available animal genetic biodiversity. He assured the participants of ICARDA's commitment to the regional efforts in conservation and management of AnGR.
Dr Ricardo Cardellino, FAO's AnGR Senior Program Officer, in his remarks said the workshop will focus on two main issues: strategic priorities for animal genetic resources conservation and management in the region, and the need for a regional focal point. He underlined the FAO's efforts in documenting key case studies that show the relevance of AnGR to farmers in contrasting regions of the world. In doing so, he emphasized that the documentation process attempted to reflect the reality and was based on "what the people tell the academics and not what the academics tell the people." Dr Luis Iniguez, Senior Small Ruminants (SR) Scientist from ICARDA presented the results of characterization of small ruminants in CWANA, reflecting the need for AnGR management and conservation in the region. In his presentation, Dr A. Aboul-Naga, Senior Advisor, stressed the importance of the livestock to poverty alleviation in the dry areas and the urgency of conserving the breeds in danger and the need for efficient utilization of the animal wealth in the region targeting the poor people. He suggested a list of priorities and action plans for management of AnGR. He stressed the fact that AnGR management and conservation should receive due priority and that the region should not miss the global momentum in this regard. A discussion session led to the identification of a set of strategic priorities in four key areas: (i) inventory, monitoring and characterization; (ii) sustainable use and development of animal genetic resources; (iii) conservation of animal genetic resources; and (iv) policies, institutions and capacity building. Strategic goals and activities were then discussed and articulated around these thematic strategies. Dr Cardellino presented the need for coordination among countries and its advantages. He also presented the scope of the work and terms of reference for the Regional Focal Point (RFP). The meeting then discussed and identified responsibilities for the implementation of the work plan at the national, regional (regional focal point) and international levels. Due to its comparative advantages in the region and good links with NARS and government agencies, the meeting unanimously elected ICARDA to be the focal point for AnGR in the region. The participants thanked Prof. Dr El-Beltagy, DG of ICARDA, and Dr Aboul-Naga for taking the initiative of holding this workshop and FAO for its support. For more information contact: Dr Luis Iñiguez |
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.