UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon pledges full support to Qatar for establishing the Global Dry Land Alliance (GDLA)

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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon pledges full

support to Qatar for establishing the Global Dry

Land Alliance (GDLA)

PR Newswire

RIO DE JANEIRO, June 23, 2012

- With Photo

- Panel of global leaders gather in Qatar National Pavilion at Rio+20 UN

Conference on Sustainable Development to discuss food security in dry land

nations.

RIO DE JANEIRO

,

June 23, 2012

/PRNewswire/ -- "We want to say that we live in

a sustainable world, but we cannot claim this when we have one billion starving

people. Eradicating hunger is a top priority for the United Nations. So I would

like to congratulate

Qatar

for its leadership in changing this situation through

establishing the Global Dry Land Alliance (GDLA)." With this important

statement, Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon today set the

tone for the last day of discussions in Rio at the Qatar Sustainability Forum.

The Secretary General joined other world leaders in a panel discussion on

"Partnering for Food Security: the Global Dry Land Alliance (GDLA)." The panel

was hosted by the GDLA, an alliance of dry land nations collaborating on food

security issues.

The Panel was attended by His Excellency Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah,

Chairman of the Qatar Administrative Control and Transparency Authority and

head of

Qatar

's delegation to the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable

Development, HE Dr. Khaled bin Mohammed Al-Attiya, Minister of State of

Foreign Affairs and HE Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, President of the General

Assembly of the United Nations.

"One of the key objectives of the UN is to feed the world's population," said the

Secretary General. "At the moment, one-third of the food produced in the

planet is wasted. This means that we have

enough food, but the system is unable to ensure it reaches everyone."

His Excellency Fahad bin Mohammed Al-Attiya, Executive Chairman of the

Qatar National Food Security Programme, led the day's discussion on food

security by outlining

Qatar

's commitment to a master plan for renewable

energy, water management and sustainable agriculture and called on other

nations to participate in a collaborative effort for addressing global food

concerns. "

Qatar

is committed to doing more than simply addressing our own

food and water security concerns," said Chairman Al-Attiya. "We are proud to

join with nations from around the world to share research, best practices and

resources in a formal alliance of dry land states."

Joining him on the stage of the Qatar Pavilion at Rio+20 were major Qatari and

world leaders such as the GDLA Director and Ambassador of the State of Qatar

His Excellency Bader Al-Dafa; former president of the Government of Spain

Jose Luis Rodrigues Zapatero; Senior Diplomatic Advisor to the GDLA Mr. Miguel

Moratinos; UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director Parviz

Koohafkan; World Food Programme Executive Director Ertharin Cousin; Chief

Development Strategist for the International Fund for Agricultural Development

(IFAD) Mr. Carlos Sere.

Covering some 40 percent of the world's surface, dry land areas are home to

two billion people. The GDLA programs will address the challenges that face

these nations. "Our mission is to develop capabilities to achieve food security in

dry land areas and also share technology with the less developed countries,"

stressed Ambassador Bader Al-Dafa.

More than 10 percent of these areas suffer from the effects of human

activities, resulting in the erosion of arable land, rising water shortages,

salinization, desertification and loss of biodiversity. In these countries, concerns

about food security are on the rise, with sustainable integrated strategies for

agriculture and heightened water usage awareness. "We must produce food

while respecting the environment, we must learn from Nature in order to

preserve it," said former President of the Government of

Spain

, Jose Luis

Rodrigues Zapatero. "I commend the

State of Qatar

for their leadership on this

issue Dry land nations must come together to address food security and

Qatar

has taken an important step by dedicating resources to get things started,"

added Zapatero.

Concluding the panel presentation, Miguel Moratinos, the Senior Diplomatic

Advisor of the GDLA, emphasized the role to be played by the GDLA in global

society in combating the threats of the 21st century by new innovative means.

"The GDLA is our contribution to mitigating hunger and addressing water

shortages."

About the Global Dry Land Alliance (GDLA)

The GDLA is a collaborative undertaking by countries severely affected by dry

land challenges. The treaty-based alliance is designed to combat the threat of

food insecurity, create solutions to common food security problems, and

provide mutual assistance in times of extraordinary need. In anticipation of

sharing knowledge and best practices with populations suffering from hunger

and poverty, the GDLA will engage in joint research and technological

innovation; direct funding to existing organizations for specified research and

program implementation; improve members' food security policies and

planning; mitigate members' food security vulnerabilities; and create food crisis

response capabilities. The alliance was initiated by His Highness the Heir

Apparent of

Qatar

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani through the Qatar

National Food Security Programme.

Note to Editors:

A picture accompanying this release is available through the PA Photowire. It

can be downloaded from http://www.pa-mediapoint.press.net or viewed at

http://www.mediapoint.press.net or http://www.prnewswire.co.uk.