Arabic translation below

1 July 2021, Geneva, Switzerland - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have launched a Call for Applications for their joint online course on Trade and Food Security which will take place from October 17 to November 11, 2021. The course will be facilitated by Experts and delivered fully in Arabic language in asynchronous manner.

The course seeks to strengthen capacities in Arabic-speaking countries, to develop and implement evidence-based trade policies, and to formulate and negotiate trade agreements, taking into consideration both their needs for economic growth and structural transformation, as well as their food security concerns.

In the preparation of this course, FAO draws from its extensive experience with providing guidance, capacity building and technical advice to its member countries on the topic of Trade and Food security, Agricultural trade policy and Multilateral trade negotiations, as well as its normative work on the SPS issues.

The course is designed to aid representatives from Government and related authorities, who are directly involved in the formulation and implementation of agricultural policies and programs in Arabic-speaking countries. These may include officials from Ministries of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries; Ministries of Trade, Commerce, Industry; Ministries of Finance, Economy; and Food Safety, Sanitary, Phytosanitary, Veterinary and other authorities in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region.

The course aims to reach out to officials and representatives from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

The relationship between trade and food security is attracting increased attention on both the trade and the development agendas. The eradication of global hunger by 2030 is a key goal in the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and trade is recognized as one of the means for achieving the SDGs. The challenge is how to ensure that the expansion of agricultural trade works for and not against, the elimination of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition.

This challenge has been at the forefront as governments’ struggle to negotiate the changes to the current global agreements on agricultural trade that are needed to ensure that trade results in enhanced food security.

The increasing need for trade experts to support trade related development agenda in the region has posed a major challenge. In most cases, national and regional institutions do not have the technical capacity and resources to map out national, sub-regional and regional level trade priorities and constraints; to empirically assess the implications of their multiple memberships on trade and Food Security; to formulate appropriate mitigation policies and strategies; or to negotiate trade agreements that boost gains from trade and specialization.

This course is offered free of charge as part of FAO’s support to Member countries in the NENA region and will be conducted in Arabic language only over a period of four weeks. The course will be delivered online via UNITAR’s e-learning platform.

Limited slots are available and will be subject to a selection process conducted by FAO, taking into consideration, the geographical and institutional distribution as well as gender balance. In order to receive the final confirmation of selection, participants would be requested to obtain permission to participate in the course from their direct supervisor.

A UNITAR- FAO Certificate of Completion will be issued to participants who successfully complete all course-related assignments and assessments.

For more information and online registration, please visit UNITAR’s website at: www.unitar.org/tfs21arabic

Registration deadline is September 2, 2021, or while slots are available. Please register early. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.