The Union of Arab Chambers participated in the Arab Food Industries Forum on Food Safety and Trade Facilitation, which was held in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan under the patronage of Dr. Omar Razzaz, the Jordanian Prime Minister and with the support of UNIDO and the participation of the Jordanian Ministry of Industry, Trade & Supply, the League of Arab States, the Arab Industrial Development & Mining Organization, the Arab Oganization for Agricultural Development, the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment & Development, and the Jordan Chamber of Industry.
Dr. Tariq Hammouri, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply, represented the Jordanian Prime Minister, where he stressed in his speech that "the development of the food industry in the Arab countries is one of the most important pillars of Arab food security." Adding that “the GAFTA agreement is an opportunity to move forward towards the Arab economic integration," pointing to "the improved performance of the intra-Arab commodity trade, where the value of the intra-Arab trade during 2017 increased by 11.6 percent compared to 2016."
For his part, the President of the Arab Federation for Food Industries Haitham Al-Jafal said, "there are many gaps that are reflected at the level of local markets such as the performance of Arab countries in terms of safety and food quality, instability in a number of Arab countries, the weak capacity and scientific expertise, the limited capacity, weak monitoring and prevention mechanisms, lack in the awareness of safety measures of the small private enterprises, etc."
In turn, Dr. Bahjat Abu-Nasr, the representative of the League of Arab States, said that "the League of Arab States is keen to strengthen its links with the private sector to serve the objectives of completing the implementation of the provisions of GAFTA," noting that "trade between the agricultural materials and food in the Arab region, are subject to some obstacles, including the lack of consistency of food safety systems, and the different readiness of these systems."
Peter Cederblad, the counsellor of the Swedish embassy in Amman, called for "the need to work to open the opportunities for trade between the countries because it creates jobs and develop the economy of these countries and achieve the economic integration and social reform and leave isolationism in the commercial markets."
"UNIDO focuses on the sustainable industries to achieve prosperity, enhance the competitiveness and preserve the environment," said Dejan Tezera, the director of the Agribusiness Department of UNIDO.
Anders Piedersen, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Jordan said that "the Forum is considered a partnership between the United Nations, the public and private sectors and the civil society to address the pressing issues in the region in general and Jordan in particular, and to find ways of regional cooperation and export markets in light of the regional conflicts and the decline of tourism, and investment in Arab the countries."
Source: Union of Arab Chambers
