The President of the Republic, Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, stressed the importance of Iraq obtaining a fair share of water.
A presidential statement stated that the President of the Republic received, today, Tuesday, at Baghdad Palace, the technical delegation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), headed by the Director of the Land and Water Division, Living Li, and his accompanying delegation.
During the meeting, according to the statement, they discussed the existing cooperation between Iraq and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and ways to enhance it in order to support the agricultural, water and food sectors, and confront challenges related to food security.
Rashid stressed that climate change represents a major challenge to the region, especially in Iraq due to the decline in water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and the worsening state of drought and desertification and its severe effects on the agricultural sector, pointing to the tireless efforts to improve water management and rationalize consumption in order to preserve water wealth, and work to protecting the environment, establishing afforestation projects, and raising community awareness about it.”
He pointed out the need for joint cooperation and coordination with neighboring countries to overcome the water crisis, since the water sources are located outside Iraq, and to benefit from international legislation to regulate and divide water between countries to avoid depriving any country of its right to water.
The President of the Republic added that Iraq is currently focusing on obtaining a fair share of water, and the need to provide Iraq with the operational plans of neighboring countries with water, and the quantities of water they need. He also touched on Iraq’s share in the presidency of international organizations.
The President of the Republic congratulated the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Qu Dongyu, on his re-election, wishing him success in his work.
According to the statement, the meeting also discussed issues of drought, water storage, desertification, sand and dust storms, the development of irrigation systems and land reclamation, in addition to meteorological stations, the (WaPOR) project, and wastewater treatment and reuse.
For their part, the members of the delegation expressed their happiness at meeting the President of the Republic, praising his proposals and his great interest in the issue of water and agriculture, and reviewed the existing cooperation frameworks between FAO and the Iraqi side through the relevant government institutions.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency