Arab News, Thursday, Dec 30, 2021 | Jumada Al-Uola 25, 1443
Saudi irrigation body signs deal with UN for 2 projects
Saudi Arabia: The
Saudi Irrigation Organization (SIO) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the
UN (FAO) announced this week new cooperation to support the Kingdom’s national
irrigation strategy in accordance with Vision 2030.
SIO manages and develops the irrigation sector in
the Kingdom, conserves natural resources, maintains an integrated irrigation
system and upgrades field efficiency through the expansion of non-conventional
water use.
Two new project agreements, aimed at “promoting
efficient irrigation and water productivity among farmers” and “enhancing
national capacities for irrigation management,” were signed by SIO President Dr.
Fuad bin Ahmed Al-Sheikh Mubarak and FAO-KSA Program Director Dr. Abubakr
Mohamed, on behalf of the FAO director general, the Rome-based UN agency said in
a statement.
The two organizations will develop and design key
strategies to promote water use efficiency in the Kingdom.
They will advance Saudi irrigation technologies
and practices, efficient drainage management, codes and standards, and will
build a national irrigation database.
With a fund provision of $6.8 million, the new
collaboration reinforces the Kingdom’s position as a leading partner of the FAO,
both in the Middle East and worldwide.
Mubarak said that the new cooperation with FAO
will enhance national capacities to develop and manage the irrigation sector in
the Kingdom.
Mohamed praised the SIO “for the trust it places
in FAO and for its constructive contributions to support the efforts aimed at
promoting the country’s sustainable management and development of irrigation
systems.”
He also hailed Saudi Arabia’s support for the FAO
and its efforts, noting that that first technical cooperation between FAO and
the Kingdom took place in Jazan in 1952.
The association between FAO and the Kingdom has
also further developed in the past 15 years through four major projects, he
added.
He added that the drafting of the comprehensive
rules complies with globally recognized standards of law, and the project is
considered the nucleus of a legislative environment that can attract investments
and achieve the desired judicial purposes.
He added that the more modern and developed the
rules of evidence in a particular legal system, the more likely they are to
enhance justice and protect the rights of all parties involved.
“The rules of evidence are the cornerstone of
stability in civil and commercial transactions, especially with the economic
growth witnessed by Saudi Arabia and its quest towards achieving its 2030
Vision,” Al-Thiabi concluded.