The State of Qatar is always in the forefront to alleviate the sufferings of the people who are subjected to the consequences of food insecurity and negative environmental and economic impacts associated with climate change. Thus the idea of the foundation of Global Dryland Alliance (GDA), an initiative put forward by the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during a speech at the 68th UN General Assembly in 2013, is considered as a bold step in this regard that would help global efforts to guarantee food security for a population of three billion in more than 50 countries.
The foundation treaty of GDA was proposed to the countries that supported the initiative during a ministerial conference in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh in 2015, followed by the Global Dryland Alliance (GDA) Founding Conference in Doha last October under the auspices of the Emir, in which delegates from 25 countries and international organizations from the Middle East, Africa, Central and East Asia, and South America attended. The Doha meet has witnessed the signing of the foundation treaty of the new organisation.
On Thursday, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi signed an agreement with GDA Executive Director Ambassador Bader Al Dafa, making Doha the 11-member alliance’s new headquarters. Qatar, as the founder of the GDA, has already announced that it will bankroll the operational budget of the Alliance for two years.
Drylands have become a major issue given their space in the globe. Under the United Nations classification, drylands exist in 51 countries which are home to almost 3 billion people. During the 2010 Millennium Development Goals Review Summit, the UN General Assembly had expressed its concern about lack of progress in regards to eradication of poverty and hunger in dryland countries where half of the world’s hungry and poor live.
Thus the initiative is of great importance as the world population grows exponentially, with it expected to reach nine billion by 2050 and as the global temperatures continue to rise and the ongoing threat of climate change making it more difficult to meet the required food needs. The global food production must increase by 70 percent in 2050 with dryland nations being vulnerable to food crises and harsh cycles of drought, desertification, poverty and hunger.
The GDA aims to become an international organisation to combat food insecurity and to develop solutions for shared food security problems and exchange expertise in times of crises. It also will work with local, regional, and international partners to identify, disseminate, and implement solutions for agricultural, water, and energy challenges of dryland countries.
GDA aims to provide support to researches and new innovations of member states and to implement the results. The alliance also aims to provide the best practices that can be shared with dryland countries around the world. Some land will be allocated to set up storage for cattle, a farm and laboratory to conduct research on desert and dryland.
