Razan Zuayter, President of the Arab Network for Food Sovereignty, continued to provide interventions on the preparatory meeting of the FAO Regional Conference, which was held over three days to exchange ideas and consult on the priorities of the agenda of the conference (14 July 2021). 

Zuayter called for transferring recommendations presented at the meeting from research and analysis into integrated and participatory projects implemented on the ground. She mentioned the Saudi Middle East Green Initiative and the Arab Tree Path, which the Arab League, FAO, and civil society organizations are preparing for. She also noted that the Arab Tree Path project stems from the Million Tree Program in Palestine and the Green Caravan in Jordan, both being implemented by the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature.

During her speech, she recommended that the FAO seek to coordinate between the Green Middle East Initiative and the Arab Tree Path projects, as they aspire to the same goals and results. She also stressed the need to utilize the Framework for Action for Food Security and Nutrition in Protracted Crises (CFS-FFA) to strengthen resilience.

Zuayter said that FAO has been sponsoring an annual consultative meeting for civil society to develop unified recommendations. She called for maintaining this approach, but with new conditions, to be more inclusive. She added that it was also crucial to respect transparency and independence. Zuayter said that the Arab Network for Food Sovereignty (35 organizations, unions, and syndicates from 13 countries in the region) is prepared to organize this meeting with these new standards.