Nabil Fahmy: Water and Food Security Are an Integral Part of Arab National Security,  Arab Water Rights Are a Matter of Sovereignty and Security

Nabil Fahmy: Water and Food Security Are an Integral Part of Arab National Security,  Arab Water Rights Are a Matter of Sovereignty and Security

Amr Yehia

Nabil Fahmy, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, stressed the importance of linking thought, action and policy-making, noting that water and food security represents an integral part of the comprehensive Arab national security concept, and that Arab water rights are a matter of sovereignty and security, while at the same time being an area for cooperation that achieves mutual interest, affirming that water or food must not be used as a tool of war or political pressure.

This came in his speech during the opening session for the launch of the 14th Arab Report on Cultural Development, issued by the Arab Thought Foundation under the title "Arab Food and Water Security: Accumulated Crises and Promising Initiatives," which the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States is hosting at its headquarters in Cairo, with the participation of Dr. Henry Al-Awit, Director General of the Arab Thought Foundation, and a host of experts, researchers and specialists.

Fahmy stressed the need to move from managing crises after they occur to anticipating them and preparing for them, pointing out that the General Secretariat is working on developing an Arab early warning and foresight system that links water, food and climate security indicators with political, economic, social and security dimensions, and affirming that Arab integration in this field has become a practical necessity, which calls for benefiting from the diverse capabilities and expertise of Arab countries and building a more prepared and effective joint Arab capacity to face risks and challenges.

Fahmy concluded his speech by emphasizing the importance that the event should not stop at the launch of the report, but rather represent a starting point for transforming the ideas and recommendations it presents into practical proposals that support the institutions and mechanisms of joint Arab action.