DUBAI- With the aim of further strengthening the existing partnership and collaborating in sustainable agriculture and development, the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture, ICBA, and the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence, DCCE, joined forces on Sunday to work together on sustainability projects.
The collaboration was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, signed by Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Director-General of the ICBA, and Ivano Iannelli, Chief Executive Officer of the DCCE.
Through this partnership, both organisations agreed to cooperate in technical research, the sharing of knowledge, capacity building and project development. The collaboration includes reviewing technical aspects of research projects of mutual interest and support in equipment supply, as well as sharing content highlighting the ICBA’s contributions and efforts under its mandate in different areas. This includes, but is not limited to, the green economy, sustainability, sustainable development, food security and nutrition and capacity development. All of this will be featured in the DCCE’s knowledge products, such as national reports and The Sustainabilist magazine. Moreover, the collaboration includes promoting joint initiatives through outreach activities and developing knowledge hubs to address current regional needs in agricultural sustainability.
The agreement also covers brainstorming and collaboration on studying the needs of the Middle East and North Africa, MENA, region in agricultural sustainability and developing project concepts for implementation in collaboration with concerned government entities. After signing the MOU, Dr. Elouafi noted, "The ICBA is delighted to partner with the Dubai Carbon Centre to work together on sustainability projects. Sustainability is one of the core areas addressed by the ICBA research and development programmes. Through partnerships with national, regional and international organisations, we have so far implemented our programmes in over 30 countries.
I am sure this new partnership will further boost our efforts to work towards sustainable agricultural production and a more food and nutrition secure world." Regarding the cooperation, Ivano Iannelli commented, "The ICBA is pivotal towards regional success stories in the food, water and energy nexus. Their work has created a tangible knowledge base that can enhance our soil and water management best practices among an array of other scalable initiatives linked to carbon emission mitigation and adaptation."
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