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The Region
CARDNE’s Activities in 2003
The
Regional Center on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development for the
Near East (CARDNE) was launched following a 1983 FAO-sponsored
meeting of representatives and observers from 18 Near Eastern
states, also attended by observers from the International Fund for
Agricultural Development and the World Food Program. The agreement
to establish CARDNE came into effect in 1987 following its
ratification by six countries. CARDNE’s current Member States are:
Jordan, Tunisia, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, and the
Islamic Republic of Mauritania. All states in the Near East region
are eligible to join the Center after ratifying the Instrument of
Accession and forwarding it to the Director General of the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO-Rome).
Hosted by the government
of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, CARDNE is an autonomous
intergovernmental organization that is governed by a Council
consisting of all Member States, which meets once every two years.
An Executive Committee of five member states oversees activities,
and meets at least once a year. The Director General is the legal
representative of the Center.
The Center
has signed collaboration agreements with many organizations such as:
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (F.A.O) /
Rome; Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. (ESCWA) /
Beirut; the
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)
/ Aleppo-Syria; the International
Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM)
/Paris; the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) /
Khartoum; the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Areas and Dry
Lands (ACSAAD)/Damascus-Syria;
Queen Zein Al Sharaf Institute for
Development (ZENID)
(Jordan); Development and Employment Fund (DEF) /(Jordan); and the
Inter-Islamic Network on water Resource Development and Management (INWARDAM).
CARDNE provides its
Member States with a broad range of services related to agricultural
and pastoral communities in rural regions. Through a network of
designated national centers in Member States, it works toward the
achievement of the following objectives:
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To assist national
action, and stimulate and promote regional cooperation relating
to agrarian reform and rural development.
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To improve the
production, income, and living conditions of small-scale
farmers, pastoral nomads, and other disadvantaged rural groups.
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To integrate rural
people in the development process; and to promote their
involvement in the social, economic and cultural life of their
communities.
The Center works toward
achieving its objectives through a variety of activities, which are
always based on participatory methods that draw on the expertise and
experience of local communities. These include: Conducting and
promoting research and studies on various aspects of agrarian reform
and rural development; holding consultative conferences that allow
officials, researchers, planners, executives and local community
representatives to exchange ideas and experiences; organizing
regional and national training courses and workshops on
the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of programs
and projects; providing consultative expertise, technical support,
and liaison services to national centers and other relevant
organizations; and serving as a clearing house and data bank for
information on agrarian reform and rural development.
In
2003, CARDNE worked toward achieving its objectives by carrying out
an intensive program of activities. These included seven national
and two regional workshops, five training activities, two
consultation services, three study tours and three studies.
Additionally, CARDNE’s Director and staff held a series of
consultative and coordination meetings with high officials of a
number of authorities and organizations. They also participated in a
seven workshops and seminars organized by various bodies. A detailed
description follows.
Governing Council:
New
representatives have been nominated to the Governing Council by
their respective countries, as follows:
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Jordan:
Dr. Hmoud Oleimat, Secretary General of the Ministry of Social
Development.
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Sudan:
Mr. Ali Al-Khalil, Director of International Cooperation at the
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
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Lebanon:
Eng. Louis Lahoud, General director of the Ministry of
Agriculture.
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Mauritania: Mr. AL-Sheikh wild Seedi Mohammad.
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The Governing Council held its Eighth Ordinary Meeting on 20
October 2003 in the presence of the representatives of the nine
Member States. The following decisions were taken:
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The
Council unanimously elected Mr. Mohammad Al-Gharbi (Tunisia)
Chairman of the Council, Eng. Louis Lahoud (Lebanon)
Vice-Chairman, and Dr Hazem Al-Sammera’y (Iraq) Rapporteur.
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The Council
elected Egypt, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen for membership in the
Executive Committee. Jordan, as host country, remains a
permanent member.
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The
Council ratified the Memorandum of Understanding which CARDNE
signed with the Intra-Islamic Network on Water Resource
Development and Management / Islamic Conference Organization.
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The
Council approved the 2004/2005-work plan and budget.
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The
Council decided to appoint the Jordanian Accounting Department
as external auditor for the fiscal period 2004/2005.
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The
Council decided to accept the kind invitation extended by Eng.
Louis Lahoud, Lebanon Representative, to hold the ninth Ordinary
Session/ 2005 in Beirut- Lebanon.
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Based on
Article (5), Para. (u) Of the agreement to establish the Center,
the Governing Council decided to establish an institute
specializing in development studies, research and training
related to building institutional capacities. This institute
shall be called Institute for Studies and Institutional Capacity
Building, and shall be based in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Executive Committee:
The
Executive Committee held its 19th Ordinary Meeting on 19th
October 2003. Items on the agenda included the external auditor’s
report, the new organizational structure of the Center and the
financial report. The Committee presented its recommendations to the
Governing council, among which was the plan of action for the years
2004-2005.
The
Twentieth Ordinary Meeting of the Executive Committee was held on 20th
October 2003. Prof. Dr. Mohammad Salam (Egypt) was elected Chairman
of the Committee, Eng. Abdulhafeez Qarhash (Yemen) its Vice-Chairman
and Dr. Hmoud Oleimat (Jordan) Rapporteur. Mr. Mohammad
Al-Gharbi (Tunisia) and Dr. Hazem Al-Samman (Syria) were elected
members.
A
series of coordination meetings were held in 2003, among which were
the following:
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The Center’s Director
met with officials from ESCWA’s Social Affairs Department, in
Beirut on 30th January 2003 to discuss areas of
future cooperation as per the Memorandum of understanding signed
by ESCWA and CARDNE. Discussions revolved around various topics
of mutual interest such as the Draft Project for the Building of
Capacities through Training of Men and Women in Yemen; the
second phase of the project for the Training of Personnel
Involved in Local Development; CARDNE’s participation in the
International Conference on Promoting the Concept of Local
Development in the Arab Region to be organized by ESCWA in July
2003; the work plan to be presented by CARDNE for the
implementation of some vocational training activities and the
project for “ Activating Women Societies in Saudi Arabia”; and
the possibility of requesting technical services for the
projects ESCWA is implementing in cooperation with UNDP/Jordan.
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During his visit to
Jordan in January 2003, Mr. Abdul Hameed Abdouli, Portfolio
Manager at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (I.F.A.D-
Rome), visited the Center and met with its Director and the
Director of International Cooperation/ Coordinator of the
Technical Assistance Grant Project which the fund provided the
Center. The outcomes of the first year of the project were
discussed; and the activities for the following year were agreed
upon by the two parties.
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CARDNE Director and
gender specialists received the Regional Director for Rural
Women’s Affairs at F.A.O/RNE. Discussions revolved around areas
of cooperation between the two parties especially with regard to
gender issues and the integration of rural women in development.
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The Center, in
January 2003, hosted a meeting of representatives of Jordanian
institutions that participated in the Micro Finance Conference
held in Brussels in January 2002 in cooperation with SIFRA. The
participants discussed means to benefit from this network in the
service of local communities in the kingdom.
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His Excellency the
Lebanese Minister of Agriculture received CARDNE Director in his
office in March 2003. The two parties discussed possible areas
of cooperation between the Ministry and the Center, especially
the technical assistance the
Center provides to the agricultural project management units.
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CARDNE Director
received in his office, in June 2003, the Director General of
the Egyptian Institute for Agricultural Extension and Rural
Development and the Director of the
Technical Bureau for the Agricultural Services Project in East
Delta.
Discussions revolved around promotion of cooperation between the
Center and the Institute, especially in relation to the “Rural
Women Guide DIMITRA”, as well as the importance of benefiting
from the experience of the
Technical Bureau for the Agricultural Services Project in East
Delta in other of the Center’s Member States
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The Director of the
International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic
Studies (CIHEAM) received in his office, in June 2003, CARDNE’s
Director of International Cooperation and Director of Research
and Studies. Parties agreed to increase cooperation in all areas
of mutual interest, such as training, research and studies and
study tours.
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His Excellency the
Lebanese minister of Agriculture met in his office with CARDNE
Director, in July 2003, to discuss areas of possible
cooperation, especially in relation to the integration of the
concept of gender and training of staff of the unit managing the
Irrigation Sector Modernization Project in the use of logical
approach in planning, evaluation and follow up (funded by the
International Fund for Agricultural Development.)
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CARDNE’s Director was
received by His Excellency the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to
Jordan in August 2003. Discussions mainly touched on the
importance of Saudi Arabia joining CARDNE as a Member State.
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The Assistant
Representative of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency
(J.I.C.A) and the Program Coordinator of the Agency visited the
Center in September 2003. They were received by the Assistant
Director/ Director of Studies and Research and the Director of
Training. Discussions revolved around the implementation of the
program for planning human resources and building institutions
in the agricultural sector to be implemented in the Palestinian
National Authority over a period of five years.
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CARDNE Director
received in his office the President of the National Federation
of Professional Women in Jordan. Discussions revolved around
possible areas of cooperation between the two bodies.
A
total of nine workshops (i.e. 43% of the total activities) were
organized or sponsored by CARDNE this year. Additionally, the
Center either participated or commissioned a representative from
Member States to attend seven seminars and workshops to which it
had been invited.
Workshops
Organized or Sponsored by CARDNE
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National Workshop on “Identifying the Axes for Developing
the Curricula of the Third Grade of Vocational Secondary
Schools - Agricultural, Veterinary, Agricultural Machines”,
Syria, 18-19 February 2003. The workshop had numerous
objectives, mainly to develop and modernize basic
educational courses and update statistics and data included
therein; develop environmental concepts in order to preserve
resources for future generations; simplify and clarify
information included in every subject matter in order to
suit the levels of knowledge and skills of students at this
level, etc.
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National Workshop on “ The Use of the Logical approach in
Planning and Evaluating Projects”, Lebanon, 20-21 May 2003.
This workshop, which was organized under the auspices of H.E.
the Minster of Agriculture, falls in the context of the IFAD
Technical Assistance Grant Project that aims to accelerate
the performance of agricultural development projects funded
by the International Fund in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. Its
main objective was to introduce the concept of using the
logical approach in planning and evaluating projects and the
logical approach matrix at all project levels.
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National workshop on “Designing a Program and Drafting a
Project Proposal”, Jordan, 13-17 July 2003. Seventeen
participants attended this workshop, that was organized in
cooperation with the ministry of Social Development and was
inaugurated by H.E. the Minister. The objectives of the
workshop included: introducing the life cycle of a project
in relation to institutional criteria, estimation of needs
and opportunities in a society, quantitative and qualitative
methods of data collection and analysis, identification of
priorities according to available resources and drafting of
the project objectives.
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National Workshop on Integrated Management for Combating
Agricultural pests, Lebanon, 23-24 July 2003. This workshop,
which was organized in cooperation with the Lebanese
Ministry of Agriculture, was held under the auspices of the
H.E the Minister and was attended by twenty-five
agricultural engineers.
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Regional workshop on “Gender and Development”, Jordan, 24-26
August 2003. This workshop was held under the auspices of
H.E. the Minister of Social Development, and was attended by
nineteen participants from all Member States (excluding
Iraq). Participants discussed the concept of gender and
steps to integrate it in developmental programs. They also
received training on analysis of gender-related issues in
the various stages of the life cycle of a developmental
program.
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A Workshop to discuss the study entitled “Estimation of
Training Needs of Arid Areas Farmers: A Case Study Of
Jordan” was carried out by CARDNE in cooperation with F.A.O.
It was organized by the Center at the Directorate of
Agricultural Extension and Rural Development.
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National Workshop on Quality Agricultural Extension
Training, Egypt, 15 October 2003. Participating in this
workshop was a number of directors, specialists and those
responsible for agricultural extension training in various
Egyptian bodies. Topics discusses included the trends of
agricultural extension training, indicators of extension
training capacities, as well as modules and tools of quality
training.
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National Workshop on “The evaluation of Agricultural Reforms
in Irrigated Regions to Ensure Production Improvement and
Continuity”, Tunisia 9-10 October 2003. This workshop was
organized by the Land and Agriculture Agency and was
sponsored by CARDNE. Participating in it were heads and
representatives of the agency’s regional directorates, as
well as of its central administration, and a number of
representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment
and Water Resources. The workshop emphasized a number of
important topics such as: agricultural reform legislation,
achievements of agricultural reform projects, water and soil
preservation projects and methods of designing integrated
agricultural development projects.
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Mobile Regional Workshop for Middle Eastern Ladies, Jordan
7-11 December 2003. This workshop, which was attended by
twenty-four ladies, was sponsored by the government of
Denmark and organized in cooperation with the Regional
Program for Agriculture in the Middle East. It aimed to
introduce these ladies to the Jordan’s experience in women’s
participation in agricultural development. Its program
included field visits to various agricultural areas in
Jordan; and discussions of national plans, programs and
projects implemented by different countries in relation to
integrating women in development, as well as women’s
training needs.
Conferences and
Workshops in which CARDNE Participated
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Training Workshop, organized by IFAD, on “Logical Framework
and Evaluation of Results”, Italy, 9-13 June 2003. CARDNE’s
Director of International Cooperation/ Coordinator of the
Technical Assistance Grant Project represented the Center in
this workshop.
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National Seminar to announce the work plan for the
integration of gender concept in rural development, which
was prepared the Ministry of Agriculture and FAO (Jordan,
14 July 2003). Her Royal Highness Princess Basma Bint Talal,
who inaugurated the seminar, praised the efforts of CARDNE
and FAO in Jordan toward the implementation of this
national plan.
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International Seminar on “Enabling Women through
Agricultural Cooperatives”, Tokyo, 20 July- 3 August 2003.
CARDNE’s Director of Training represented the Center in this
seminar which was sponsored by the Afro-Asian Organization
for Rural Development (New Delhi) and organized by the
Institute for the Development of Agricultural Cooperation in
Asia (IDACA) to introduce participants to the Japanese
experience in this area. Ten countries also presented
working papers on their respective experiences in this
field.
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Upon invitation from EUROMED program, one of CARDNE’s
employees from the Training Directorate attended a training
course that aimed to introduce youth exchange program and
ways to integrate people from different cultures,
origins and races (Barcelona, Spain, 14-22 September 2003).
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Mediterranean countries Conference on Adult Education (Malta
13-16 September 2003). CARDNE’s Director of Training
represented the Center in this conference which was
organized by the German International Cooperation Institute
for Adult Education in cooperation with the University of
Malta. The main points discussed in the conference included
programs related to the preservation of intellectual
heritage, modern literacy programs and project management.
Participants were also introduced to the main programs that
can be funded by the European Union.
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Regional Meeting to Discuss Regional Coordination in
Institutional Reinforcement of Agricultural Information
Management in Near Eastern and North African Countries. The
Chairman of the Executive Committee represented CARDNE in
this meeting which was held at the International Center for
Agricultural Research in Dry Areas- ICARDA (Syria, 1-2
December 2003).
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Regional Workshop on Information and Telecommunication
Systems Management (Egypt, 16-18 December 2003). The
Chairman of the Executive committee represented the Center
in this workshop that was held at the FAO Regional Offices
in the Near East- Cairo.
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Training Workshop on the “Use of the Latest Training and
Educational Techniques” (Syria, 15-21 February 2003).
This workshop, which was inaugurated by H.E. Minister of
Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, was sponsored by CARDNE,
and was organized in cooperation with the Directorate of
Training and Qualification at the Syrian Ministry of
Agriculture and Agrarian Reform. Participating in it was a
number of teachers in agricultural institutes and
agricultural secondary schools.
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Training on the use of the logical approach in the planning
and evaluation of agricultural projects and the integration
of the gender concept therein. In the context of the
Technical assistance Grant Agreement concluded by the Center
and IFAD for 2003, two experts were commissioned by CARDNE
to deliver a fourteen-day training course to officials in
the Management Unit for the Al-Yarmouk Basin Development
Project, which is being implemented by the Jordanian
Ministry of Agriculture.
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Training on the use of the logical approach in the planning
and evaluation of agricultural projects and the integration
of the gender concept therein. In the context of the
Technical assistance Grant Agreement concluded by the Center
and IFAD for 2003, two experts were commissioned by CARDNE
to deliver a twelve-day training course to officials in the
Management Unit of the Agricultural Development Project in
the Coastal and Central Areas, which is implemented by the
Syrian Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform.
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CARDNE sponsored the participation of an employee of the
Jordanian Ministry of Social development in a workshop
organized in Jordan (23-27 February 2003) by Queen Zein Al
Sharaf Institute for Development on ”Assessing Training
Needs and Evaluating Training Impact”.
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In the context of cooperation between the Center and UNDP/
Czech Republic, six specialists from Member States
participated in a workshop entitled “Small and Medium
Projects” organized by ECUCON in Prague (15 to 24 September
2003). Topics covered in the workshop included the role of
small and medium projects in economic transformation, human
resources management in light of economic transformation and
integrated environmental management of small and medium
projects.
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Training Workshop on “Nursery Management and Regulation”.
This workshop, which was held in Yemen, aimed to facilitate
the exchange of experiences among participants from the
private, cooperative and public sectors.
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Upon the request of the International Fund for Agricultural
Development, CARDNE commissioned a specialist in gender to
carry out a consultancy mission to the Rural Development
Project in Northern Kurdufan/ Sudan during the period 19
February- 2 March 2003.
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Upon the request of F.A.O/ RN, CARDNE’s Director of
Training, in her capacity as local consultant in the field
of planning, evaluation, and follow up on the concept of
gender, carried out a consultancy mission at the Gender Unit
of the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture.
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In the framework
of cooperation between CARDNE and UNDP/ Czech Republic, two
specialists from Egypt and Syria carried out a study tour,
organized by EDUCON, on environmental engineering in
agriculture. (Prague, 25 August to 3 September 2003).
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CARDNE organized
a study tour for a number of decision makers in the Syrian
Ministry of Agriculture and Agricultural Reform, the State
Planning Authority and Aleppo Governorate (Egypt, 27
December 2003 to 1 January 2004). The objective of this
study tour was to examine Egypt’s experience in small
developmental projects. The program included meetings with
high Egyptian officials, as well as visits to small
agricultural projects in rural communities and major
agricultural projects in Alexandria.
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In cooperation
with the Islamic Bank for Development in Jeddah and the
Jordanian and Tunisian ministries of agriculture, CARDNE
organized a study tour in Tunisia for a number of employees
of the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture during the period
from 14 to 21 October 2003. The study tour aimed to
introduce participants to Tunisia’s experience in programs
related to rural women and elimination of poverty. Its
program included visits to agencies, federations, projects
and departments concerned with agriculture, be it training
or extension. Participants also visited the General
Directorate for planning and human resources at the Ministry
of Women and Family Affairs, and the Center for Women
Research, Studies, Media and Information.
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“Programs
Designed to Develop Curricula of Vocational Agricultural
Secondary Schools in Light of the Components of the
Agricultural Development Strategy for 2001-2010”. This study
was carried out by the Directorate of Training at the Syrian
Ministry of Agriculture, by sponsorship of CARDNE.
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“National Study
on Extension Needs in Jordan”. CARDNE, in cooperation with
F.A.O/ HQ’s- Rome, has carried out a study to identify
training and extension needs of men and women living in
selected desert areas in the northern and southern parts of
Jordan.
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“Economic and
Social Basic Study of the Region Covered by Project for the
Development of Agricultural Resources of AL-Yarmouk Basin”.
This survey was carried out by CARDNE with a view to assess
the areas of priority for the project, the needs of the
local communities, and the availability of local resources
and institutional capacities. It also aimed to identify the
main social and economic characteristics of the targeted
population.
CARDNE signed an
agreement with the International Fund for Agricultural Development
toward the incorporation of the concept of gender in projects funded
by the IFAD in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. This shall be carried out
through the managing units of the following projects:
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Project for the
Development of the Al-Yarmouk Basin/ Jordan
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Project for
Agricultural Development in the Coastal and Central Regions/
Syria.
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Project for
Developing and Modernizing the Irrigation Sector/ Lebanon.
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