The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) held a ceremony on Tuesday at its headquarters in Rome to honor Morocco and express its gratitude to His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the Kingdom, following the awarding of the 8th Hassan II Great World Water Prize to this Organization during the 10th edition of the World Water Forum held on May 20 in Bali, Indonesia.
During a reception held in the prestigious Mohammed V hall at the FAO, the Director-General of the UN organization, Qu Dungyu, emphasized the importance of the Hassan II Water Prize, highlighting this “recognition for the FAO and its members, as well as for the agricultural sector.”
“The prize also illustrates recognition of the exemplary leadership of the FAO and its holistic approach to water management, established through the development of various programs and the launch of several initiatives,” Mr. Qu Dungyu stated.
He also praised “Morocco’s leadership in water resource management and its great expertise in Africa, as a model for sustainable water management to ensure food security.”
For his part, the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom to the United Nations agencies in Rome, Youssef Balla, emphasized that Morocco, equipped with flagship programs in water resource management, pays particular attention to the issue of water in Africa, encouraging the transfer of technologies and investments with brother African countries, in order to tackle the major challenge of water scarcity and the issue of continental food security.
The 8th Hassan II Great World Water Prize was awarded to the FAO during the opening ceremony of the 10th edition of the World Water Forum by the Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch, accompanied by the Minister of Equipment and Water Nizar Baraka.
Selected from 84 applications received by the secretariat of the Hassan II Great World Water Prize, the FAO received a check worth 500,000 US dollars for its commitment to “the security of water resources for food sovereignty and the sharing of prosperity.”