2024 Achievements & Global Initiatives: The AGFUND Board reviewed the organization’s activities for 2024, including its participation in COP16 and the launch of the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security, aimed at supporting small farmers and combating climate-related agricultural challenges.
Riyadh, December 31, 2024 – The Board of Directors of the Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND) convened for its regular meeting on Monday at the organization’s headquarters in Riyadh, under the leadership of Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal bin Abdulaziz, Chairman of AGFUND. The board discussed a range of critical topics, reflecting on the organization’s progress and setting the stage for continued support in development initiatives across the Arab world and beyond.
A central focus of the meeting was the review of AGFUND’s activities and achievements throughout 2024, highlighting the organization’s substantial impact in various development sectors. Board members took time to acknowledge the successful participation of AGFUND in the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP16). This participation reinforced AGFUND’s commitment to addressing environmental challenges, such as desertification and climate change, that continue to impact the Arab region.
In a major announcement, the board was updated on the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security, a pioneering project aimed at ensuring the stability and sustainability of small farmers worldwide. This initiative is poised to address critical issues such as drought, desertification, and the broader impacts of climate change on agriculture. The board recognized the immense potential of this initiative in promoting agricultural resilience and ensuring food security for vulnerable communities.
The board also expressed appreciation for the Arab Coordination Group's initiative, which recently allocated $10 billion to combat the combined effects of drought, desertification, and climate change. This initiative exemplifies a unified regional effort to mitigate the environmental challenges that threaten agricultural productivity and food stability in the Arab world.
In addition to environmental and agricultural initiatives, the board highlighted AGFUND’s role in the 2023 Prince Talal International Prize for Human Development, particularly noting the Life on Land category. This award recognized outstanding contributions to environmental sustainability and the preservation of natural resources, with AGFUND continuing to support the recognition of innovators in this critical field.
The meeting culminated with the approval of funding for 12 development projects, each aligned with AGFUND’s core mission of promoting social, economic, and environmental sustainability. These projects, which span multiple sectors, will focus on areas such as early childhood development, enhancing services for people with disabilities, women’s empowerment, marine environmental preservation, and the continuation of efforts to support small farmers under the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security.
The board’s discussions reaffirmed AGFUND’s pivotal role in shaping sustainable development initiatives in the Arab world and beyond, with a clear commitment to addressing pressing global challenges, such as climate change, socioeconomic inequality, and environmental degradation. Through its continued support for impactful projects, AGFUND is helping to lay the groundwork for a more sustainable and inclusive future.
