Several initiatives by Qatar have been winning global praise since past many years. Of the many outstanding initiatives, one such effort is the Global Dryland Alliance (GDA) which is garnering applause on various platforms.
Recently, Executive Director of Global Dryland Alliance (GDA) Ambassador Bader Omar Al Dafa said that GDA is a global initiative and it has received appreciation at various global forums.
This Alliance aims to contribute in making dryland countries food-secure which will ultimately lead to greater stability and peace in the world. The initiative seeks to achieve food security through exchange of knowledge and best practices.
The Alliance is an international organisation, founded on an agreement between a number of dryland countries.
GDA is an initiative put forward by Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during a speech at at the 68th session United Nations General Assembly in 2013.
Since then, the country has taken may concrete steps in this direction. Qatar has pledged to provide the Alliance’s operational budget for two years.
The Alliance has signed a headquarters agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs granting GDA a number of privileges and facilities like those given to similar international organisations. The State also committed to grant the alliance two plots of land to establish a model farm and a research center for dryland.
Qatar has hosted in Doha, and other parts of the world including Rio de Janeiro, New York, Rome, Milan, Marrakech and Tunis, a number of conferences, seminars and research forums to present the coalition initiative and to start coordination and consultation with its supporting countries and other partners.
The support given by Qatar to GDA would complement other resources derived from member states’ contributions, donations and joint property revenues from research and patent development.
According to the United Nations statistics, one-third of the world’s population live in countries with dry land, and Drylands account for 40 percent of the total land area and are spread in more than 40 countries around the world, especially in the Arab world.
Setting up of the Alliance can be listed as a contribution by Qatar to the establishment of an international organisation for the food security in dryland countries. It is also a support for the global effort to promote international peace and security through the eradication of poverty and hunger.