UN Agencies Strengthen Food Security Partnership in Egypt

Three major United Nations agencies have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening food security and climate resilience in Egypt through deeper cooperation and coordinated support for national development priorities.

The Food and Agriculture Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and World Food Programme said they are intensifying joint efforts to support Egypt in building more resilient food systems amid mounting socio-economic and climate-related pressures.

The agencies stressed the importance of stronger coordination and convergence of their work as Egypt faces increasingly complex development challenges. Their latest discussions focused on aligning policy support and operational programs with the Egyptian government’s national development strategy, the UN Country Team’s priorities, and follow-up measures stemming from the UN Food Systems Summit+4 and Egypt’s 2025 convergence workshop.

The three agencies said they are building on previous joint initiatives by improving institutional and geographic coordination, standardizing implementation and monitoring tools, and incorporating lessons learned from earlier partnerships. They are also exploring new areas of collaboration, including South-South cooperation, innovation support, joint resource mobilization, and climate finance opportunities.

FAO Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa, AbdulHakim El Waer, said the joint planning process helps identify each agency’s comparative advantages and potential areas for collaboration, while improving alignment in both policy and programmatic support for the Egyptian government.

Vrej Jijyan, Head of IFAD’s Multi-Country Office in Cairo, praised Egypt’s leadership in advancing food security and sustainable development. He said the agencies’ complementary strengths—including IFAD’s rural investment model, FAO’s technical expertise, and WFP’s operational capacity—provide a strong platform for delivering large-scale results.

WFP Egypt Representative Rawad Halabi emphasized that no single institution can address food security challenges alone, particularly amid rising economic and climate pressures. He said closer coordination among the agencies will help improve efficiency, optimize resources, and ensure sustainable investments that support vulnerable communities.