The Khalifa Award Report on #BridgingBoundaries

The Khalifa Award Report

Bridging Boundaries

Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation

46 Contributors

21 Countries

4 Ministers

13 UN and Intergovernmental organisations

Bridging boundaries:
how can bio-regional collaboration convert the date palm industry into a successful model of the bio-circular economy?

Preface

The bio-circular economy is the roadmap to enhancing sustainability in the United Arab Emirates.

His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan

Cabinet Member and Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, United Arab Emirates

Achieving food and water security are key
pillars of continued development, and can be achieved by leveraging advanced technologies as well as drawing on our past sustainable practices.

Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Almheiri
Minister of State for Food and Water Security

Date-producing countries are taking steps towards adopting a bio-circular economy model, to lower emissions by reducing the waste of large quantities of energy, and make the best use of natural resources.

Prof Dr Abdelouahhab Zaid Secretary General Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation

Dr Sandra Piesik Director 3 ideas B.V.

Biodiversity makes production systems and livelihoods more resilient to shocks and stresses — reducing its loss has long-term benefits for humans, ecosystems and animal health.

His Excellency Ibrahim Thiaw Executive Secretary
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

This report outlines key pathways by which date palm cultivation can contribute to ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation, while also providing food security and ‘green’ jobs.

Her Excellency Elizabeth Maruma Mrema Executive Secretary Convention on Biological Diversity

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration should provide an opportunity for many small-scale farmers in arid regions to share their experiences on climate-smart agriculture, sustainable land management and resilient livelihoods within dryland areas of the world.

Dr Musonda Mumba
Chief, Terrestrial Ecosystems Unit Ecosystems Division, UN Environment

The oasis is a natural ‘green island’ ecosystem specific to desert environments. An oasis creates a favourable microclimate through a perfect symbiosis between humidity, heat and light, resulting in a biodiversity reservoir rich with flora and fauna.

Dr Azaiez Ouled Belgacem
Sustainable Rangeland Management Expert Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Date production is achieving an increasing global level importance, as the sector makes a substantial contribution to enhancing food security, reducing unemployment and poverty, and strengthening income generation in rural areas.
The world date production in 2018 was 8.5 million tonnes of which 1,561,827 tonnes are handled on the international market.

Professor Dr Abdelouahhab Zaid
Secretary General Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation

Given that the adverse effects of climate change, desertification and drought are impacting both rural and urban habitats, there are clear socio, economic and environmental opportunities to be found in the transboundary management of natural resources through a bio-circular economy.

Dr Sandra Piesik
Director of 3 ideas B.V.

UN-Habitat’s Future Saudi Cities Programme proposed effective ways to relink natural elements to the city, and encouraged sustainable alternatives for protecting palm trees while supporting positive changes for land use, mobility, and local economy.

Dr Shipra Narang Suri
Chief, Urban Practices Branch UN-Habitat

As natural capital, palm trees may have a strong impact across different urban fields, like land use, mobility, and economic development. This requires a governance model able to involve public bodies, firms, research institutes, universities, and communities.

Dr Shipra Narang Suri
Chief, Urban Practices Branch UN-Habitat

The date palm has a deep connection to the heritage and culture of the people of the Arabian Peninsula, in general, and the communities of Al Dhafra region, in particular. It was a society existence driver for a long time before the urbanisation of the cities and community gatherings in the region.

Mohamed Ali Al-Mansoori General Manager
Al Dhafra Region Municipality

The human skills factor is considered as an important element in preserving the date palm cultural heritage. The region faces the risk of youngsters preferring more white-collar vocations to traditional palm date cottage industries.

Habiba Al Mar’ashi
Chairperson of Emirates Environmental Group

FAO and sustainable Bioeconomy policy and frameworks. Designing out waste in the palm sector has the potential for adding significant value to date palm production.

Anne Bogdanski and Marta Gomez San Juan
Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment Food and Agriculture Organization

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), with its mandate of inclusive and sustainable industrial development, has been promoting principles of bioeconomy through its support to the agro-industrial sector of developing and least-developed countries including small island developing states over the years.

Jossy Thomas, Tareq Emtairah
and Dr Ludovic Lacrosse
United Nations Industrial Development Organization

Plant fibre has been widely used in papermaking, textile, water treatment, and medical and construction products because of its wide range of resources, renewable and biodegradable characteristics.

Professor Mizi Fan
Director of Research Brunel University London

The most important factor for smooth and efficient operation of the value chain is the relationship among actors and the governance of the value chain particularly the rules and regulations that govern the operation of the whole system and the relation among the actors and stakeholders in the value chain.

Professor Dr Ibrahim El-Dukheri Director General
The Arab Organization for Agricultural Development

The re-introduction of the bio-circular economy and new jobs creation in countries affected by desertification and land degradation is important because their adverse effects increase the national poverty rate.

Dr Sandra Piesik
Director 3 ideas B.V.

Land is the key for sustaining life and creating livelihoods for humans. The restoration of land is important for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals because plants grown in soil are the basis for food, they capture and store excess carbon produced by humans and also contribute to our supply of clean water.

Dr Bremley W.B. Lyngdoh
CEO Worldview Impact Foundation

Remote sensing is the process of monitoring physical characteristics of an area by measuring its reflected and emitted radiation at a distance – typically from satellite, aircraft or even drones.

Bo Sprotte Kofod
Advisor on Carbon Verification and Environmental Management
Earthbanc

Transboundary aspects of adaptation, especially in the MENA region, provide ample opportunities for enhancing the effectiveness of adaptation assessment, planning and implementation. The NAP process is the optimal platform for optimising regional collaboration and synergy in our pursuit of attaining resilience in the face of climate change.

Dr Youssef Nassef
Director of the Adaptation Programme United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Bio-regional collaboration looks into the regional efforts to promote the agenda of the agricultural sector at large, and date palm in particular, through the work of active partners individually as well as collectively.

Professor Dr Ibrahim El-Dukheri
Director General The Arab Organization for Agricultural Development

It is highly recommended that a coordinating body or a structure is established, through the creation of an international consortium made of all regional and international organisations concerned by the sustainable development of the date palm sector and the oasis ecosystem in the MENA region.

Professor Dr Abdelouahhab Zaid
Secretary General Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation

Dr Abdallah Oihabi
Date Palm Value Chain Analysis and Good Agricultural Practices Expert

Scale up the restoration of date palm ecosystems to alleviate poverty, to ensure food security and to see date palm as a holistic developmental solution.
Implement transboundary adaptation programmes focused on date palm oasis restoration, to enhance its full environmental, economic, and social potentials.

Dr Abdelouahhab Zaid
Secretary General Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation

Dr Sandra Piesik
Director 3 ideas B.V.

The 2021 UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the great post-COVID-19 reset are calling for joint action, greater political and climate action ambition to deliver long term prosperity for all.

Dr Abdelouahhab Zaid
Secretary General Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation

Dr Sandra Piesik
Director 3 ideas B.V.

About the Editors

Professor Dr Abdelouahhab Zaid

Secretary General Khalifa International Award
for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation

Professor Abdelouahhab Zaid is an Agricultural Advisor to the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Presidential Affairs. He also serves as Secretary General of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, and is a Goodwill Ambassador to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Throughout a distinguished career devoted to crop science, horticulture and agronomy, he has held several high-level government, academic and institutional roles and participated in biotechnology development projects aimed at increasing plant production and employment in more than 20 countries.

Professor Zaid has been honoured with multiple awards, including a BR. Sen Award and Honorary Medal from FAO, and an Award of Excellence from the Arab Organization for Agriculture Development (AOAD).

Dr Sandra Piesik

Director 3 ideas B.V.

Dr Piesik is an award-winning architect, author and researcher, specialising in the implementation of global sustainable legislation, nature-based solutions and traditional knowledge adaptation. She is the founder of 3 ideas B.V., an Amsterdam-based consultancy. Her diverse global engagements range from international lectures, judging of the competitions, nominator of awards, and evaluation of R&D projects for the European Union.

Dr Piesik is a stakeholder and network member of several United Nations organisations including UNFCCC: The Resilience Frontiers, the Nairobi Work Programme (NWP), the Paris Committee on Capacity Building (PCCB) and the Climate and Technology Centre & Network (CTCN). She was formerly the UNCCD Policy Support Consultant on Rural – Urban Dynamics and contributed to the UN-HABITAT Urban-Rural Linkages: Guiding Principles and Framework for Action to Advance Integrated Territorial Development. Her published work includes Arish: Palm-Leaf Architecture (Thames & Hudson, 2012), she is also the general editor of HABITAT: Vernacular Architecture for a Changing Planet (Thames & Hudson, Abrams Books, Flammarion, Editions Detail and Blume, 2017).

Statements

in the order presented in the report

Professor Dr Abdelouahhab Zaid
Dr Sandra Piesik
Her Excellency Elizabeth Maruma Mrema
His Excellency Ibrahim Thiaw
Dr Youssef Nassef
His Excellency Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi
Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Al Mheiri
Dr Thanawat Tiensin
Antonio López-Istúriz White MEP

Contributors

Dr Helal Humaid Saed Al Kaabi
Habiba Al Mar’ashi
General Faris Khalaf Al Mazrouei
Her Excellency Dr Maitha bint Salem Al Shamsi
Saeed Al Bahri Salem Al-Ameri
Mohamed Ali Al-Mansoori
Dr Azaiez Ouled Belgacem
Dr Abdallah Ben Abdallah
Dr Mohamed Ben Salah
Mohamed Fouad Bergigui
Anne Bogdanski
Professor Ahmed Bouaziz
Kobie Brand
Ingrid Coetzee
His Excellency Mohammed Daoudia
Dr Boubaker Dhehibi
Freek van Eijk
Professor Ibrahim El-Dukheri
Dr Amgad El-Kady
Dr Ismahane Elouafi
Tareq Emtairah
Professor Mizi Fan
Philipp Heinrigs
Marta Gomez San Juan
Bo Sprotte Kofod
Dr Ludovic Lacrosse
Dr Bremley W.B. Lyngdoh
Eng. Dr Fuaad Mansur
Dr Musonda Mumba
Dr Abdallah Oihabi
Dr Zitouni Ould-Dada
Florence Marie Rolle
Dr Rachid Serraj
Dr Shipra Narang Suri
Jossy Thomas
Dr Ernita van Wyk
Dr Salah Eddine Zaid

Organisations

3 ideas B.V. Abu Dhabi Agriculture And Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council Al Dhafra Municipality, United Arab Emirates Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) Arabia CSR Network Brunel University Committee on World Food Security Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Earthbanc EU-UAE Parliamentary Friendship Group Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Food and Agro-Industries Technology Center Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Ministry of Agriculture Holland Circular Hotspot ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability Institut des Régions Arides International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation Marrakech Date Palm Project Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Recycling Consult United Arab Emirates Federal Government The Family Development Foundation United Arab Emirates Ministry of Climate Change and Environment United Arab Emirates Ministry of State for Food and Water Security United Arab Emirates Ministry of The Presidential Affairs United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Worldview Impact Foundation

Contact

Khalifa International Award
For Date Palm And Agricultural Innovation

United Arab Emirates
The head office Abu Dhabi
P.O .Box: 3614

Telephone: + 971 2 304 99 99
WhatsApp: + 971 50 623 00 66
E-mail: SG@kiaai.ae