FAO NEAR EAST REGIONAL OFFICE

Network definition  Near East Plant Protection Network (NEPP-NET) is a web-based integrated, multilingual regional thematic information and  It is the knowledge sharing and collaboration platform in the field of plant protection for agricultural and rural development (ARD) platform which is initiated, developed and facilitated by FAO, endorsed in 2010 NERC held in Sudan,

 It is virtual community of Plant Protection professional staff and the rest of stakeholders and the development community with common interests and objectives related to sustainable agriculture and food security built around priority areas.

The Network will operate over FOUR main thrusts to achieve the following:  Mechanisms to enhance collaboration among stakeholders for the control of Transboundary pests and diseases at Regional and Sub-Regional levels;  Support the operations of an early warning system for the envision of pests and diseases to avert its wide spread infestation

 Promote the capacities of national stakeholders for applications of new technologies to be adopted for use at national level and induce their capacities for innovations.  Strengthening the linkages all the stakeholders at regional level and interfacing with international institutions as well as donor countries and financial institutions

Development Objectives The Development objectives of the Network are :  Enhance plant protection information and knowledge access and exchange within the region in Near East and North Africa, and at the global level  Enhancing the quality and quantity of the production.  Provide mechanisms to strengthen, coordinate, and add value to national, regional and international initiatives in order to increase agricultural production and improve food security in Near East countries

The objectives would be achieved in partly through the following:  Create awareness at various policymaking and technical levels within member countries on the importance of the development of plant protection system through a collaborative approach  Facilitate exchange of information through the development of a thematic knowledge network/system for the collection, management and dissemination of information on advances in plant protection

 Allow joint programmes to be developed for the exchange of experience and expertise and transferable technical information and skills  Enhance collaboration for the analysis and solutions of common plant protection problems through a joint efforts  Contribute to the formulation of national networks in each country to strengthen collaboration among national institutions, non- governmental organizations, private sector and universities

Expected outputs The proposed Network is expected to produce, during its first phase of four years of operations ( ), the following specific outputs:  A pilot Near East Plant Protection Network (NEPP- NET) through building a Regional Gateway function  A pilot NEPP-NET knowledge and information management system of national components including modules

 All plant protection institutions networked through a regional portal as well as through national portals  A team of nationally selected focal points and technical staff at the different plant protection institutions trained on how to adopt and integrate information from their institutions into the NEPP- NET and to maintain it  Development of operational plans for the network  Development of an operational framework that would define the roles and responsibilities of all the stakeholders at the national level.

NATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE NETWORK National level National Focal Point Stakeholders Agric. Industry, Health, Universities, NGOs Private sector, Research, …..…… Regional level

General assembly of the Network Secretariat F FFF F F Regional States Level WG F Near East Plant Protection Network NEPP-NET National level

Network structure On the National level;  The Network should have a focal point stationed in one of the active related institutions  The Focal point should be linked to all related stakeholders ; Agric, Health, Universities, Research,NGOs, private sector, …..  Each collaborative national institution should have a focal point to report to the overall national focal point  The National focal point should report to the regional secretariat of the Network

On the Regional level  The general assembly is the highest authority in the Network  The general assembly meet each tow years in a given country  The general assembly main responsibilities are to follow up on the Network progress, decide the budget required and decide the Network activities for the next two years  The general assembly might establish working groups in certain subjects if required  The general assembly should selected appropriate country for the seat of the Network

The Secretariat  The NEPP-NET Network includes participating national plant protection organizations from the region, coordinated by a Secretariat entity.  The secretariat consists of a full time Secretary assisted by staff appointed by him to carry out the functions of the Network and shall provide all necessary facilities and operational logistics to enable the secretariat to implement the work plan of the network.  preparation of a biannual report highlighting the different activities and achievements of the network  Administrative responsibilities of the Network, including the preparation of the annual budget in co-ordination with the working groups in the different countries.

 Preparation of evaluation criteria for the assessment of the performance and efficiency of the network. An outside team of experts will perform evaluation  Provide data on all aspects relevant to NEPP-NET  Collection, compilation and dissemination of all documents, reference material and correspondence as well as technical information  Preparation and follow ‑ up of work programs (and budgets approved by the general assembly.

Criteria for the Location of the Host Country The following criteria are suggested for the selection of the host country, which would host the Secretariat of the Regional Network. ;  The location of the host country should be centralized in the Region as much as possible to ensure easy communication, transportation and contact.  The host country should be accessible to all other member countries through the granting of visas and internal travel.  The host country should have adequate physical facilities and technical competence.  The host country should be able to provide the required facilities.

Focal Points  Institutions, identified as focal points in member countries, may be either national plant protection organizations or related research institutions  The set up and organizational structure in each of the countries in the region, will be the linkage among other institutions, NGOs, private sector and all stakeholders as well as the Regional Network, and shall include representatives from the NGOs, Private Sector, plant protection organizations (Governmental and/or Non- Governmental) and universities

: The Focal Point National Institutions will have the following functions  Establishment of communication channels among all national organizations, private & non-governmental organizations, universities as well as other stakeholders through out the Ag NEPP-NET chain, and facilitation the exchange of information,  Collection and dissemination of information at the national as well as regional level through the Network’s Secretariat.  Coordination of programs with other national institutions in the country as well as other non-governmental organizations, private industry, universities and all other stakeholders in the NEPP- NET chain extension and pest control requirements.  Linkage with the Network on all activities (sub-regional and regional related development projects, training courses, workshops, conference  Advice government agencies on matters related to policy, programs and coordinated activities for the development of NEPP-NET.

Network financing  It is essential for the network to be able to execute its duties, each member country should contribute on annual bases of $US as core funds  Charges (reasonable and affordable) for providing information to prospective users, including the private sector.  Revenues from sale of developed promotional material, posters, standards, publications, etc.  Revenues from advertisement on the web site of the NEPP- NET network by the private sector and other concerned groups.  Donations and funds from national, regional and international organizations as well as the private sector

Thank you all for your kind attention