New ICARDA-IDC MoU Advances Date Palm Sustainability
01 December 2025, Riyadh: ICARDA signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Date Council (IDC), marking a significant step toward advancing sustainable, resilient, and competitive date palm systems across Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the wider region.
The agreement formalizes years of collaboration between ICARDA and its partners on research areas critical to the sector including genetic fingerprinting and integrated pest management, water-efficient production systems, biodiversity conservation, and capacity strengthening. It also aligns with IDC’s mandate to enhance global cooperation, improve quality standards, and strengthen the marketing and trade of dates worldwide.
The signing took place during the fifth session of the IDC Members’ Council in Diriyah, which brought together ministers, senior officials, and heads of delegations from member states. IDC Executive Director Princess Sarah bint Bandar bin Abdulaziz welcomed the delegations, emphasizing the importance of the meeting in strengthening joint action and advancing cooperation initiatives.
In his opening remarks, His Royal Highness Dr. Abdulrahman Alfadley, Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture and Chairman of the IDC Members’ Council, highlighted the role of research, innovation, and modern technologies in improving date production and processing, as well as the importance of political will and member-state coordination to advance the sector.
“Date palm is a key species that anchors the resilience of desert ecosystems. This partnership with the IDC allows us to scale science-based solutions that improve water efficiency, enhance biodiversity, control major pests such as the red palm weevil, and strengthen market competitiveness. Our collaboration will allow us to support countries as they shift from emergency responses to long-term, science-based management of their desert ecosystems.” – Mr. Aly Abousabaa, ICARDA Director General
Under the new MoU, ICARDA and the IDC will collaborate in several areas of mutual interest, including:
- Technical support and consultations to promote sustainable date palm development
- Systems and procedures to facilitate exchange of knowledge and information
- Programs that strengthen production, processing, marketing, and trade
- Training and extension initiatives
- Development of international date-quality standards
- Conservation of genetic diversity
- Joint promotional efforts to expand local and global consumption of dates
- Coordination with regional and international organizations active in the dates sector
Both organizations will also work together to develop joint project proposals and mobilize external funding for priority initiatives.
The agreement reinforces a shared commitment to strengthening sustainable date palm systems and supporting countries across the region as they build resilient, climate-smart desert farming systems.
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