Bilateral Meetings of the FAO Director-General in the Sultanate of Oman
28 February 2026, Muscat: As part of his official visit to the Sultanate of Oman from 26 to 27 February 2026, the FAO Director-General met today with His Highness Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham bin Tarik Al-Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs.
His Highness appreciated FAO’s continued support to Oman and provided an overview of the national development agenda under the Oman Vision 2040, highlighting the importance of strengthened cooperation with the Organization at a time of mounting challenges to agrifood systems, including drought and extreme weather events.
The Director-General conveyed appreciation to His Highness for the opportunity to meet and for the longstanding collaboration with Oman.
Both sides welcomed the signing of the new FAO Country Programming Framework (CPF) 2026–2030 for Oman, considering it a strategic opportunity to deepen collaboration and accelerate the transition toward more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable agrifood systems in line with the objectives of the Oman Vision 2040.
The two sides also discussed the FAO Nansen Programme and the launch of the marine resources survey, which highlights the potential of aquatic food systems to provide accessible and affordable food, improve diets, support livelihoods, and foster sustainable economic growth, particularly for coastal communities.
During his visit, the Director-General also met with His Excellency Saud bin Hamoud bin Ahmed Al-Habsi, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources.
The Minister welcomed the Director-General and his delegation and commended the growing partnership between Oman and FAO.
The Director-General reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to continuing supporting Oman’s agrifood systems transformation, building on the country’s comparative advantages in fisheries and agriculture.
The two sides received a presentation on the marine survey conducted under the FAO-Norway EAF-Nansen Programme, which will generate critical data to strengthen stock assessment, biodiversity monitoring and the sustainable management of marine resources in the Arabian Sea and the Sea of Oman.
The pair agreed to continue supporting national capacity to translate survey results into evidence-based management decisions aligned with the Oman Vision 2040.
The meeting concluded with the Director-General and the Minister witnessing the signing of the CPF 2026–2030, developed in close consultation with national counterparts, to support the implementation of national priorities including in the fisheries sector, value chain strengthening and climate change.
The Director-General further met with His Excellency Abdulla bin Ali Al-Amri, President of the Environment Authority during which they discussed ways to continue strengthening cooperation at the environment–food nexus, recognizing that environmental sustainability was a prerequisite for long-term food security.
The Director-General commended Oman’s integrated approach under the Oman Vision 2040, which positions environmental protection and economic diversification as mutually reinforcing pillars of development. He also commended Oman’s leadership as President of the 7th Session of the UN Environment Assembly and its commitment to advancing coherence between environmental governance and agrifood system transformation.
Both sides emphasized the need for closer alignment between environmental and agrifood policies to address land degradation, biodiversity loss and water scarcity. Discussions also covered innovation and digital transformation in water-scarce agriculture. Finally, the Director-General expressed FAO’s readiness to explore enhanced cooperation, including potential regional knowledge-sharing mechanisms on digital agriculture.
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