SWAC34: FAO Commission for Controlling The Desert Locust In South-west Asia To Discuss Strengthening Desert Locust Management
10 December 2025, Rome: The Thirty-fourth Session of the FAO Commission for Controlling Desert Locusts in South-West Asia (SWAC34) will define regional strategies to strengthen desert locust management, enhance collaboration, and promote the adoption of innovative technologies to protect livelihoods and food security across the region.
The Session is taking place in Rome from 9 to 12 December 2025 with the participation of the SWAC member countries: India, Iran, and Pakistan and Locust management experts from the FAO Office in Afghanistan.
The SWAC region remains particularly vulnerable to the rapid spread of the desert locust due to climate variability, vast desert areas, and seasonal breeding zones.
Vigilance and cooperation are the best defense
Although the latest FAO desert locust forecasts indicate a “calm” situation in the four SWAC member countries, maintaining strong regional locust surveillance, capacity building and preparedness is essential to prevent sudden upsurges.
“SWAC34 is an opportunity to revisit, strengthen, and update regional strategies. National capacities vary, and surveillance and response must remain robust year-round, even during quiet periods,” said Shoki Al-Dobai, SWAC Executive Secretary at the opening of the meeting.
The outcomes of the session will help shape more collaborative and technologically advanced strategies to manage the pest, ultimately safeguarding food security for millions in South-West Asia region.
Sunita Pandey, Chair of SWAC34 and Representative from India, commended FAO’s exemplary leadership in coordinating the efforts of member states, noting that the meeting will help shape the direction of locust management in the SWAC region for the next two years.
The session will discuss and address challenges and solutions related to the following three subtopics:
- Desert locust early warning
- Progress and uptake of new innovations such as eLocust3 suite/eLocust4, RAMSES (Ramses v5), drones in locust management and biological control
- Improving desert locust management
- Regional cooperation and knowledge sharing
- Administrative and financial matters
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