Ambassador of Lebanon visits CFC Secretariat in Amsterdam
H.E. Mr. Abdel Sattar Issa, Ambassador of the Republic of Lebanon to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, paid a visit to the CFC Secretariat and met Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Managing Director of the CFC, to discuss, among others, the accession of Lebanon to the CFC. Ambassador Belal was accompanied by Mr. Hector Besong, Portfolio and Risk Manager of the CFC at the meeting.
Ambassador Belal, while sharing the basics of the CFC’s structure and working process, also shared insights on how innovations in agriculture, which, in his views, are in abundance in the Netherlands and in the region, are being used in the implementation of CFC’s projects. Ambassador Belal also shared with Ambassador Issa stories from CFC’s projects where new innovations have been incorporated to bring higher productivity. Ambassador Belal also elaborated the realization of nutrition security is perhaps a stark lesson of this pandemic that we all have been sadly going through. They also discussed other innovations that CFC is either implementing or contemplating to implement in the near future.
Ambassador Issa expressed his satisfaction at the workings of the CFC and hoped that the good work of CFC shall also, in the future, extend up to his own country – the Republic of Lebanon. With neighbors like Iraq, Syria and Egypt already being members of CFC, it almost makes it incumbent on the Republic of Lebanon to join CFC and enjoy the impact of the fund right away, Ambassador Belal added. With their ongoing socio-economic successes, Lebanon makes an ideal candidate to become a member of the CFC. With the addition of innovations and creativity in the commodity value chains, Lebanon has the potential to become a regional base for export globally for many products they are already good at or not so good at yet.
Ambassador Belal hopes that Lebanon to join the CFC and thereby help as many people as possible to lift themselves from poverty. Ambassador Issa thanked the CFC for receiving him and assured to expedite Lebanon accession to the CFC at the earliest. Amb. Belal further apprised Ambassador Issa on modalities of how the Republic of Lebanon could become a member of CFC to join hands together to eradicate poverty worldwide.