ICBA receives strategic partner award by UAE Ministry of Energy

The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) was recognized as a strategic partner by the Ministry of Energy of the UAE during a special awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi on 22 December 2016.

Held under the patronage of H.E. Eng. Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, the awards ceremony was held to strengthen relationship between the Ministry and its strategic partners.

ICBA received an award of appreciation for its efforts and contributions to achieve the strategic objectives of the Ministry. The award was received by Ms. Seta Tutundjian, Director of Partnerships and Knowledge Management, who represented ICBA along with Dr. Khalil Ammar, a principal scientist in hydrology and hydrogeology.

H.E. Eng. Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei explained that the ceremony was part of implementation of the vision of the wise leadership of the UAE Government to achieve sustainable development, provide better services to customers and strengthen cooperation between the Ministry and its partners to enable it to carry out its functions and objectives.

The Ministry of Energy organizes this event every year and it is aimed at developing joint work with its partners and supporting projects and initiatives that contribute to the sustainable development process and the achievement of the highest standards of excellence for the Ministry’s partners and customers.

As part of its efforts on conserving energy and water for sustainable development, ICBA has been working on, among other things, water-efficient technologies and crops, non-conventional water resources, and biofuel crops such as Salicornia. The Center also developed an energy-efficient net-house system to increase energy and water use efficiency under desert conditions of the UAE.

Partnership is at the core of ICBA’s mission and since its establishment in 1999, the Center has worked in partnership with several governments, national, regional and global organizations to implement programs in more than 30 countries. ICBA's work reaches countries, including least-developed countries, in Central Asia and the Caucasus, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), South and South East Asia, sub-Saharan Africa.

Over the years, ICBA has gained extensive firsthand, on-the-ground, empirical knowledge and experience of the farming systems of the Middle East, North Africa, Gulf states, and West and Central Asia.

The Center takes an integrated approach to strengthening the agricultural sector and identifying sustainable solutions for food security.