And launches the 7^th International Date Palm Conference, with the participation of 475 researchers from 42 countries.       

1. FAO Director General representative praises the Award's efforts, as an incubator for international partnerships.

1. H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak, launches the international network for the development of date palm cultivation in the Middle East and North Africa.

1. The Innovation platform to develop desert agriculture, and to enhance food and water security under climate change conditions.

1. and where the Award’s General Secretariat of the Award signed 10 memoranda of understanding.

Under the generous patronage of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, “May God protect him”, and the presence of H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, who attendedthe Award’s Winners Honoring ceremony, in its 14^th session, on Monday, 14^th March, 2022, with the presence of H.E. Dr. AbdulHakim ElWAER, Assistant Director-General, FAO Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa, on behalf of H.E. Dr. Qu Dong Yu, Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, H.E. Mariam Bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Al Mheir, UAE’s Minister of Climate Change and Environment, H.E.  Khalid Al Hneifat, Minister of Agriculture of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, H.E. Eng. Louis Lahoud, Representative of the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Lebanon, H.E Hashim Ben Salem, representative of the Tunisian Minister of Agriculture, H.E. Ahmed Ben Saleh Ayada Al Khamshi, representative of the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Environment, of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and H.E. Dr. Abdul Aziz Mohamed Abdul Karim, representative of the Minister of Agriculture of the Kingdom of Bahrain. As well as members of the Award’s Board of Trustees, Award’s winners and honorees, and a large number of specialists in date palm cultivation, and agricultural innovation.

Proud of the Award’s achievements.

H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, chairman of the Award’s Board of Trustees, during his opening speech of the ceremony, in which His Excellency highlighted his great appreciation to the Award’s founder, H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE "May God protect him", who always emphasizes the importance of the UAE being a role model, in contributing to all the achievements of scientific development, and to enhance cooperation, to develop the date palm cultivation sector, within the wise vision developed by the UAE’s founder, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, “May God Bless his soul”.

 H.E. Sheikh Nahayan, also extended his sincere appreciation to H.H. Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for his strong support to Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, as we are very proud of His Highness's wise vision of the role of agriculture in achieving UAE’s sustainable development, and under his rational guidance, agricultural development became a vital sector in the country. The UAE became today a role model to the development of agricultural knowledge, and technologies.

H.E. Sheikh Nahayan, then continued his speech by extending his sincere thanks to H.H. Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs, as we highly appreciate His Highness strong support to this Award, and his keenness to always be an effective supporter and contributor to the development of date palm cultivation, and agricultural innovation, where we are very proud of the strong support that this prestigious Award gained, at all levels, in the UAE, and among date growers and specialists from around the world, by organizing a series of  Arab dates festivals, in the United Arab Emirates, Arab Republic of Egypt, Republic of Sudan, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Mauritanian Islamic Republic and several other countries. Success has not only been limited to the organization of festivals, but also the rehabilitation of date factories, the establishment of refrigerated date storage areas, and the development of strategies for the development of dates in those countries, where Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation had the honor and leading role in implementing the vision of our wise  leadership in accordance with the international best practices, which in return has a significant impact on supporting sustainable development.

Our celebration today, honoring the Award winners, in its fourteenth session, is a strong confirmation of our full commitment, at Khalifa International Award, to moving forward with strategies and action plans, which aim to achieve comprehensive agricultural development and development of the blessed tree sector, starting with a full understanding of the importance of this endeavor, in achieving food security, affirming sustainable development, promoting tolerance, coexistence, love and peace, among people. Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation has a national, regional, and international, framework to stimulate agricultural innovation, in all its activities to achieve development and stability, added H.E. Sheikh Nahayan.

International tribute to UAE's efforts

From his side, H.E. Dr. AbdulHakim ElWAER, Assistant Director-General, FAO Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa, during his speech on behalf of H.E. Dr. Qu Dong Yu, Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, praised the great efforts of UAE and Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, in supporting and developing the date palm cultivation sector, and agricultural innovation, regionally and internationally. Where the UAE has an advanced infrastructure, institutions, international experience and strong will that have contributed to the advancement of the date palm cultivation sector, through organizing the Arab dates festivals.

Sawari Mansour

The ceremony also included the screening of the "Sawari Mansour" operetta,which represented and praised the great efforts of H.H. Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs, the first supporter of Date Palm cultivation nationally and regionally, where the video shows the ship giving started from the UAE and sailed across the  Arab countries, spreading support and development, before it returns to Abu Dhabi, carrying the gratitude and thanks to His Highness, on  the achievements and outcomes of the Arab dates festivals across the Arab countries, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Republic of Sudan, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, and the Kingdom of Morocco, as a key pillar of sustainable development and food security.

Personality of the Year

H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, honored H.H. Sheikh Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, the Ruler's Representative in Al Ain region, as the Personality of the Year for His Highnesses’ influential role in the field of date palm cultivation. His Excellency then honored a number of national and international personalities, who contributed to the development of date palm cultivation sector, as follows: H.E. Humaid Saeed Al Niyadi, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival, United Arab Emirates, H.E. Dr. Mahmoud Ayedh AlDweiri, Former Minister of Agriculture, from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Mr. Hamed Al Hamed, founder of the Gracia Agricultural Group, from the United Arab Emirates. Mr. Thaer Faisal Al Adwan, from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Dr. Sandra Piesik, from the Republic of Poland, and the late Georges Toutan, from the French Republic.

Honoring Khalifa International Award winners

H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, then honored winners of Khalifa International Award, in its 14^th session 2022, as follows: the Distinguished Innovative Studies and Modern Technology category, equally won by Dr. Emmanuelle Jacquin–Joly, from the French Republic, and Dr. Ibtisam Rashid Al Harrasi, from the Sultanate of Oman, the Pioneering Development and Productive Projects category equally won by Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination, UAE, and International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), UAE, as for the Pioneering and Sophisticated Innovations Serving the Agricultural Sector category, equally won by Dr. Abdulla Hamad Saeed Aljenaibi, UAE, and Tarek Ben Abidine, UAE, Influential Figure in the Field of Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation category, equally won by Dr. Abdullah Mohammed Saif Al-Sadi, Sultanate of Oman, and Mr. Anwar Helal Abdullah Haddad, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Honoring local Award winners

H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, then honored winners of the UAE’s Local Award Award, the Distinguished and Innovative Farmers, in its fourth session 2022, organized by the Award’s General Secretariat, in cooperation with Al Foah company, Small Size Farm Category, First place: Ghanem Sultan Ahmed Ghanem Al Suwaidi, Second place: Aisha Abdullah Juma Ba Haroun Al Ali, as for the Average Size Farm Category, First place: Mubarak Mohammed Miftah Al Shamsi, Second place: Fatima Musallam Mohammed Al-Khaili, for the Over Average size farm category, First place: Saif Sayah Salem Al Mansouri, Second place: Salwa Khalfan Hamid Al Mansouri, and as of the Large Size farm category, First place: Saeed Rashid Abdullah Al Hammoudi, Second place: Matar Ali Miftah Mohammed Al Shamsi, and the Innovative Farmer Category, won by Rashid Sultan Hamad Massoud Al-Ariani.

Signing of 10 Memoranda of Understanding

H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, Chairman of the Award’s Board of Trustees, also witnessed the signing of twelve memoranda of understanding, with a number of Ministers of Agriculture, and directors of International Organizations, with the aim of strengthening regional and international cooperation between national institutions and international organizations, contributing to the support and development of the date palm cultivation sector, and agricultural innovation regionally and internationally.

International Network for Sustainable Development of Date Palm in Near East and North Africa

H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, also launched the International Network for Development of Date Palm Cultivation, where the General Secretariat of Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation will be operating one of the largest international cooperation’s for the development of date palm cultivation worldwide, in cooperation with major international organizations such as Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),  the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), the Arab Centre for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Land (ACSAD), the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD), and Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East & North Africa (AARENINA), which will promote date palm cultivation sector in date-producing countries, to enhance food security, economic growth and sustainable development, in these countries.

Launching the Integrated Desert Farming Innovation Platform

H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, then launched the Innovation Platform for the Development of Desert Agriculture, organized by the General Secretariat of Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, in collaboration with the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), and the International Agricultural Research Advisory Group (CGIAR), to enhance food and water security under climate change, as a side event of the 7^th International Date Palm Conference.

This platform aims to share experiences in the field of date palm cultivation, and agricultural innovation, among countries of the Middle East and North African region, based on what has been achieved by the national, regional and international organizations active in the region with the support organizations sponsoring desert agriculture, starting with Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, as there is absence of international centers dedicated to desert agriculture, which led to the loss of research efforts of national, regional and international institutions, where there is an urgent need to establish a regional/international platform to promote research, technology and innovation on desert agriculture, to enhance food and water security in facing climate change.