Under the guidance of H.H. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance, President of the Board of Trustees of Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, the General Secretariat of the Award signed four memoranda of understanding remotely with a number of international organizations and associations with a view to developing the date palm cultivation and date production.

The signing ceremony took place remotely through the virtual communication platform (Microsoft teams) on Sunday, June 21, 2020 in the presence of Dr. Abdelouahhab Zaid, Secretary General of the Award, with Dr. Rida Shibli Al Khawla, Executive Secretary of the Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East and North Africa (AARINENA), Eng. Anwar Haddad, President of the Board of Directors of the Jordanian Dates Association, Dr. Ahmed Ali Qanif, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sudanese Dates Palm Friends Society, H.E. Mr. Salah Eldin El-Nefidi, Vice President of El-Nefidi Group, Republic of Sudan, and Mr. Jean-Christophe Henry , Director-General of the Green Sahel Initiative of the Republic of Senegal.

MoU 1: Aims to strengthen the bonds of cooperation in date palm  research and training fields, and to prepare studies and proposals for joint projects in the areas of community development, agricultural reform and rural development at the national and regional level, while providing technical and economic advisory services and technical support in matters of common date palm sector interest.

MoU 2: Aims to strengthen the bonds of cooperation in agricultural training and exchange of experiences and knowledge of common interest related to date palms and agricultural innovation, between the Jordanian Dates Association, the Sudanese Dates Palm Friends Society, and the General Secretariat of the Award, where it will assist both parties, in providing technical advisory services and technical support in matters of mutual interest, promote the exchange of ideas and experiences, and encourage joint activities.

MoU 3: Aims to have a professional cooperation between El-Nefidi Agricultural Group in the Republic of Sudan and the General Secretariat of the Award, which contributes to the development of the infrastructure of the date palm sector and date industry in the Republic of Sudan, in addition to transferring specialized expertise and knowledge in the field of date palm cultivation, production and manufacture of luxury dates. To achieve food security and agricultural and rural development by using their potential, as much as possible, for the benefit of local, regional and date palm growers , researchers and consumers.

MoU 4: Aims to collaborate with the Green Sahel Initiative in the Republic of Senegal to enable the date palm cultivation sector to use agricultural innovation techniques and efficient use of water resources across the renewable energy system, and to focus on reaching out to local communities to rebalance and build the ecological environment of the biosphere.

The Award’s Secretary General said that the signing of the present  memorandum of understanding remotely comes within the framework of the Award's commitment to all precautionary measures to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), and a new proof of the high credibility achieved by the Award in the development of the date palm sector at the national, regional and international level. Thanks to the guidance and support of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs, the first supporter of palm cultivation , and the continuous follow-up of H.H. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance, President of the Award’s Board of Trustees .