At the invitation of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the D-8 Director for Economy and External Relations Ms. Rasha Hamdy participated in the virtual High-Level e-Dialogue on Rural Livelihoods and Food Security in the wake of COVID-19: Sharing Good Practices towards a Cohesive Cross-Regional Response”.

The virtual meeting was organized by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) on 16th April, 2020 to discuss the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic on rural livelihoods and food security in light of the general restrictions on international trade. The meeting gathered extensive participation from countries from the global South as well as from intergovernmental bodies, and led to a stimulating discussion on the prospects of future cooperation to deal with such challenges imposed by the COVI-19 pandemic. During her deliberations, Ms. Rasha Hamdy stressed the D-8’s willingness to enhance cooperation with IFAD and other relevant organizations to help the D-8 Member States to mitigate the adverse consequences of COVID-19 on rural livelihoods, food security and international trade.