International Day of Cooperatives: An occasion to shed the light on the support of FAO to the General Directorate of Cooperatives

On the occasion of the International Day for Cooperatives, and in the presence of H.E. Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Abbas Mortada, and the presence of Mr. Jamie Schnurr, Head of Cooperation – Government of Canada in Lebanon, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the General Directorate of Cooperatives (GDC) organized today a meeting highlighting FAO’s support to the General Directorate of Cooperatives within the

framework of the Canada-funded project: “Support to Women’s Cooperatives and Associations in the Agri-food Sector in Lebanon”.

The meeting was also attended by FAO Representative in Lebanon, Mr. Maurice Saade in addition to the project team, women’s cooperatives representatives’, GDC Staff and project partners.

After a welcoming speech by the Director-General of Cooperatives (GDC), Eng. Gloria Abouzeid , H.E the Minister of Agriculture stated that the development of the productive sectors, including agriculture, can be done through cooperatives while strengthening the role of rural women, especially in these circumstances that Lebanon is goingthrough. Minister Mortada stressed the importance of enhancing the capacities of rural women, adding: "communities are based on cooperation. The cooperation is the teamwork that allows the individual to advance."

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