Al-Budaiwi spoke at the annual summit of the European Corporate Council on Africa and the Middle East in Rome Gulf nations have contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to humanitarian programs in Africa, Asia to help combat poverty and food scarcity, he said RIYADH: Member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council are among the first to respond to calls from international humanitarian for help to enhance food security, either directly or through global organizations and agencies such as the World Food Program and the UN Development Program, according to Jassim Al-Budaiwi, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council. His comments came during a speech on Monday at the fourth annual summit of the European Corporate Council on Africa and the Middle East in Rome. Al-Budaiwi said that issues related to food security are a key priority for the leaders of Gulf nations, which have contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to humanitarian programs and assistance in Africa and Asia in an effort to help combat poverty and food scarcity, the Saudi Press Agency reported. He highlighted the Riyadh Declaration, which was issued in June at the second ministerial meeting between the League of Arab States and the Pacific Small Island Developing States with the goal of establishing a joint strategy for food security based on innovation and technology, and encouraging the forging of alliances to strengthen supply chains. Al-Budaiwi said the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals are important indicators of the success and commitment to changing the world by 2030. Some GCC countries have made progress on a number of the goals, he added, including gender equality, access to power, and children’s health. He called for all available resources to be utilized to achieve the goal of ending poverty, including collaborations with international partners to develop inclusive, resilient and sustainable societies.