Prof. Adel El-Beltagy, Chairman, IDDC; President, CIHEAM; Chair, Food and Agricultural Research Council, Egyptian Academy of Science; Chairman, ARDC, Egypt (2007-2011), Vice Chair/Member of the GDTF (2007-2011); Chairman, GFAR (2006-2010); Board member, TWAS. Member of the FAO High Level Committee, Board Member of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (2006-2012), Member of the Supreme Council of Science & Technology chaired by the Prime Minister of Egypt (2008-2011) and Professor of Agriculture, Arid Lands Research Institute, Ain Shams University, Egypt. He has been awarded "2008 State Recognition Prize in Sciences", Egypt. He has authored/co-authored more than 160 scientific publications.

There is a general agreement that the climate change is happening and it is going to have serious implications for the flora and fauna, including the marine and inland fisheries. There is need for developing more precise assessment of the impact on the ecosystem at the national and regional levels, where the major action for adaptation and mitigation would have to occur. It is anticipated that the impact of climate change would cut across all boundaries. Crops, cropping systems, rotations, and biota will undergo transformation. A major impact of the climate change will be on increase of water scarcity, water poverty, and hence major changes in the social political future in the region. Maintaining the balance in this complex system will require new knowledge, institutional and policy changes. The people in the dry areas of the Arab World are likely to be most seriously affected by the shifts in moisture and temperature regimes as a result of the global climate change. In order to help them cope with the challenges there will be a need for a new paradigm in agricultural research and technology transfer that makes full use of modern science and technology, as well as the traditional knowledge. This would necessitate more investment by national governments, regional organizations and international agencies for supporting the relevant integrated research and development efforts with full participation of the target communities in the rural areas. Only such an approach can enable the Arab World and in particular the poor, and the food insecure vulnerable communities to use the natural resources in a sustainable manner and thus help protect the environment for present and future generations.