Dr Margaret Catley-Carlson, Chair, ICARDA Board of Trustees, formally introduced Dr Mahmoud Mohamed Bachir El-Solh (photo) as the new Director General to the guests during the Center’s Annual Presentation Day on 7 May. The guests included ministers, ambassadors and other senior officials from the various embassies in
Damascus and Aleppo, donor representatives, leaders of national agricultural research systems, former ICARDA Board chairs and members, former ICARDA Directors General, and media representatives. Dr Solh assumed office on 8 May, taking over from Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, who retired after serving as the Director General of the Center for more than 11 years.

Welcoming Dr Solh as ICARDA’s new Director General, Dr Margaret Caltely-Carlson said: “Dr Solh is no stranger to ICARDA and therefore I hardly need to introduce him to you. Being a Lebanese, he is the son of the soil, knowing the ICARDA region and its challenges well. He has been associated with the international agricultural research and development in the dry areas since 1972 when he became a staff member of the Arid Land Agricultural Development (ALAD) Program in the Near East, the predecessor of ICARDA.”

Dr Solh returns to ICARDA after serving as Director of Plant Production and Protection Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for four years. Prior to that he had served ICARDA with  distinction for nearly 16 years in various capacities – as Lentil Breeder, Regional Food Legume Breeder in North Africa, Regional Coordinator of the Nile Valley and Red Sea Regional Program, and Assistant Director General for International Cooperation.

Dr Solh holds a Ph.D. in genetics from the University of California, Davis, USA and has an impressive record of scientific publications. He has rich experience in donor relations and fund raising, and an in-depth knowledge of needs and aspirations of the national agricultural research and development systems in the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region and beyond.

Addressing the Presentation Day guests, after his formal introduction by Dr Catley-Carlson, Dr Solh said, “I would like to thank the ICARDA Board of Trustees for their highly-valued confidence placed in me to fill this position. I would also like to express my appreciation to H.E. Dr Adel Safar, Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Syria for his encouragement and continued support to ICARDA and to me personally. Through him, I would like to convey my special thanks to H.E. Dr Bashar Al-Assad, President of Syria, and his government, for their unwavering support to ICARDA since its establishment in 1977. I sincerely hope to be up to the expectations of all stakeholders in meeting the challenges facing ICARDA to contribute effectively to agricultural research and provide quality science and technology necessary for the development of dry areas globally.

“The success of ICARDA in achieving its noble mission of alleviating poverty and hunger depends greatly on the support and input of all major stakeholders. The challenges of agriculture in the harsh environments of dry areas are diverse, and these could only be addressed effectively through strategic partnerships.” He then summarized the priority areas that would receive his immediate attention, including the finalization of a new strategic plan
that takes into account the changing priorities of agricultural research in the context of the changes taking place in the external and internal environment. The ICARDA staff members are pleased to welcome Dr Solh and his family and look forward to working under his able leadership.

Established in 1977, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is one of 15 international centers supported by the
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). ICARDA serves the entire developing world for the
improvement of barley, lentil, and faba bean; and dry-area developing countries for the on-farm management of water,
improvement of nutrition and productivity of small ruminants (sheep and goats), and rehabilitation and management of
rangelands. In the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region, ICARDA is responsible for the improvement of
durum and bread wheats, chickpea, pasture and forage legumes, and farming systems; and for the protection and
enhancement of the natural resource base of water, land, and biodiversity.

The CGIAR is a strategic alliance of countries, international and regional organizations, and private foundations supporting 15 international research centers that mobilizes cutting-edge science to promote sustainable development by reducing hunger and poverty, improving human nutrition and health, and protecting the environment.