The 154th meeting of the CIHEAM Governing Board was held on 14 and 15 December 2023 at the Headquarters of the Organisation in Paris.
In addition to the presentation of the activity reports of the General Secretariat and the 4 CIHEAM Institutes (Bari, Chania, Montpellier and Zaragoza) and the discussions on the prospects for action for the next half-year, the meeting was also marked by the award of the title of Emeritus Professor to Mr Nicola LAMADDALENA and by the medal ceremony for Mrs Nahla HWALLA, former President of the CIHEAM Advisory Board.
The Governing Board awarded Dr Nicola LAMADDALENA, polytechnician and former Deputy Director of the CIHEAM Institute of Bari, the honorary title of Emeritus Professor for his significant contribution to research in the sustainable management of land and water resources .
Mrs Nahla HWALLA received the medal for her many achievements during her mandate as President of the CIHEAM Advisory Board. Dr Nahla Hwalla has been a professor of Human Nutrition since 1995. She was Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the American University of Beirut (Lebanon) between 2006-2017. Her research focuses on obesity, its prevalence, its determinants and solutions to curb its effects. In 2023, Dr Nahla Hwalla was recognised as one of the 2% most cited researchers in the world.
During the meeting, it was also announced that the 12th CIHEAM Ministerial Meeting would be held in 2024 in Morocco. At a time when the Mediterranean region is faced with a number of crises that have a particular impact on rural and agricultural areas and which are affecting the food security of populations, the ministers of the CIHEAM Member States will be discussing the necessary levers for cooperation and the solutions to be supported in order to overcome these challenges.