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The World Bank is committed to helping Tunisia develop plans to cope with the impact of water scarcity and climate change, a senior official of the bank said on Friday.

World Bank Group Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa Ferid Belhaj spoke at the opening of a regional conference on climate and development in Tunis, where he said it was crucial to have policies that provide urgent solutions for the sectors affected by the water scarcity and climate challenges, especially agriculture.

He also said Tunisia would receive new financial support in the coming days to address the challenge of food security.

Tunisian Economy and Planning Minister Feryel Ouerghi Sebai said climate change was one of the main challenges facing Tunisia, as it had serious effects on many vital sectors such as agriculture, industry and tourism.

She said the expansion of desertification, the frequency of droughts and sea erosion negatively affected economic and social development.

The minister urged the World Bank and all of Tunisia’s technical and financial partners to maintain their commitment to tackling the challenges of climate change.