Since 2017, he is working as a Regional Officer for Plant Protection and Production (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in the Near East and North Africa Region). He is currently leading the organization’s plant protection activities in the region. On May 1st, 2024, he is assigned to oversee the FAO Program and projects in the Sultanate of Oman.

• Responsible for guiding FAO’s response to regional and national priorities for food security, Pest and Pesticide management, agriculture, and rural development through identifying, planning, and implementing FAO’s priority activities in the NENA region.
• Lead and manage the regional and national dialogue with high-level authority and planning on the need and implementation of NENA counties for sustainable management and development in food safety and security, focusing on plant health and plant production.
• He leads seed management, genetic resource conservation, and the regional strategy to control transboundary plant pests and diseases. Additionally, he is involved in implementing innovative monitoring, early warning, forecasting, and rapid response for plant pests and diseases.
• Plan and lead national and regional communication and capacity development implementation to promote sustainable and environmentally sound management and control techniques.

He worked for 18 years as a professor of plant pathology at CIHEAM: International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies in Bari, Italy. He obtained a professor’s degree at the National Research Institute in Rome, Italy, specifically at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology. Yaseen has supervised over 14 doctoral degrees and over 52 master’s degrees in disease and pest control science. Additionally, he has published more than 130 scientific papers, including 70 papers in internationally refereed journals, 60 research papers in conference publications, and 9 scientific books.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

During this period, he has been involved in over 30 research projects and has managed a large team of more than 42 workers to lead 54 development projects across 18 countries. Additionally, he works as an official reviewer for various scientific journals, including NATURE, Postharvest Biology and Technology, Journal of Phytopathology, Plant Disease, and Mediterranean Phytopathology.

Mr. Yaseen obtained his PhD in Plant Protection from the University of Bari, Italy, Department of Plant Protection and Applied Microbiology after obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Plant Protection from the University of Damascus, Syria, in 1997, a Master’s degree in Plant Pathology from the University of Damascus, Syria, in 1998, and a Diploma in Plant Protection from the institute CIHEAM-MAIB, Bari, Italy.

Yaseen is a Board of Directors for Doctoral Programs member at the University of Tuscia (Viterbo, Italy) and the University of Foggia (Foggia, Italy). In 2014, he assumed responsibility as Scientific Director of the Center for Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Registration of Certified Pesticides in Integrated Management at the CIHEAM-Bari Institute. He is also a member of the Editorial Board of the Arab and Near East Plant Protection Bulletin, published by the Arab Society for Plant Protection.