Readout of the Director-General's bilateral meeting with the Deputy Secretary of the Security Council under the President of Uzbekistan, and Special Representative of the President of Uzbekistan on foreign policy, Abdulaziz Kamilov

Today the FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, met at FAO headquarters in Rome with H.E. Abdulaziz Kamilov, Deputy Secretary of the Security Council under the President of Uzbekistan, and Special Representative of the President of Uzbekistan on foreign policy.

The Deputy Secretary underlined the importance of FAO to help transform agrifood systems at the national and regional level, considering the food security challenges the world is facing. The Director-General said FAO will continue providing technical support to Uzbekistan to ensure more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.

The Director-General thanked Deputy Secretary Kamilovfor the strong cooperation between FAO and Uzbekistan, and referred to the recent inauguration of the Uzbekistan Lounge located at FAO Headquarters.

Mr. Kamilovconfirmed his country’s commitment to fully engage in the collaboration with FAO, including the important work on water management and climate change mitigation, and explore the possibility of working together with FAO, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

The Director-General agreed on the importance of water management, and the need for increased investment in rural development. He further expressed his appreciation for the important role Uzbekistan plays in sharing its knowledge with other landlocked countries. In that respect, the Director-General referred to the establishment of a dedicated office in FAO that exclusively addresses the challenges facing SIDS, LDCs and LLDCs, soon after the Director-General took office in August 2019. SIDS, LDCs and LLDCs were elevated to the highest priority in the Organization's efforts to reduce hunger and boost the agricultural potential in the world.