FAO Information Centre inaugurated at MGIMO University in Moscow

The FAO Information Centre at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations was formally inaugurated on this day.
The Centre, which has been in operation since the beginning of the year, is the result of a partnership between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Russian Federation. MGIMO University, as the Centre’s host university is called, is an academic institution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

The Centre’s mission is to act as a source of information on FAO’s mandate, agenda and activities both globally and, in particular, in the Russian Federation.

“The establishment of the FAO Information Centre at MGIMO is a weighty contribution to the enhancement of the quality of tutoring of students specializing in environmental studies,” said Andrey Nikiforov, an assistant professor at MGIMO University in the Department of International Complex Problems of Nature Management and Ecology. “The wide range of issues tackled and solutions promoted by the Centre are part and parcel of FAO’s mandate and have a direct bearing on the implementation of reforms in resource use within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals.”

In its three months of operation, the FAO Information Centre already has proven its value. Experts clustered around the Centre have taken part in several noteworthy forums, including:

• a roundtable on problems and perspectives of breeding in fish farming within the framework of АgroFarm 2018, a major international fair and forum on animal husbandry and veterinary medicine;
• a nationwide All-Russia conference on the rational use of bioresources in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals;
• an international conference on the problems of law and practice regarding global ecological security; and
• a nationwide All-Russia conference on the roles of botanical gardens and dendroparks in the import substitution of plant products.

“One cannot underestimate the importance of issues related to food security and agricultural development. FAO plays a crucial role in tackling these problems. This is one of the reasons why the FAO Information Centre, among other things, will be instrumental in enhancing the efficiency of academic research and interaction within the scientific community,” said Irina Donnik, a member and Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The Centre provides databases related to agriculture and food security for use by students and others in the academic community while ensuring that all institutions in the Russian Federation have access to FAO information resources. It also provides a platform for horizontal interaction inside the university.

“The FAO Information Centre establishes opportunities for interaction among chairs and colleges within MGIMO University,” said Eugenia Serova, the director of the FAO Liaison Office in Moscow, “while also serving as a gateway for students and graduates to access FAO databases and research reports throughout the world.”

5 April 2018, Moscow, Russian Federation