FAO Information Centre to provide research access for Russian students

FAO has entered an agreement to set up an FAO Information Centre at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, an academic institution run by Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Centre’s mission will be to provide information on the FAO mandate, agenda, and activities in the Russian Federation and throughout the world, granting access for students and academics to databases and research reports related to agriculture and food security. Moreover, the Centre’s location at MGIMO University will ensure that all interested institutions in Russia have access to FAO information resources.

“It is our hope that the new FAO Information Centre will stimulate interest among students and the academic community in the FAO agenda,” said Eugenia Serova, head of the FAO’s Liaison Office with Russian Federation, in Moscow. “The Center also will be instrumental in supporting events here in Russia that promote the global dimension of agriculture and food security issues.”

MGIMO University offers graduate and postgraduate education in addition to professional training in various aspects of international affairs, such as natural resource management, comprehensive regional development, and sustainable development. The university’s College of Applied Economics and Commerce includes a Chair on International Complex Issues of Resource Use and Ecology, which deals with such issues as global food security, innovation and ecology-wise technologies for agriculture, assistance to rural development, and sustainable resource management.

“The Information Centre will serve as a gateway for students and graduates to access FAO databases and research reports throughout the world,” Serova said. “This will not only assist them in writing their own academic papers, but it can also help them find opportunities for internships at FAO offices.”

The agreement was signed in December 2017 by Vladimir Morozov, MGIMO University’s vice-rector for human resources, and Eugenia Serova, head of FAO’s office in Moscow.

10 January 2017, Moscow, Russian Federation