14 March 2019; Antalya- The 3rd Steering Committee Meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization Regional Coordination Centre for Food Security (ECO-RCC) was held on 13–14 March 2019 in Antalya, Turkey, with the participation of the representatives of member countries.

Established in 2012 in Ankara, the Centre is committed to enhancing cooperation and coordination among ECO member countries in the area of food security. The main roles of the Centre include promoting the exchange of information and experience among countries in the region and coordinating and facilitating implementation of the ECO Regional Programme for Food Security.

During the meeting, the Steering Committee reviewed and discussed the recommendations of the previous Steering Committee meeting as well as the follow-up actions taken by ECO-RCC, and reviewed the planned activities of ECO-RCC for 2019–2020.

On the second day, a workshop was organized on food security with a specific focus on the reduction of food loss and waste. The workshop started with a presentation by Keigo Obara, FAO food security officer, on the concept, global status and governance of food security. Obara also presented the results and recommendations of the Overview of Food Security in ECO Countries, an analysis published within the framework of a FTPP-funded project “ECO Regional Coordination Centre for Food Security (ECO-RCC)”. Ayhan Baran, Head of Department from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey, shared Turkey’s plans to initiate a campaign entitled “Save Your Food” to reduce food loss and waste. The campaign will be supported by the project “Reduction of Food Loss and Waste in SEC Countries”, due to be implemented in the second phase of FTPP.

The programme ended with a field visit to a seed production and research company in Antalya.

Copyright for main picture: Representatives from the ECO member states, Ankara, Turkey. ©FAO/Leyla Akyuz Sonmez

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