FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programmes in the spotlight at the ICFS 2023 in Samarkand
18 September 2023, Ankara, Türkiye – The 2023 International Conference on Food Security (ICFS 2023) was held in Samarkand on 7–8 September, organized by the Government of Uzbekistan with the technical support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The conference provided a welcome and timely platform for diverse stakeholders to review and discuss the current state of food security in the world – an issue that has climbed to the top of the global agenda.
In his opening remarks, Qu Dongyu, the Director-General of FAO, explained that “the conference is an important opportunity to review the state of global food security in the context of agrifood systems transformation, on the path towards achieving the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”.
The conference also provided a good opportunity to increase the visibility of the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programmes (FTPP). To this end, two exhibitions were displayed in the congress building where the conference took place. One exhibition was dedicated to the 40th anniversary of FAO-Türkiye Partnership and consisted of photos from FTPP projects, providing visitors with a visual overview of the thematic and geographic diversity of the programmes.
The other exhibition entitled “Grown for a bin” consisted of striking visual images by photographer Klaus Pichler, highlighting the issue of food waste and offering an insight into its causes, which range from geopolitical factors and cultural aspects to individual consumer behaviour.
In addition to these exhibitions, a variety of information supports about the activities of the FTPP were distributed during the conference. Thanks to these activities and the active engagement of participants, the Samarkand gathering provided a fertile platform for cooperation, simultaneously promoting the main objectives of the FTPP in line with the fundamental aim of the Conference – working in a harmony to achieve SDG 2: Zero Hunger.
About the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programmes
The objectives of the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programmes are to provide support to ensure food security, rural poverty reduction and sustainable forest management; combat desertification; and preserve ecosystems in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and other countries of mutual interest.
Established in 2007, the first phase of the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP) has benefited from trust fund contributions totalling USD 10 million, financed by the Government of Türkiye and represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. During the first phase of the programme, 28 projects were implemented in 16 countries between 2009 and 2015.
In 2014, Türkiye and FAO commenced the second phase of the FTPP along with the first phase of the FAO-Türkiye Forestry Partnership Programme (FTFP) with additional funding of USD 20 million, bringing Türkiye’s total contribution to USD 30 million.
LINKS:
FAO renews call for agrifood systems transformation