5 October 2023, Ankara – As part of the project “Capacity Development for Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture Management in Central Asia, Azerbaijan and Türkiye – FISHCap”, an awareness-raising event has been organized at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Kindergarten on 28 September 2023. The event is being held to launch a colouring book for kindergarten-aged children, entitled I am learning fish, coloring them, aimed at familiarizing young minds with the region’s common fish species. 

The book is one various educational visibility materials for children developed under the FISHCap project by FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to educate children on the importance of sustainable fisheries and the diversity of aquatic life.

At the opening session of the event, both Viorel Gutu, FAO Sub-regional Coordinator for Central Asia and FAO Representative in Türkiye, and Mustafa Altuğ Atalay, Director-General, Directorate General for Fisheries and Aquaculture, underlined the importance of promoting an early understanding of the delicate balance between human activity and the environment and nurturing a generation that values and actively contributes to the conservation of their natural resources.

Participants agreed that it is essential to educate children about the critical role of fisheries and aquaculture in our lives, given their great economic and ecological importance for the future.

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:

FISHCap Project introductory flyer

I am learning fish, coloring them (in Turkish)

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