Project overview:

Since its creation, the ECO has identified food security as one of the primary concerns of its member countries. The ECO ministerial meeting in 2002 requested the formulation of a regional agricultural development and food security strategy in collaboration with FAO. 

In 2010, the 19th Council of Ministers in 2010 approved the establishment of the ECO Regional Coordination Centre (ECO-RCC) for the implementation of Regional Programme for Food Security (RPFS) in Ankara, Turkey. The project aimed to assist the ECO Secretariat and member countries formulate an RPFS, including regional, subregional and national components, and strengthen the capacities of both ECO and member countries to ensure successful and sustainable implementation and monitoring.

Under the project, a report titled Overview of Food Security in the Countries of the Economic Cooperation Organization was developed with the aim of enhancing knowledge sharing and cooperation among ECO member states in the area of food security. 

The Overview will provide a comprehensive review of the current status of food security in the region, highlighting the characteristics of food security, trends, challenges and recommendations. The publication brings together the latest and reliable data to provide an up-to-date overview of food security in the ECO region. The completion of the publication will also provide a timely opportunity to update the Regional Food Security Programme of ECO, which was developed in 2008.

This first edition of the publication is the fruit of efforts undertaken by the Economic Cooperation Organization Regional Coordination Centre for Food Security (ECO-RCC) to collect and analyse relevant data and indicators. FAO provided technical support under the project.

Key results of the project:

• The ECO-RCC team was established and operationalized with a clear work plan, working principles and a budget in 2014.
• The technical capacities of ECO-RCC staff were enhanced through training sessions, workshops and collaboration with FAO on analytical works.
• A report titled Overview of Food Security in the Countries of the Economic Cooperation Organization was developed and published with the aim of enhancing knowledge sharing and cooperation among ECO member countries in the area of food security. The results of the report were presented and disseminated at the 6th ECO Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture, held on 3–4 December 2019 in Baku.
• A list of recommendations for the Regional Programme for Food Security was developed based on the results of the Overview of Food Security.