Azerbaijan joins projects implemented under the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programme
Baku–The FAO-Turkey Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP II) has been further strengthened by the endorsement of four projects by Azerbaijan. This endorsement has brought FAO, Turkey and Azerbaijan even closer to their objective of ensuring food security, promoting rural development and managing natural resources in a sustainable manner.
The projects funded by the Government of Turkey will support countries of Central Asia, Azerbaijan and Turkey by improving capacities in a variety of areas ranging from reduction of food loss and waste to ensuring sustainable fisheries and aquaculture management, combating wheat rust diseases and improving national food safety systems.
The first of these projects, FISHCap, aims to increase national capacities to effectively address the sustainable exploitation, management, protection and development of freshwater resources for sustainable fish production in support of food safety and security. Another project, CAC-Rust, will work to improve the productivity and resilience of wheat production against emerging wheat rust epidemics and races by strengthening national capacities and regional collaboration. The Food Loss and Waste project will support the countries in developing the capacities of their national institutions and elaborating national and regional policies and strategies on reducing food loss and waste. The fourth project on food safety aims to improve national food safety systems at both national and regional scales. This project will contribute to strengthening official food safety controls and risk communication in recipient countries, providing an enabling environment for public and private sectors to address priority food safety risks.
Azerbaijan’s participation in FTPP II will contribute to FAO’s existing work in the country on agricultural productivity, rural development, and animal disease and pest control. Melek Cakmak, FAO Representative in Azerbaijan, who signed the agreements on behalf of FAO, said that, “We are pleased to have Azerbaijan joining these important FTPP II projects, which complement ongoing projects and activities carried out under the FAO-Azerbaijan Partnership Programme (FAPP)”. The FAO-Azerbaijan Partnership Programme was established in 2015, and represents a milestone in the collaboration between Azerbaijan and FAO. An FAO Partnership and Liaison Office was also established in Baku.
About the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programmes
The objectives of the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programmes are to provide support to ensure food security, rural poverty reduction and sustainable forest management; to combat desertification; and to preserve ecosystems in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and other countries of mutual interest.
Established in 2007, the first phase of the FAO Turkey Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP) has benefited from trust fund contributions totalling USD 10 million, financed by the Government of Turkey 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, Turkey and FAO commenced the second phase of the FTPP along with the first phase of the FAO-Turkey Forestry Partnership Programme (FTFP), with additional funding of USD 20 million, bringing Turkey’s total contribution to USD 30 million.
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