Regional Task Force Meeting reviewed progress of the BSEC-CSFS project
Ankara. A virtual Regional Task Force Meeting was organized under the project “Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization – Regional Cooperation Centre for Sustainable Food Systems (BSEC-CSFS)” with the participation of high-level officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkey, the Permanent International Secretariat of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC PERMIS) and the FAO Subregional Office for Central Asia. During the meeting, the BSEC-CSFS project was presented to the Regional Task Force members, and the project work plan was reviewed by the Task Force members in order to ensure a common understanding of the main objectives, activities and implementation modalities.
FAO, Turkey and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization are working together to strengthen regional cooperation among the BSEC member states on food security-related challenges through a regional approach. Funded by the Government of the Republic of Turkey through the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP II), the project focuses in particular on food security and safety, improving institutional capacities, poverty alleviation and sustainable natural resource management, including aquatic resources. To this end, a Regional Cooperation Centre for Sustainable Food Systems (BSEC-CSFS) has been established under the project with a clear mandate, relevant institutional framework and technical capacity to enhance the sustainability of the whole food value chain from farm to fork among BSEC member states.
The meeting included interventions from senior officers from FAO, BSEC PERMIS and BSEC-CSFS as well as representatives of the BSEC countries.
Sumiter Broca, FAO Senior Policy Officer and Project Lead Technical Officer, highlighted the importance of seeing food security through a food systems lens, while emphasizing the importance of transforming food systems towards sustainability – the fundamental objective of this unique project. Broca also underscored the timeliness of the project in the context of the upcoming UN Food Systems Summit. Şule Özge İmamoğlu, BSEC Project Regional Programme Coordinator, also emphasized that the BSEC-CSFS represents a major opportunity to transform the food systems of BSEC member states towards a more sustainable model, creating a better future at the national and regional level. İmamoğlu further noted that the Regional Task Force will play a significant role in the development of cooperation on sustainable food systems, providing essential feedback for their improvement. Ambassador Traian Chebeleu, BSEC PERMIS Deputy Secretary-General, pointed out that implementation of this project is a key activity for the BSEC in the field of agriculture and is in line with the provisions of the “BSEC Economic Agenda”, especially Goal 6 of the BSEC Economic Agenda: Food Security and Safety.
Conducted in English, Russian and Turkish, the Regional Task Force Meeting represented an opportunity for all participants from the BSEC countries to present their views and thoughts on food security-related issues for the whole BSEC region – an area covering nearly 20 million km² and inhabited by 337 million people, with an internal trade volume of more than USD 167 billion annually of which agrifood trade accounts for a significant share. The meeting also provided an occasion to discuss preparations for the upcoming 2021 Food Systems Summit.
All participants underlined the importance of the project on the grounds that it also supports member states’ efforts to help their food systems recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting also a represented a positive step towards achieving longer-term objectives for BSEC member states, namely to analyse and monitor the sustainability of their food systems and implement actions to make their food systems more resilient to future shocks and crises.
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, combat desertification and 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 2009-2015.
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 an additional fund of USD 20 million, bringing Turkey’s total contribution to USD 30 million.
LINKS:
- Introductory Flyer of the BSEC Project