The videoconference SCO-FAO Dialogue on Food Security: Sustainable Development of the SCO Member States’ Agriculture Sector in Conditions of Climate Challenges took place on 29 November 2023.
The Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan organised the event with support from the SCO Secretariat and the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia. Representatives of the authorised agencies from the SCO member states and from the FAO took part in the discussion.
In his welcome video address, SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming informed the conference participants about the SCO’s efforts to facilitate food security in the context of ongoing climate change issues. He noted the importance of implementing the concept for developing “smart” agriculture practices, the SCO’s Green Belt Programme, and the importance of furthering cooperation between the SCO and the FAO as well as with other specialised UN institutions and regional commissions.
The participants exchanged opinions on issues of adapting the agro-industrial sector to global climate change and achieving sustainable development goals.
The memorandum of understanding between the SCO Secretariat and the FAO, signed in Tashkent in November 2019 during the SCO Heads of Government Meeting, as well as the 2020-2023 Joint Action Plan, form the foundation of current partner-like relations between the SCO Secretariat and the FAO.