Bilateral Meeting with the Minister for Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Rome - FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, met with H.E. Ibrohim Abdurahmonov, Minister for Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, on the sidelines of the World Food Forum 2025 and FAO’s 80th Anniversary.

The Director-General congratulated Uzbekistan on its election to the FAO Council for the first time in history, to serve during the 2028–2029 term. He commended the country’s leadership in advancing agricultural modernization, innovation, and climate action, including through the International Forum on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) on Food Security and the SDGs, jointly organized by FAO and Uzbekistan in Tashkent.

The Minister reaffirmed Uzbekistan’s commitment to continuing the close cooperation with FAO,  including through the enhancement of technical staffing and field-level support to farmers.

Both sides discussed progress under FAO’s flagship initiatives, including One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) on sweet cherries, the Digital Villages Initiative, and preparations for the nomination of Margilan as Uzbekistan’s first GIAHS site.

The Director-General welcomed Uzbekistan’s participation in the Hand-in-Hand Initiative and reaffirmed FAO’s continued support in developing the Country Programming Framework (2026–2030), with a focus on digitalization, innovation, sustainable resource management, and climate resilience.