FAO and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation present action plan for food security, sustainable development

FAO and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Secretariat presented a joint plan of action to the agricultural ministers of the SCO. Developed in consultation with the Member States, it covers areas of common interests, such as achieving food security and sustainable nutrition.

Today’s event, the 5th Meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture, as well as all the other SCO meetings of the current year, are held under the chairmanship of the Russian Federation.

The document, covering 2020–2023, was presented to the high-level representatives by Vladimir Rakhmanin, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia, and Sherali Jonon, Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

The action plan builds on the Memorandum of Understanding, signed by Vladimir Rakhmanin and Vladimir Norov, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's 18th meeting of the Heads of Government Council last year in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The document foresees various joint activities for the benefit of SCO Member States on food security and healthy diets, access of the population to high quality, and locally produced food, sustainable food systems, agrifood trade, digitalization, and food safety. Parties agreed to exchange information, research data, and best practices, as well as hold joint meetings on a regular basis.

"The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is our important and strategic partner and we are looking forward to our fruitful collaboration with its Member States,” Vladimir Rakhmanin said. “The Plan of Action between FAO and the Secretariat thus includes topics most relevant for them.”

“We welcome strengthened cooperation between the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and FAO,” said the Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation Dmitry Patrushev. “We hope that endorsement of the Draft Joint Action Plan on the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding will give momentum to the development of this dialogue”.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is a permanent intergovernmental international organization, which comprises of eight member states (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan). These countries cooperate in many areas, including trade, economy, industry, transport, agriculture, food security, and environmental protection with the ultimate goal to facilitate comprehensive and balanced economic growth and social and cultural development in the region.

21 October 2020, Moscow, Russian Federation