12 April 2024, Rome: The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, and H.E Ibrohim Abdurahmonov, Minister for Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, met at FAO headquarters to discuss ways to further enhance collaboration between FAO and Uzbekistan.
The Director-General congratulated the Minister on his appointment and expressed his hope that the good collaboration with Uzbekistan will continue to strengthen so as to maximize the agricultural potential of the country.
The Minister thanked the Director-General and reaffirmed that the agricultural agenda has a high priority in the country, and that FAO is an important partner in this regard. The Minister looked forward to a strengthened FAO County Office in Uzbekistan for increased support.
The Minister informed that, following the successful International Conference on Food Security held in 2023, an international conference focusing on landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) would be held in Samarkand in 2024 during which LLDC leaders would be invited to share their experiences. The Minister stated that he looked forward to FAO’s technical support to ensure the success of the international conference.
The Minister also expressed his country’s interest in joining the FAO Hand-in-Hand Initiative, to attract new investments, among others; as well as to joining the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) programme, to preserve the agricultural heritage that safeguards the biodiversity essential to the environment, while providing livelihoods for rural communities.
Both agreed to continue working together towards the successful transformation of global agrifood systems.
