THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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Press release…
FAO-Turkey Partnership Programme (FTPP) on Food and Agriculture brings together representatives from the FAO Subregional Office, FAO Country Offices and government for coordination meeting… FTPP is more than the financial support it provides. It is about sharing experiences and expertise, and creating regional momentum with a view to ensuring food security, reducing rural poverty, combating desertification and preserving ecosystems. |
28 April 2021, Ankara – The FAO Subregional Office for Central Asia (FAOSEC) organized a coordination meeting, for the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP II), on 27 April 2021 with the participation of FAO Country Offices, the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, and government representatives from the beneficiary countries.
The meeting updated the participants on the progress of current FTPP II projects, provided an opportunity for government counterparts to share their opinions and suggestions, and worked to strengthen coordination for timely and more effective implementation of activities in the field.
Moderated by FAO Turkey Assistant Representative Ayşegül Selışık, the coordination meeting was opened by Viorel Gutu, Sub-regional Coordinator and FAO Representative in Turkey, and Aylin Çağlayan Özcan, Director General of EU and Foreign Relations, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey.
Viorel Gutu confirmed that the projects planned under FTPP II all commenced in 2020, despite difficulties arising from the COVID-19 pandemic which affected FAO’s work at all levels. He added that “despite the challenges, we are working to ensure that FTPP II brings the expected support to the sub-region”. Elaborating further, Gutu stated that “the FTPP is more than the financial support it provides. It is about sharing experiences and expertise, and creating regional momentum with a view to ensuring food security, reducing rural poverty, combating desertification and preserving ecosystems.”
In her opening remarks, Çağlayan Özcan emphasized that the relationship between FAO and Turkey has a long history dating back more than 70 years. Throughout this period, the two partners have undertaking a variety of joint projects in numerous fields including agriculture, forestry, fisheries and rural development. Çağlayan Özcan also noted that Turkey is among the 15 countries that have contributed most to the FAO 2021 General Budget in the form of financial and technical support for activities at both regional and global levels.
Following the opening remarks, Leyla Akyüz Sönmez, FTPP Liaison Officer, presented an overview of FTPP II. Naoko Sakai, International Field Programme Operations Specialist, then informed the participants about the status of operational and pipeline projects within the scope of the programme. She was followed by Disa Vurdem, National Operations Specialist, who presented the work plans for the FTPP II projects. Finally, country representatives shared their comments and suggestions regarding implementation of the programme with the participants.
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; to combat desertification; and to 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 and 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 additional funding of USD 20 million, bringing Turkey’s total contribution to USD 30 million.
