Rome, July 3, AZERTAC

The 43rd session of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference has kicked off at the Organization’s headquarters in Rome. Azerbaijan’s Minister of Agriculture Majnun Mammadov is participating in the session.

The main theme of the various panel discussions taking place throughout the Conference is integrated water resources management. There will be three round table discussions on the theme of water from Monday through Wednesday. Round Table One will be centred on Water Scarcity: Making water flow for people and planet; Round Table Two on Integrated Flood Risk Management; and Round Table Three will focus on Water Infrastructure.

Water is a foundational component of agrifood systems but is facing growing challenges. Scarcity and drought, floods, and water pollution all undermine global efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Four Betters (better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind).

The Conference will therefore be invited to, among other things, recognize that the global water system is at a breaking point; acknowledge that transforming agrifood systems to achieve the SDGs sustainably will require integrated water resources management (IWRM), and efficient water use in both irrigated and rain fed agriculture; and request FAO to further develop programmatic initiatives on flood and disaster risk management.

The Azerbaijani delegation also held bilateral meetings with the agriculture ministers of a number of countries on the sidelines of the session.

Majnun Mammadov will address the Round Table on Water Scarcity at the 43rd session of the Conference.

Nihad Budagov

Special correspondent