Relations between Azerbaijan and FAO
Azerbaijan became a member of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) on the 20th of October 1995. Being a specialized agency that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security, FAO is the operator of national, regional and global projects in Azerbaijan; the main focus of these projects is technical assistance in such areas as agricultural development, food security, capacity building, resource management, animal and plant disease control, procurement and many more.
FAO’s projects in Azerbaijan are driven by technical co-operation programmes which are developed on the basis of prioritised requirements of Azerbaijani Government. Since 2009, the Government of Azerbaijan and the FAO have been in the process of developing a programme to provide technical assistance to Azerbaijan in the area of agricultural development. To this end, the FAO National Medium-Term Priority Framework 2016-2020 has been prepared for and is regularly updated in line with the priorities of Azerbaijan. According to this document, FAO will, as part of the agricultural development priorities, provide services to Azerbaijan in certain areas and at a certain level within the existing national policies and plans of the Government. The document provides a brief analysis of the situation in Azerbaijan and priority measures for FAO’s assistance over the next 3-4 years.
In order to intensify relationships between the FAO and Azerbaijan, the position of National Correspondent was established in December 2002. This position was abolished in 2015 after the establishment of the FAO Partnership and Liaison Office in Baku.
On the 19th to the 20th of April 2012 the 28th FAO Regional Conference for Europe (RCE), on the 17th to the 18th of April the 37th session of the European Commission on Agriculture, and on the 16th of April the FAO and Non-Governmental Organisations’ Regional Conference for Europe were held in Baku.
“Agreement between the Government of Azerbaijan and the FAO on the Establishment of a Partnership and Liaison Office and Technical Assistance” and “Agreement between the Government of Azerbaijan and the FAO on the FAO-Azerbaijan Partnership Programme” were signed on the 25th of May 2015 during José Graziano da Silva’s visit to Azerbaijan, and approved by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated the 12th of October 2015.
In 2015, Leyla Aliyeva, Founder of the International Dialogue for Environmental Action (IDEA) Public Union and Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, was elected FAO Goodwill Ambassador.
Inauguration of the “Azerbaijani Room” took place at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Headquarters in Rome; this inauguration enjoyed the financial support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. For the first time among the CIS countries, a room named after Azerbaijan has been created here. Azerbaijani national ornaments, musical instruments and carpets were used in the design of the room.