Türkiye is preparing for UN Food Systems Stocktaking Moment in July

The progress made in Türkiye for the transformation of food systems was discussed at a partner consultation workshop organized by the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry at the UN Türkiye premises in Ankara.

“Sustainable food systems are essential to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda” underlined UN Resident Coordinator Alvaro Rodriguez in a video message he sent to the UN Food Systems Stock Taking Moment Partner Consultation Workshop held on May 30.  

The overall objective of the partner consultation workshop was to support Türkiye’s efforts in the 2023 UN Food Systems Stocktaking Moment that will take place in Rome, Italy from 24 – 26 July 2023, at the premises of the FAO. 

The consultation workshop allowed 50 participants representing the public sector, private sector, academia, and CSOs to discuss the progress made in the implementation of the transformation of food systems and the National Food System Transformation Pathway of Türkiye.

Rodriguez emphasized that the workshop is especially important since it will be recording Türkiye’s progress made in the last two years toward implementing its food systems transformation”.

Türkiye is an important agricultural and food production country he said and added “Strong international agri-food trade connections of Türkiye position the country as a food hub for its adjacent regions and beyond”.

Speaking at the event Head of the RCO Tom Delrue said that the region affected by the recent earthquakes in Türkiye is accounting for almost 15% of Türkiye’s total agricultural GDP. “The main objective of the response for the earthquake-hit provinces should be to maintain food access and availability through restoration and improvement of agri-food systems and rural livelihoods for the strength of national food security” he stated.

Attending the workshop via video conference from Gaziantep the FAO Türkiye Deputy Representative Ayşegül Selışık said as part of FAO’s strategic framework, they are focusing on better production, better nutrition, better environment, and better life to transform the food systems.

“We emphasize the importance of leaving no one behind, especially disadvantaged and vulnerable communities” she stressed.

In line with the Food Systems Summit, FAO seeks to enable and strengthen dialogue among stakeholders for food systems transformation. In doing so, they provide policy advice to decision-makers, in particular governments, encouraging them to support sustainable and inclusive food systems. They also build and enhance national and institutional capacities by transferring our expertise through knowledge exchange.

As part of the UN Food Systems Summit, over 100 countries, including Türkiye, have prepared National Food Systems Transformation Pathways to transform their food systems and contribute to the achievement of the SDGs.

In his opening remarks the National Dialogue Convener of Türkiye Fuat Kasımcan from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MoAF) said Türkiye's National Pathway coordinated by MoAF includes 10 main priority goals and 117 actions linked to 5 action areas to transform food systems and achieve the SDGs by 2030.

“The workshop will contribute significantly to country preparations for the Stocktaking Moment Meeting in Rome in July and the UN Sustainable Development Goals Summit in New York in September” he emphasized.

Sustainable Food Systems are a cross-cutting thematic area that contributes to the advancement of the SDGs in a holistic way, stated Bülent Açıkgöz UN Türkiye’s Partnerships and Development Finance Officer.

The partner consultation workshop helped to map all partners’ initiatives/projects on food systems transformation in Türkiye, to identify steps taken to implement the actions prioritized in the National Pathway, and compile main achievements; challenges and document how those challenges were overcome. The workshop also allowed to identify best practices on food systems transformation and flagship initiatives that can be initiated.