An event dedicated to World Food Day was held at the Heydar Aliyev Center.

On October 27, an event dedicated to World Food Day was held at the Heydar Aliyev Center, jointly organized by the IDEA Public Union, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – FAO.

The event was attended by Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, founder and head of the IDEA Public Union, and FAO Goodwill Ambassador.

In her speech, Leyla Aliyeva noted that this event is a great opportunity to draw the world’s attention to challenges such as hunger and food security. Touching upon this year’s World Food Day theme, Leyla Aliyeva emphasized that, as an FAO Goodwill Ambassador and tireless activist in environmental protection, and most importantly, as a citizen of the world, she approaches this issue with great sensitivity. “In light of the new realities of climate change, we must fundamentally change the way we produce and consume food,” Leyla Aliyeva said, highlighting the importance of the Paris Climate Agreement and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

“If we want to ensure food security for the gradually increasing global population, we must achieve sustainability, productivity, and continuous development in agriculture,” said the head of the IDEA Public Union, noting that climate change has a greater impact on ecosystems and rural populations. In this context, she emphasized the importance of worldwide implementation of FAO’s climate-smart agriculture approach to transform and redirect agricultural systems. Leyla Aliyeva also spoke about the activities of the IDEA Public Union she leads, the initiatives carried out over the past five years, and a new project of special significance for food security and environmental protection.

The Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation said: “Through our efforts to sustain the marine environment and support the rural communities dependent on it, IDEA has recently launched a comprehensive cleaning project of the Kura River delta. Why is this project so important? First, I would like to note that the Kura River stretches approximately one thousand kilometers from our western borders to the Caspian Sea and is of great importance for the lives of people living along its banks. In addition, the Kura River is a key area for the reproduction of the Caspian sturgeon, one of the oldest and rarest fish species in the world.”

The Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation stated that the new project aims to improve fish stocks, water quality, and overall ecology, benefiting the environment and local communities. She emphasized that many people suffer from food shortages, which claim more lives than diseases such as HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.

In conclusion, Leyla Aliyeva said: “With our work, hope, confidence, courtesy, and love, we can solve all problems and build a brighter future.”

Touching upon the importance of the event, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Huseynqulu Baghirov highlighted that issues of climate change, food security, and food supply now concern everyone. The Minister noted that agriculture suffers most from climate change, that water resources in the country have increased in recent years thanks to investments, and spoke about measures taken to prevent environmental pollution. He also noted that the use of alternative energy and tree-planting campaigns have significantly increased forest areas in Azerbaijan. The Minister stated that the amount of harmful gases released into the atmosphere in the country has significantly decreased. Four wind and four solar power plants have been installed. Our goal is to produce 25 percent of energy from alternative sources in the future. H. Baghirov noted that over the past fifteen years, more than 100 million trees have been planted on 144 thousand hectares in the country.

Malak Chakmak, Head of the FAO Partnership and Liaison Office in Azerbaijan, spoke about the history and mission of the organization she represents. She emphasized that without addressing climate change, it is impossible to overcome poverty and hunger, highlighting the importance of combining efforts in this regard. She noted that, according to estimates, the world population will reach 9.6 billion by 2050. Accordingly, FAO believes that agricultural production must increase by 60 percent by 2050. One of the biggest challenges in this regard could be climate change. Therefore, the theme of this year’s World Food Day was chosen as “Climate is changing: food and agriculture must change too.” Already, 177 countries worldwide have signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and 2016 was designated as the year of climate action. At the same time, 2030 has been set as the target year to completely eliminate global hunger.

Following this, a video message from FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva regarding World Food Day was shown.

The event continued with panel discussions on the topic “Climate change, food security, and small family farms.”

The panel, chaired by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Seyfaddin Talibov, was attended by representatives of the Ministries of Ecology and Natural Resources, Agriculture, ADA University, and FAO. Discussions focused on the impact of climate change on food security and small family farms in the country, identifying challenges faced by the state, civil society, and other stakeholders in combating the negative effects of climate change on agriculture, and identifying opportunities and topics for expanding cooperation with FAO and other key stakeholders.